If you love classic Indian butter chicken, then I guarantee that you will love this butter chicken meatballs too which is a twist on the restaurant classic from Indian cuisine!
Butter chicken and meatballs – best of both worlds amalgamated into one recipe and created an epic dish – the butter chicken meatballs!
Juicy and succulent chicken meatballs simmered in the most luscious and buttery gravy to give you the most exquisite culinary experience!
Butter chicken or as we Indians fondly call it chicken makkhanwalla (which literally means buttery as makkhan=butter) is already a world famous dish thanks to its deliciousness; more so because this creamy & flavorful dish is palatable to every taste bud.
As I explored more of world cuisine for my love of food, meatballs grabbed a permanent place in my list of favorites. Best part of meatballs is that it can create variety of dishes and possibilities are practically endless!
You can relish them in spaghetti and meatballs or in a meatball soup! Both the recipes are phenomenal and now to add to the list, I have today’s recipe of butter chicken meatballs which too turned out to be a phenomenal one!
Making meatballs is very easy and if you haven’t tried it yet, I urge you start with this recipe of butter chicken meatballs simply because the only hard work involved in this recipe is making the meatballs.
Making the butter chicken gravy is as easy as child’s play and doesn’t even require any prep. Few basic ingredients, which are used in almost all Indian recipes, are all you need to make this epic gravy!
How to easily make butter chicken meatballs?
If you have the ground spices like turmeric, cumin, coriander and garam masala handy, you can make this butter chicken meatballs right away.
I’m sure getting a pack of minced chicken or a can of tomato puree is nothing to be stressed about.
This butter chicken gravy is a beautiful combination of butter, tomato and cream flavored with Indian powdered spices.
It is my favorite sauce and can be used for many other dishes like butter paneer (cottage cheese) or even vegetable korma which is nothing but a dish of mixed veggies.
Once you are sorted with the sauce, you are more than half done. Meatballs do not take much ingredients; just an egg for binding and softness, panko for crispiness and onion & garam masala for flavors.
That’s all! Just roll them into meatballs, fry them and you are done!
The final step is to simmer the sautéed chicken meatballs in the prepared butter-tomato-cream gravy so that the sauce infuses the meatballs making them more flavorful, succulent and buttery! Sounds awesome, right?
How to serve this delicious butter chicken meatball?
So your butter chicken meatballs is finally ready! Now wondering what to serve it with?
You have many options! Plain white rice topped with this buttery sauce and chicken meatballs is a fantastic dinner option.
Alternatively, you can serve your butter chicken meatballs with your favorite bread so you can soak up the last drop of the delicious sauce with a piece of bread!
Trust me, no matter what you serve it with, this butter chicken meatballs will turn out to be a sure-shot showstopper! Enjoy!
- Minced chicken – 500 gms
- Egg – 1
- Onion – 1, small, grated
- Panko breadcrumbs – ½ cup
- Garam masala – 2 tsp
- Salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper – ¼ tsp or to taste
- Vegetable or olive oil for frying the meatballs
- Unsalted butter – ¼ cup
- Garlic – 6 to 8 cloves, minced
- Grated ginger – 2 tsp
- Tomato puree – 200 ml/1 cup
- Tomato paste – 2 tbsp
- Smoked paprika – 2 tsp
- Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
- Cumin powder – 1 tsp
- Coriander powder – 1 tsp
- Garam masala – 1 tsp
- Heavy cream – 1 cup
- Freshly chopped cilantro – ¼ cup
- Take the grated onion and panko in a large mixing bowl and mix both well. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Now add the remaining meatball ingredients to the same bowl – minced chicken, egg, garam masala, salt and pepper. Mix everything together ensuring the seasonings are evenly distributed in the entire chicken mixture.
- Now take about 2 tablespoons of chicken mince mixture and roll it into a round meatball. Dip your hands in water if the mixture is getting sticky.
- Once all the meatballs are ready, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the meatballs on the skillet leaving little gap between two.
- If your skillet is not large enough to hold all the meatballs at one go, fry them in batches and do not overcrowd the pan as then the meatballs will stick to each other and will make a mess.
- Cook them for 4 to 5 minutes per side until well browned. Transfer the cooked meatballs to a plate and set aside.
- Now add the butter to the same skillet. Once the butter is melted, add minced garlic and grated ginger. Cook them for a minute.
- Now add the tomato puree and tomato paste. Mix well. Let the liquid come to a simmer.
- Now add all the spices – smoked paprika, turmeric, cumin and coriander. Give everything a good mix.
- Add about a cup of water (or chicken stock) and stir everything together. Bring the sauce to a boil; then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook the sauce on low for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened.
- Now add the fried meatballs back to the skillet and let them simmer in the sauce for 10 minutes to heat through.
- Drizzle in the cream and give a good mix with a light hand. Check and adjust the seasoning of the sauce if needed.
- Finally sprinkle garam masala and freshly chopped cilantro on top, turn off the heat and cover the skillet to let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Your butter chicken meatballs is ready! Serve it with naan or rice! Enjoy!
You may also like:
Thai Chicken Meatballs | Chicken Meatball Video Recipe
Chicken Meatballs in Spicy Gravy | Easy Chicken Meatballs Recipe
Spaghetti and Meatballs | Baked Chicken Meatballs with Spaghetti Marinara
Chinese Chicken Meatballs in Dark Soy Sauce
Mexican Meatball Soup | Albondigas Soup
Butter Chicken Restaurant Style | Best Ever Murgh Makhni | Not a Weightloss Recipe
Liked the recipe? Let us know!