Chicken meatballs are cooked in a creamy, buttery silky smooth Indian butter sauce/makhani gravy. A rich, flavor-packed, & super delicious dish that will be a real treat for any occasion.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Rich and Flavorful: The combo of juicy chicken meatballs and creamy butter sauce makes for an unbeatable, rich, and hearty flavor that'll totally satisfy your taste buds.
- Easy to Make: This recipe is simple to follow, making it perfect for novice cooks or those short on time.
- Versatile: The butter chicken sauce is not just for meatballs; it also pairs well with other proteins like tofu or paneer, so you can easily adjust the recipe based on dietary preferences.
- A Crowd Pleaser: Whether you're throwing a party or having a family dinner, this dish is sure to be a hit with everyone. It's so tasty that it can bring people together from all walks of life and satisfy even the pickiest eaters.
What is Butter Chicken
This Indian butter chicken meatballs recipe is a twisted version of traditional butter chicken recipe or chicken makhani, a very popular dish in Indian cuisine.
Makhani is a Hindi term which basically means 'with butter'. The original recipe for Makhni gravy or butter sauce is the Indian version of cream sauce which is made with butter, tomato, cashews, spices, & cream. A gravy sauce used in many delicious vegetarian and nonvegetarian recipes. However, with a slight tweak it can be easily made into vegan, nut-free, or a lighter version.
Serve this butter chicken meatballs ovrer any flavored basmati rice or with naan bread for an incredible meal. It would be a great addition to your favorite pasta or noodles as well.
Few similar chicken recipes, you may like
Preparations Step By Step
- Heat butter in the pan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and fresh ginger, then allow to sizzle for a minute.
- Add cashews, cardamoms, cloves, and bay leaves. Stir for a minute. Add tomatoes, salt, chili powder, and stir to mix.
- Add 1 cup of water and mix. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the tomatoes cooked completely.
- Turn off the flame, remove the bay leaves, and let the sauce cool down.
- Once cooled down, blend the sauce until smooth in an immersion blender or food processor.
- Then strain it with a colander to get a silky smooth texture and set aside.
Making the Meatballs
- Take ground chicken breast and put it in a bowl. Add in butter, garlic, egg, salt, crushed pepper, garam masala powder, and chopped coriander leaves. Combine well, but do not overmix. With oiled hands, roll the meatball ingredients into small-size balls. Dust some cornflour if required.
- Heat oil in a large skillet. Once the oil is hot add meatballs and brown on all sides over medium-high flame for 2-3 minutes. Remove meatballs from the pan and set aside.
Making Butter Chicken Meatballs
- Melt butter in the same pan. Pour the sauce. Stir and cook for 4-5 minutes until the sauce slightly thickens.
- Add a cup of chicken stock and bring it to boil.
- Add the meatballs to the sauce and stir to coat. Cover and cook over simmer flame for 7-8 minutes.
- Add white pepper powder, Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) powder, and garam masala powder. Stir to mix.
- Turn off the flame, add cream, stir to mix, and serve hot or warm over rice or with naan.
Recipe Tips
The addition of Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) powder lends a beautiful flavor. Hence do not skip it. To make this you need to dry roast Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) for a couple of seconds. Then just crush with your hand and use.
Use red ripe tomatoes to get a vibrant color in the sauce.
Cashews can be substituted with other nuts or seeds. Like almonds, pecan, sunflower seeds, or watermelon seeds.
Garam masala powder can be replaced with a combination of cardamom powder, cloves powder, cinnamon powder, mace powder, and nutmeg powder.
You can use celery instead of coriander.
You can even bake or deep fry the meatballs if you wish..
Make sure not to overcook the chicken balls or they will become chewy.
Adjust the richness by adding more or less butter and cream.
The gravy/sauce can be prepared ahead of time. Once the gravy cools down, store in an airtight glass container and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. The same way you can store the leftovers.
Do not add cream to avoid spoilage, if you wish to store in the deep-freezer for longer. Also, make sure to use good quality food grade ziplock or freezer-friendly containers.
FAQs
Yes, you can substitute ground chicken with ground turkey. The cooking time might vary slightly, so it's recommended to check that the meat is cooked through.
Absolutely. The makhani sauce can be made up to two days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The meatballs can be formed and stored separately, then cooked and added to the heated sauce when you're ready to serve.
For a vegan version, swap the chicken meatballs with a plant-based meat substitute, like lentil meatballs. Replace the butter with vegan margarine or olive oil, and the cream with coconut cream, coconut milk or any other plant-based creamer.
While it has a rich blend of spices, it's not overly spicy. However, you can adjust the heat level according to your preference by increasing or decreasing the amount of chili powder used.
Yes, both the meatballs and sauce freeze well so it is great for meal prep. Cool them completely before storing in freezer-safe containers with layers of parchment paper between them. When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and heat gently in a saucepan.
Yes, store-bought garam masala can be an easy and time-saving alternative to homemade. However, homemade garam masala tends to have a fresher and more complex flavor than store-bought curry powder.
These meatballs are versatile and can be served with a variety of dishes. They pair well with naan, basmati rice, or even pasta. Alternatively, they can be served as an appetizer on their own.
If you try the recipe, please take a moment to leave a comment and rating. I love hearing from you; it also helps other readers who are thinking of making the recipe.
Recipe
Creamy Indian Butter Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
For Chicken Meatballs
- 300 grams ground chicken or 0.66 pound
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon coriander leaves finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon black pepper crushed
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1 egg
- Salt as needed
- 2 tablespoon oil for pan-frying
For Butter Sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium size onion roughly chopped
- 6 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger roughly chopped
- ¼ cup cashews
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 3 cloves
- 2 cardamoms
- 1 cinnamon stick approx 2 inches long
- 2 medium-size tomatoes sliced
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 cup water
For Butter Chicken Meatballs
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) powder
- ⅓ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 4 tablespoon fresh cream
Instructions
Making the Butter Sauce
- Heat butter in the pan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, then allow to sizzle for a minute.
- Add cashews, cardamoms, cloves, and bay leaves. Stir for a minute. Add tomatoes, salt, chili powder, and stir to mix.
- Add 1 cup of water and mix. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the tomatoes cooked completely.
- Turn off the flame, remove the bay leaves, and let the sauce cool down.
- Once cooled down, blend the sauce until smooth.
- Then strain it with a colander to get a silky smooth texture and set aside.
Making the Meatballs
- Take ground chicken in a bowl. Add in butter, garlic, egg, salt, crushed pepper, garam masala powder, and chopped coriander leaves. Combine well, but do not overmix. With oiled hands, roll the meat into small-size balls. Dust some cornflour if required.
- Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot add meatballs and brown on all sides over medium-high flame for 2-3 minutes. Remove meatballs from the pan and set aside.
Making Butter Chicken Meatballs
- melt butter in the same pan. Pour the sauce. Stir and cook for 4-5 minutes until the sauce slightly thickens.
- Add a cup of chicken stock and bring it to boil.
- Add meatballs to the sauce and stir to coat. Cover and cook over simmer flame for 7-8 minutes.
- Add white pepper powder, kasuri methi powder, and garam masala powder. Stir to mix.
- Turn off the flame, add cream and serve hot or warm over rice or with naan.
Notes
- Use red ripe tomatoes to get a vibrant color.
- Cashews can be replaced with other nuts or seeds. Like almonds, pecan, sunflower seeds, or watermelon seeds.
- Garam masala powder can be replaced with a combination of cardamom powder, cloves powder, cinnamon powder, mace powder, and nutmeg powder.
- Coriander leaves could be replaced with celery. Adjust the richness by adding more or less butter, cashews, and cream. Likewise, adjust heat as per your need.
- The addition of Kasuri methi powder lends a beautiful flavor. Hence do not skip it. To make this you need to dry roast Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) for a couple of seconds. Then just crush with your hand and use.
- The gravy/sauce can be prepared ahead of time. Once the gravy cools down, store in an airtight glass container and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Likewise, you can store the leftovers as well.
- Do not add cream to avoid spoilage, if you wish to store in the deep-freezer for longer. Also, make sure to use good quality food grade ziplock or freezer-friendly containers.
Archana says
Looks delicious.Its been ages since I ate butter chicken and you are reminding me of it . Loved the chicken balls in it.
Maria says
Oh I LOVE meatballs in all forms! Can only imagine how delicious these must taste in a finger-lickin'-good butter chicken style curry!
Century Foods says
Loved your recipe instructions on the butter chicken meatballs. Thanks for such amazing words.