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Coriander & Lace

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A close up of butter chicken meatballs in a decorative serving dish.

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Butter Chicken Meatballs

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I think butter chicken is my favourite Indian dish (I know.. so basic!). And my sister is obsessed with it. This version features tender chicken meatballs in a creamy, savoury butter chicken sauce. It’s not very spicy at all, so it’s great for those who don’t love heat. You’re going to love these butter chicken meatballs!

A hand holding a dish of butter chicken meatballs and rice.

how to make butter chicken meatballs

First you will start with the meatballs. They will later be simmered in a delicious sauce, so they don’t need to be elaborate – just tasty! Make them with just ground chicken, panko, and an egg, seasoned with salt and pepper.

The meatballs are simply made of ground chicken, panko, egg, salt & pepper.

Form them into meatballs and set them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. I use a rounded tablespoon-size measuring spoon to help keep them evenly sized. Bake them for 15 minutes at 450°F, until cooked through and a little bit crispy on the outside.

The meatballs are baked for 15 minutes.

While the meatballs are baking, get started with the sauce. In a medium sized bowl combine the following ingredients: tomato purée, yogurt, ginger, coriander, lemon juice, garam masala, tumeric, cumin, chilli powder.

Butter chicken sauce is full of delicious, exotic spices.

Mix these these ingredients together then set the bowl aside. (Watch out for that tumeric. It’s bad for staining nails or fabrics if you get it on you.)

Mix the butter chicken sauce ingredients ahead of time so that you don't waste precious time measuring things when you need to move quickly.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the sliced onion until it begins to become translucent. Then add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.

Onions and garlic are sautéed.

Stir the prepared, mixed sauce ingredients into your skillet. Bring it just to a boil before stirring in the cream, sugar, and salt. Reduce to a simmer and continue cooking for fifteen minutes.

The sauce ingredients are added into the skillet with the sautéed onion and garlic.

Stir in the meatballs and simmer for another five minutes. Now your butter chicken meatballs are ready to enjoy!

Butter chicken meatballs simmering in sauce.

I served them with butter chicken’s traditional counterpart – basmati rice. It goes wonderfully with naan bread as well. And fresh coriander makes a simple but effective garnish.

A close up of butter chicken meatballs in a decorative serving dish.
Butter chicken meatballs are served on basmati rice.
A fork cutting into a tender butter chicken meatball.

For another fantastic chicken dish, check out my grilled mango lime chicken!

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Butter chicken meatballs and basmati rice in a bowl.

Butter Chicken Meatballs

★★★★★ 4.9 from 9 reviews
  • Author: Asha
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 15–20 meatballs 1x
  • Category: Main dish
  • Cuisine: Indian
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Description

Tender chicken meatballs in a creamy, savoury butter chicken sauce. It’s not very spicy at all, so it’s great for those who don’t love the heat. You’re going to love these!

Scale

Ingredients

Meatballs:

1 lb ground chicken

1/2 cup panko

1 egg

salt 

pepper

Sauce:

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup tomato purée *

1/3 cup full fat, plain yogurt

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp ginger, freshly grated

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp  garam masala

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp tumeric powder

1/4 tsp chilli powder

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

Serve with:

basmati rice

naan bread

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450°F.  Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.

Mix meatball ingredients together and form into rounded tablespoon-size meatballs. Food prep gloves or some olive oil on your hands will make this easier. Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes. They should be cooked through and a bit crispy on the outside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the following ingredients and set aside: tomato purée, yogurt, ginger, ground coriander, lemon juice, garam masala, tumeric, cumin, and chilli powder.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook onion for a few minutes until it begins to be translucent. Stir in garlic and cook for another minute.

Stir in the pre-mixed sauce ingredients. Bring it just to a boil, then stir in the cream, sugar, and salt. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Mix the cooked meatballs into the sauce and simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste and add salt to your preference. Serve with basmati rice and/or naan bread.

Equipment

Notes

* Tomato purée (tomato passata) is not the same as tomato sauce. If you can’t find it, use a blender to purée canned tomatoes. 

Keywords: butter chicken meatballs

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Lea says

    Hi Asha,

    Thanks for sharing, just sucessfully made a batch now..healthy and delicious 🙂

    Cheers,
    Lea

    ★★★★

    Reply

  5. Toni says

    I tripled the recipe for a family get-togetehr. Everyone of them asked for a second helping.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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