Indian Butter Chicken Meatballs 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. 

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. 

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 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.

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

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5 from 2 votes

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.

Prep Time35 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time45 mins

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

Servings3 people

Author Geetanjali

INGREDIENTS ( 1 CUP = 250 ML )

For Chicken Meatballs

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

For Butter Sauce

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 large onion roughly chopped
• 6 garlic cloves roughly chopped
• 1 tsp 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 tsp chili powder
• 1 cup water

For Butter Chicken Meatballs

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 cup warm water
• ¼ tsp white pepper powder
• ½ tsp Kasuri methi powder
• ⅓ tsp garam masala powder
• 4 tbsp 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.