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A healthy recipe for Chicken “Wonton-Less” Soup with Bok Choy- a simple flavorful broth-based soup that is paleo, low carb and gluten free.
This Paleo Chicken Wonton Soup is made without the wonton wrappers, keeping it gluten-free (flour-free) and low-carb and also SUPER FAST to make, since you are not having to wrap all the wontons. It’s a surprisingly healthy and easy soup to make, and the BEST THING – the tiny adorable and delicious chicken meatballs can be frozen and saved for nights when you have absolutely no time to cook- using them in a quick soup or sautéing them up with veggies, pasta or rice noodles.
The little chicken meatballs take about 15-20 minutes to make. Seasoned with garlic, ginger, shallot, lemongrass and fresh chili peppers- they are a flavor bomb. Because they are so tiny, they only take a few minutes to cook. And once in the broth they are like little bites of heavenly goodness…..so addicting and delicious. Please try this one friends!!!
Ground chicken is seasoned with scallions and ginger and garlic, and rolled into the tiny little flavorful balls, about the size of a extra large cherry. Then they are plopped into simmering seasoned chicken stock along with a generous amount of greens, herbs and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil. A delicious filling meal full of nutrients and best of all, good, clean flavor. I could eat this everyday. The pictures really don’t do this justice, so please, trust me on this and give a whirl. I think you will like it.
Here I’ve cleaned out my fridge and am adding baby spinach, bok choy, arugula and scallions to the soup. Lots of healthy nutritious greens.
To make the meatballs….simple mix up the ingredients. It takes 5-10 minutes.
Freeze the remaining meatballs on a parchment lined sheet pan, then once frozen, place in a ziplock bag in your freezer for easy use during the week. 
To me, one of the most healing, nurturing and comforting things to eat is chicken broth – especially when made from scratch, with leftover organic chicken.
My very first food memory is of my mom’s chicken soup, when I was very little, and sick, and sitting in my high chair. I had both hands in the soup, fishing out the chicken and remember thinking, mmmmmmm, this tastes sooooooo good! It was my first memory of taste. Can you remember yours? How has this shaped what you like to eat today?
To this day, chicken broth is my comfort food.
Add a few slices of chili pepper at the end for extra heat if you like.
A healing bowl of goodness- perfect for cold winter nights.
The Peace of Wild Things
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
Wendell Berry
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Paleo Wonton Soup
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian, GF, Low Carb, low fat
Description
A delicious brothy chicken wonton soup without the wonton wrappers, keeping this gluten free and low carb.
Ingredients
CHICKEN MEATBALLS
- 1 pound ground chicken ( or use ground turkey, beef or pork or a mix)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1–2 tablespoons fresh lemongrass– finely chopped
- 1 shallot- finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 2–3 garlic cloves – finely minced
- 3 scallions, very thinly sliced ( separate white from green parts)
- 1 teaspoon jalapeno- very finely chopped ( optional)
BROTH
- 8 cups chicken broth or stock- organic if possible.
- 6 scallions, sliced, separating white parts from green ( or sub leeks)
- pinch white pepper
- salt to taste
- 4–6 cups fresh greens or bok choy ( baby spinach, arugula, asian greens)
- Drizzle toasted sesame oil
- Garnish- fresh herbs (cilantro, basil, scallions, chives, Italian parsley) toasted sesame oil, fresh chili slices
Instructions
MEATBALLS: Makes 24 very small balls
- Place ground chicken and the rest of the meatball ingredients – salt, lemongrass, shallot, ginger, garlic, green tops of scallions and jalapeño- into a medium bowl, and using wet hands, mix until combined well. Again, using wet hands, form into small cherry- walnut-sized balls ( .75 ounces) understanding they will swell in the broth (almost twice the size) and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. See notes.
- Heat the broth or stock in a big pot and add the white parts of the scallions ( or leeks). Bring to a gentle boil. Add a pinch of white pepper and salt to taste.
- Gently drop the raw meatballs (serves 2) into the simmering broth.
- Gently simmer the meatballs until cooked through about 5 minutes (they will take longer if frozen). Remember the smaller the meatballs, the faster they will cook. They will float when done, but best to always test one first.
- During the last minute of cooking add the greens to the pot, so they wilt and become tender– but not too long that they lose their vibrant color. Toss in the fresh herbs and remaining scallions and serve immediately.
- Divide among bowls, top with a few slices of fresh chilies for heat, and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil for added depth and flavor.
Notes
Meatballs can be frozen on a sheet pan, then place in zip lock bags. You can also use this same filling to make regular wontons using wonton wrappers and these can be frozen too.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: one bowl ( 6 meatballs)
- Calories: 313
- Sugar: 6.1 g
- Sodium: 102.6 mg
- Fat: 16.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 21.2 g
- Fiber: 4.6 g
- Protein: 23.3 g
- Cholesterol: 96.3 mg
Keywords: meatball soup, wontonless soup, broth soup recipe, chicken meatball soup
This soup is sooo good! I used ground turkey and little gem lettuce, which was perfect. I didn’t have a shallot on hand so I left that out, otherwise I followed the recipe. This was my first time cooking with lemongrass and the flavor was amazing in the meatballs. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
★★★★★
Awesome Robin- I’m so happy you liked this!
Awesome Robin- I’m so happy you like this!
love this recipe, it is a favourite of mine, also the tofu and bok choy i love it to. love your blog and recipes .
Thanks so much Jo!
Sylvia thank you, this is a ‘feel good soup’. The broth and chicken meatballs are full of flavour.
★★★★★
Oh Good Elizabeth, glad you liked!
This was just lovely! Another winner. Thank you again. I always look forward to your Saturday email.
This recipe is a keeper!
★★★★★
This was delicious! Definitely keeping this recipe. Thank you!
★★★★★
Love this recipe! My 3year old loves it too. It’s now my go to quick meal.
This was so good! My teen doesn’t typically like ground meat much, so I only put a few meatballs in hers and finished hers off with some pre-cooked, frozen shrimp. The stores around us were out of lemongrass this week and didn’t have fresh lemongrass or even powdered/dried lemongrass. So I added in some turmeric instead. In addition to the veggies you listed, I added napa cabbage, a few broccoli florets, and a couple of dashes of coconut aminos. Was so, so good!!!
★★★★★
Thanks for sharing how you adapted! perfect!
First of all, I loved the poem too.
I’m a beginner in the kitchen. I made this recipe for my wife for our anniversary and we both loved it. Best of all, I loved cooking it. I put on some music and had a blast cooking. From the trip to the grocery store to the final cut, I had a blast. I’m going to rock out another one of your recipes next Sunday. Thanks for sharing your art! Delicious!
★★★★★
Hi Mark, I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to hear that you enjoyed the process of cooking this meal. That is what it is all about. Thanks for sharing. xoxo
Love this recipe! And thank you so much for the poem, too.
★★★★★
This soup is fantastic! Meatballs are so full of flavor!
★★★★★
I love this soup too. I don’t think think the pictures do it justice. So easy and fun of flavor- thanks for sharing and glad you liked it.
This looks SO good! Do you have any ideas on how to make this vegetarian? I’m wondering if it could be make with tofu or if that would not stick together?
Like a tofu meatball?? I think it would fall apart…but I love the idea of it!! If you try doing it let me know- so curious!
This soup is amazing. I have made it over and over and it never gets old- that’s how much flavor is packed in! We also put soba noodles in it to make it a little heartier. Now that it’s winter, I’ve been keeping a batch of meatballs in the freezer in case one of us starts to feel the beginnings of a cold. This soup has instant healing power!
I just tried this recipe, and it was great!
When I have a bad cold, I crave brothy Asian soups. Wonton soup has always been one of my favorite comfort foods. It’s hard to find restaurants that still serve it though. Recipe is quick and easy. I will definitely make it again.
★★★★★
Hi Sylvia, could i use quinoa in this as well?
In the soup or in the meatballs?
In the soup, I made this last night and put cooked quinoa in the bottom of the bowl before I added the soup, really delicious
Made this last night – it was the perfect warming, but light soup for a winter night. Thank you!
Do you really not bake or cook the meatballs first?
Yes, really! just drop them raw, right into the simmering broth…. they cook in a few minutes ( especially if very small) and flavor the broth too!
You said separate the green from the white in the scallion. Which part do you use for the meatball. You specified using the white for the broth. What temperature for cooking the meatballs?
Use the green tops for the meatballs.
This recipe looks delicious! I like to have wonton soup when I’m fighting a cold.
Love the poem, too!
Thanks and glad you saw the poem. It’s a good one. 😉
Oh, nice, I feel this very spring soup. Thanks for the recipe.