Butter Chicken Meatballs
These Butter Chicken Meatballs are a cozy twist on a classic, juicy, spiced chicken meatballs simmered in a creamy, mildly spiced tomato gravy. Perfect for weeknight dinners, make-ahead meals, or impressing your butter chicken loving friends without the fuss.
Servings: 6
Calories: 463kcal
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- ½ onion grated
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1½ pounds ground chicken
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 tablespoon cilantro freshly chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil for frying the meatballs
Butter chicken sauce
- ¼ cup butter unsalted
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoon ginger minced
- 1 cup tomato passata or tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin ground
- 1 teaspoon coriander ground
- 1 cup chicken broth low sodium
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon cilantro freshly chopped
Instructions
- Mix the onion and breadcrumbs together in a large mixing bowl. Let the mixture sit for 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the meatball ingredients, excluding the oil, to the bowl. Mix everything together well.
- Using 2 tbsp at a time, depending how large you'd like them, form the mixture into meatballs. Dip your hands in water if you find the mixture it getting sticky.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs, working in batches if needed. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side until well browned. Transfer the cooked meatballs to a plate and set aside.
- Add the butter to the skillet. Once melted, stir in the garlic and ginger, then cook for 1 minute. Add the passata, tomato paste, garam masala, smoked paprika, turmeric, cumin, coriander, and chicken broth.
- Stir everything together and bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let the sauce cook for 10 minutes, or until slightly thickens. Stir in the cream.
- Add the meatballs back to the skillet and let them simmer in the sauce for 5 minutes to heat through. Turn off the heat, garnish with cilantro, and serve.
Video
Notes
- Onion Tip: Grating the onion into the meatball mixture helps it blend in completely, no big chunks, just flavor.
- Spice Swap: No garam masala? Try curry powder or make your own with my homemade blend.
- Make Ahead: You can roll and brown the meatballs ahead of time. Store in the fridge and reheat in the sauce when ready to serve.
- Freezer-Friendly: Freeze meatballs and sauce separately.
- Don’t Skip the Sear: Browning the meatballs adds extra flavor and helps them hold together in the sauce.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 463kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 199mg | Sodium: 629mg | Potassium: 913mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1611IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 3mg
