Avocado Chicken with Curry Dip

Tender chicken and avocado meatballs served with a tangy curry dip.

Avocados are like a staple for me. They’re always in my veggie bin or ripening in my counter basket. When I was a kid growing up in Hawaii, we had an avocado tree in our yard, but they were quite different than the ones we see in the markets here. Those were round, the size of a softball, and the meat was a buttery yellow. In fact, it had a buttery taste and it was very creamy. Grandpa would sometimes just cut it in half, sprinkle some sugar on it, and scoop it right out of the shell. That’s how buttery it was.

Today, I’m still eating avocados on a regular basis. In fact, awhile ago when people and celebrities were telling us about the new and interesting way to have avocados…smear it on toast and top it with some cheese, or veggies, or some meat…I said, “whaaat?” I’ve been doing that for years. It’s what I have for breakfast several times a week. I guess I was just ahead of the times.

I’ve had burgers with avocado chunks in the patties and it’s very good. The oil from the avocados can make the meat moist. And always looking for ways to turn a meal into bites, I thought meatballs would be a good idea. You could use ground beef, but I chose chicken because that’s what was in my freezer. And a few days before, I had made Kerry some Curry Chicken, so that’s where the curry dip idea came from.

I thought about baking the meatballs, but because it’s chicken, it needed some browning, so I fried them. Otherwise they’d look pale, and I think, quite unappealing.​

Makes about 15 meatballs

Meatballs:

• 1 lb. ground chicken
• 1 large avocado, cut into small chunks
• 2 T mayo
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 T chives, chopped
• Oil for frying
• 5 skewers

Dip:

• ¼ cup plus 2 T mayo
• 2 T yellow mustard
• 1 tsp curry powder
• ¼ tsp cumin

Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs, except for the avocados. Then add the avocado chunks and gently incorporate into the meat mixture without mashing the chunks.

Shape into meatballs and fry in a small amount of oil until lightly browned. Ground chicken is sticky, so dampen hands with water or a bit of oil for smooth meatballs.

Combine the ingredients for the dip and serve in a bowl or in individual bowls for dipping.

Serve meatballs on skewers.