Spinach and Chicken Meatball Salad

  • 15MINS
  • 15MINS
  • Serves 4
  • 186KCAL

You’ve got to try livening up your salad menu with these Thai-inspired meatballs! Delicious served hot or cold, they’re just perfect for warm summer evenings. We’ve drizzled them in a super simple sweet chilli dressing with zingy hints of lime and a dash of Sriracha-style heat for only 186 calories per serving.

  • Batch Cook pinchofnom.com
  • Dairy Free pinchofnom.com
  • Freezable pinchofnom.com

NutritionPer Serving

  • Calories186
  • Carbs14g
  • Protein26g
  • Fat1.7g
  • Saturates0.4g
  • Sugars13g

Spinach and Chicken Meatball Salad - Pinch of Nom Slimming Recipes

For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!

When you’re in the mood for a flavoursome summer dinner, look no further than our Spinach and Chicken Meatball Salad. We’re talking juicy, homemade meatballs tossed together with fresh, crunchy salad veg and drizzled in a sweet yet zingy chilli dressing – and it’s so quick to make.

To help this gorgeous sunny weather dish come in as light as 186 calories per serving, we’ve prepared our meatballs from scratch. Simply blitz the ingredients together in a food processor and shape them into twenty individual balls (there’s no need to worry about making them perfectly round, they’ll still be yummy!).

We’ve used lettuce, cucumber and tomato for our salad but there’s nothing to stop you mixing things up a bit. Just be sure to adjust the calories accordingly when making ingredient swaps. If you’re on the lookout for more slimming-friendly inspiration, have a scroll through Our Top Salad Recipes.

What diets is this Spinach and Chicken Meatball Salad suitable for?

This Spinach and Chicken Meatball Salad recipe is suitable for dairy-free diets.

As always, take extra care when cooking for people with allergies and be sure to use different utensils, cookware and preparation areas.

Do you need any special ingredients to make Spinach and Chicken Meatball Salad?

You won’t need any fancy ingredients to make this super simple recipe.

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Use a food processor to blitz your meatballs together. It’s cleaner, quicker and easier!

Sriracha is a delicious sauce that comes in handy for this recipe and so many others.

How many calories are in this Spinach and Chicken Meatball Salad?

There are 186 calories per portion in this Spinach and Chicken Meatball Salad, which means it falls into our Everyday Light category. 

To cut down the amount of calories even more, you can simply halve the portion size and serve with a healthy accompaniment!

This Spinach and Chicken Meatball Salad is perfect if you’re following a calorie-controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers. 

As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.

Step 1

Add the meatball ingredients to a food processor and blitz until smooth.

Step 1 pinchofnom.com

Step 2

Take walnut-sized amounts of the chicken mixture and roll in your hands to make smooth balls. The mix should make 20 meatballs.

Step 2 pinchofnom.com

Step 3

Spray a frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and set on a medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook for 10-12 minutes turning to brown on all sides. Check that the meatballs are cooked by cutting one in half to make sure the juices run clear.

Step 3 pinchofnom.com

Step 4

While the meatballs are cooking, add the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and stir to combine.

Step 4 pinchofnom.com

Step 5

Arrange the lettuce, cucumber and tomato on your serving plates top with the meatballs and drizzle with the dressing. Serve.

Step 5 pinchofnom.com

Spinach and Chicken Meatball Salad - Pinch of Nom Slimming Recipes

What could I serve with this Spinach and Chicken Meatball Salad?

This Spinach and Chicken Meatball Salad is best served on a warm summer’s evening, with any of the following slimming-friendly side dishes:

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How do you know when Spinach and Chicken Meatball Salad is cooked?

You should cook the meatballs until they’ve browned on all sides in a frying pan. This will take around 10-12 minutes. You can check that the meatballs are cooked by cutting one in half to make sure the juices run clear.

Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe. 

How long can you keep Spinach and Chicken Meatball Salad in the fridge?

This recipe can be enjoyed while the meatballs are hot or cold. If you have any leftover meatballs, make sure that you allow them to cool before popping them in a container with a lid and refrigerating. 

You can keep the meatballs in a fridge for around 3 days until you’re ready to eat them. It’s best to prepare the salad ingredients fresh.

Can I freeze Spinach and Chicken Meatball Salad?

The meatballs from this recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;

  • Freeze them as soon as they are cold enough.
  • Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.

Don’t forget to add a label with what they are, and on what date you put them in the freezer! 

How do I reheat Spinach and Chicken Meatball Salad?

From chilled: Place the meatballs in a microwave-proof container with a loose-fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes until piping hot.

From frozen: Allow to defrost, and heat covered in the microwave for 3-5 minutes then stir. Cook for a further 5-7 minutes until piping hot.

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Spinach and Chicken Meatball Salad

These Thai-inspired meatballs are perfect for summer evenings. They're drizzled in a sweet and spicy dressing that's too good to miss!
  • Prep Time
    15 MINS
  • Cook Time
    15 MINS
  • KCals 186
  • Carbs 14G

Ingredients

For the meatballs

  • 3 chicken breasts approx. 400g
  • 30 g spinach
  • 4 g fresh coriander chopped
  • 1 garlic clove peeled and crushed
  • 5 cm piece ginger peeled and grated
  • ½ red chilli seeds removed and diced
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • low-calorie cooking spray

For the dressing

  • 4 tbsp cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp reduced sugar and salt tomato ketchup
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • ½ tsp Sriracha
  • ¼ tsp garlic granules
  • ½ red chilli seeds removed and finely diced

For the salad

  • 240 g lettuce shredded
  • 120 g cucumber sliced
  • 8 cherry tomatoes quartered

food processor

Frying pan

small mixing bowl

We use a fan assisted oven for all of our recipes. Check out our oven temperature conversion guide.

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Instructions

  1. Add the meatball ingredients to a food processor and blitz until smooth.
  2. Take walnut-sized amounts of the chicken mixture and roll in your hands to make smooth balls. The mix should make 20 meatballs.
  3. Spray a frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and set on a medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook for 10-12 minutes turning to brown on all sides. Check that the meatballs are cooked by cutting one in half to make sure the juices run clear.
  4. While the meatballs are cooking, add the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and stir to combine.
  5. Arrange the lettuce, cucumber and tomato on your serving plates top with the meatballs and drizzle with the dressing. Serve.

Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?

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2 comments

See what others have to say

BelindaSunday 21st July 2024

Could I use chicken mince for this recipe instead?

Reply

    HollyTuesday 23rd July 2024

    Hey Belinda, yes you can use chicken mince instead of chicken breast and skip the step in the food processor and mix well instead. Hope that helps!

    Reply

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