Butter Chicken Meatballs

No ratings yet

Butter Chicken Meatballs feature tender, spice-laden meatballs with a rich and creamy, flavorful sauce. Serve with rice or naan.

Prep Time20

Cook Time35

Total Time55

Course: Dinner, Entree

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: chicken, dinner, Indian food, Indian-Inspired, meatballs, poultry, Turkey

Special Diet: Gluten Free, Nut Free

Servings:

Calories: 536kcal

1 pound ground chicken or turkey
1 cup panko use gluten-free panko or gluten-free breadcrumbs to make these meatballs gluten-free
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
1 large egg
1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt or MSG-salt
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon cayenne reduce or omit if you want your meatballs to be very mild

Heat the oven to 400°F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or foil. Set aside. Alternatively, you can cook the meatballs in the air-fryer (see directions below).
Add 1 pound ground chicken or turkey, 1 cup panko, ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 large egg, 1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger, 4 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon garam masala, ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, and ¼ teaspoon cayenne to a large bowl. Using a large spoon or your hands, mix the ingredients together until everything is evenly distributed. Form the mixture into 1 – 1 ½ inch meatballs (about 36).
Spread the meatballs onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through. If using your air-fryer, cook the meatballs at 375°F for 14-15 minutes. Set the cooked meatballs aside while the sauce finishes cooking.

Start cooking the sauce while the meatballs are cooking. Heat 2 Tablespoons canola oil in a large skillet, medium Dutch oven, or saute pan over medium heat. Add the minced onion, 1 Tablespoon tomato paste, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook until the onion becomes soft and the tomato paste darkens, about 5-8 minutes.
Stir in the minced garlic and 1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in 1 Tablespoon garam masala, 2 teaspoons paprika, and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and cook for another minute.
Stir in 1 cup tomato puree and cook until it comes to a simmer, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in ½ cup whipping cream and 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar, and remove the pan from the heat.
Use an immersion blender to puree the sauce (alternatively, you can use a traditional blender, but I recommend letting the sauce cool a little bit before hand and/or blending in 2-3 batches to prevent the steam from blowing the lid off the blender).
Return the pan to medium heat and stir in 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter until it melts into the sauce. Stir in the cooked meatballs and cook until they're heated through, about 3-5 minutes.
If desired, sprinkle minced cilantro over the meatballs. Serve the butter chicken meatballs over rice and/or with naan, paratha bread, or flatbread.

Make the meatballs according to recipe steps 1 and 2. Instead of cooking the meatballs right away, place them on a plate wrapped with plastic or in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Cook the meatballs using step 3 of the recipe just before you're ready to eat. Alternatively, you could make and cook the meatballs (steps 1-3 of the recipe), then refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Make the sauce by following steps 4-7 of the recipe. Refrigerate the sauce in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Reheat the sauce by adding it to the original pot/pan that you cooked it in. Heat over medium heat until it comes to a gentle simmer, about 5-8 minutes. Note that if the sauce has become too thick, you can thin it with a little bit of water. Once the sauce has reached a simmer, stir in 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, then the meatballs. Continue to cook until the meatballs are heated through. Serve with rice and/or naan or paratha as desired.