Butter Chicken Meatballs
This dish features tender meatballs made with ground chicken, spices, and herbs, simmered in a creamy tomato-based butter chicken sauce.
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 egg, beaten
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the butter chicken sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-inch piece ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius) if baking meatballs.
- In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients and mix well with your hands.
- Form the mixture into 1-inch meatballs.
- If baking, place the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes, or until cooked through. If pan-frying, heat a skillet over medium heat and cook the meatballs until browned on all sides and cooked through.
- While the meatballs are cooking, prepare the butter chicken sauce.
- In a large skillet or pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add minced garlic and grated ginger. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Stir in garam masala, turmeric, and chili powder. Cook for 30 seconds more.
- Add crushed tomatoes and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce and cook for an additional 5 minutes until heated through.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with rice or naan bread.
Notes
- You can adjust the spice level of the dish by adding more or less chili powder.
- If you don't have heavy cream, you can use coconut milk or whole milk.
- For a richer flavor, you can use ghee instead of butter.