• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Spoons Of Flavor
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Chicken

    Indian Butter Chicken Meatballs Recipe

    Published: Sep 11, 2020 · Modified: Sep 17, 2022 by Geetanjali · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    Indian butter chicken meatballs recipe: 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. 

    Chicken Meatballs in Butter Sauce

    This Indian butter chicken meatballs recipe is a twisted version of the very popular butter chicken or chicken makhani. 

    Makhani is a Hindi term which basically means 'with butter'. 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. 

    To suit everyone's palate, here are a few tips, suggestions, replacement, and alterations in making makhani chicken meatballs. 

    • Use red ripe tomatoes to get a vibrant color.
    • 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. 
    • Celery can be used instead of coriander.
    • Adjust the richness by adding more or less butter, cashews, and cream.  
    • You can use chicken stalk instead of water.
    • 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 minute. Then crush with your hand to make the powder. 
    • 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. 

    Serve this Indian butter chicken meatballs as an appetizer or a side dish with butter naan or any flavored basmati rice 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

    • Chicken Changezi
    • Chicken Lababdar
    • Kadai Chicken
    • Dahi Chicken

    Preparations Step By Step

    Making the Makhani 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. 
    Preparing butter sauce for  Indian Butter Chicken Meatballs

    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 5-6 minutes. Remove meatballs from the pan and set aside.  
    Making of Butter Chicken Meatballs in stepwise

    Making Butter Chicken Meatballs

    • Heat butter in the same pan. Pour the sauce. Stir and cook for 4-5 minutes until the sauce slightly thickens.
    • Add a cup of warm water and bring it to boil. 
    • Add meatballs to the sauce and stir to coat. Cover and cook over simmer flame for 8-10 minutes until meatballs are fully cooked through.
    • Add white pepper powder, Kasuri methi powder, and garam masala powder. Stir to mix. 
    • Turn off the flame, add cream, and 2 drops of kewra essence if adding. stir to mix and serve hot or warm.
    Chicken Meatballs cooked in Makhani gravy

    If you try this recipe, please leave a feedback and rating. You can also tag me @spoonofflavor on Instagram.

    Butter Chicken Meatballs Recipe

    Indian Butter Chicken Meatballs Recipe

    Chicken Meatballs in Butter Sauce: Chicken meatballs are cooked in a creamy, buttery velvety smooth gravy. A rich, flavor-packed, & super delicious dish that will be a real treat for any occasion.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish
    Cuisine: Indian
    Keyword: Butter chicken meatballs recipe, Chicken meatballs in butter sauce, Chicken meatballs in Makhani Gravy, Indian butter chicken meatballs
    Prep Time: 35 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes
    Servings: 3 people
    Calories:
    Author: Geetanjali

    Ingredients

    For Chicken Meatballs

    • 300 grams ground chicken or 0.66 pound
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 1 teaspoon grated garlic
    • 1 tablespoon coriander leaves finely chopped
    • ½ teaspoon crushed black pepper or to taste
    • ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
    • 1 egg
    • Salt to taste
    • 2 tablespoon oil for pan-frying

    For Butter Sauce

    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 1 large onion roughly chopped
    • 6 garlic cloves roughly chopped
    • 1 teaspoon ginger roughly chopped
    • 50 grams cashew nuts or ⅓ cup
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 3 cloves
    • 2 cardamoms
    • 1 cinnamon stick approx 2 inches long
    • 3 large-sized tomatoes sliced
    • Salt to taste
    • 1 teaspoon chili powder
    • 1 cup water

    For Butter Chicken Meatballs

    • 2 tablespoon butter
    • 1 cup warm water
    • ¼ teaspoon white pepper powder
    • ½ teaspoon Kasuri methi powder
    • ⅓ teaspoon garam masala powder
    • 4 tablespoon fresh cream
    • 2 drops kewra essence optional

    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 5-6 minutes. Remove meatballs from the pan and set aside. No need to cook them completely.

    Making Butter Chicken Meatballs

    • Heat butter in the same pan. Pour the sauce. Stir and cook for 4-5 minutes until the sauce slightly thickens.
    • Add a cup of warm water and bring it to boil.
    • Add meatballs to the sauce and stir to coat. Cover and cook over simmer flame for 8-10 minutes until meatballs are fully cooked through.
    • Add white pepper powder, kasuri methi powder, and garam masala powder. Stir to mix.
    • Turn off the flame, add cream and 2 drops of kewra essence if adding. stir to mix and serve hot or warm.

    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.
    • Water can be substituted with chicken stock. 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 minute. Then crush with your hand to make the powder.
    • 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. Serve this as an appetizer or a side dish with butter naan or any flavored basmati rice for an incredible meal. It would be a great addition to your favorite pasta or noodles as well.

    More Chicken Recipes

    • Image showing chicken mei fun noodles served on a grey plate.
      Chicken Mei Fun
    • Image showing honey sriracha chicken in a pan.
      Honey Sriracha Chicken Recipe
    • Image showing black pepper chicken with crunchy onion and bell peppers.
      Easy Black Pepper Chicken Recipe
    • Image showing shahi chicken changezi in a nonstick pan.
      Chicken Changezi Recipe
    181 shares
    • Share60
    • LinkedIn
    • Email

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Archana

      December 08, 2020 at 12:25 pm

      Looks delicious.Its been ages since I ate butter chicken and you are reminding me of it . Loved the chicken balls in it.

      Reply
    2. Maria

      December 08, 2020 at 3:13 pm

      Oh I LOVE meatballs in all forms! Can only imagine how delicious these must taste in a finger-lickin'-good butter chicken style curry!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    user profile

    Hi, I'm Geetanjali! I am the cook, photographer, and author behind Spoons Of Flavor. I focus on simple, affordable, and easy-to-follow recipes for everyday life.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Fork holding mouth watering garlic chili oil noodles.
      Easy Garlic Chili Oil Noodles
    • Gorgeous looking Asian zing sauce in a bowl.
      Asian Zing Sauce Recipe
    • Image showing hot honey sauce in a glass bowl.
      Homemade Hot Honey Sauce
    • Mayo Ketchup
      Mayo Ketchup Sauce

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Spoons Of Flavor