EASY Butter Chicken Meatballs {From Scratch}
These easy and delicious butter chicken meatballs are made completely from scratch and come together with simple, wholesome ingredients.
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 390kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lbs ground chicken
- 1 egg
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion minced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 6 oz tomato paste that's 1 standard small can
- 14 oz full-fat coconut milk that's 1 standard can
- ½ cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro minced, for serving
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Combine ground chicken, egg, salt, pepper, and bread crumbs thoroughly and form into 16-18 meatballs. Use your hands or a cookie scoop.
- Now do one of two things: either lightly fry the meatballs just to brown the surface for extra flavor OR line baking sheet with parchment paper and place meatballs on baking sheet.
- If browned and previously fried, bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes, until meatballs are fully cooked. If raw bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, until meatballs are crispy and golden. You may also use an air fryer on the bake setting.
- While meatballs are baking, heat a large skillet and add the oil or ghee as well as the minced onion. Cook approximately 5 minutes, or until softened.
- Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the garam masala, curry powder, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and tomato paste and continue cooking for another minute until the tomato paste begins to darken and lose any rawness.
- Add the coconut milk, and 1 cup water. Stir together and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and let the butter chicken sauce simmer for 20 minutes. As you let it simmer, the sauce will thicken and darken in color.
- After simmering, you can optionally blend the sauce with an immersion blender for a smoother texture but, this is not necessary and a matter of personal preference.
- Stir in the Greek yogurt and butter. Add more water if the sauce is too thick, and simmer for a few minutes. Taste for salt and adjust.
- Add meatballs to the sauce and serve over rice and/or with naan. Top with chopped cilantro and enjoy!
Notes
Storage, Freezing, & Reheating Instructions
Storage: Store your butter chicken meatballs in sauce tightly covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days. They will get better as they sit.
To reheat, simply add some water to a pot on low heat and add your meatballs. Cover the pot and check on it every 5 minutes until it reaches the desired temperature.
Add more water if the sauce is too thick as needed.
Freezer: This is SUCH a good freezer meal and as the recipe scales up so easily, it makes sense to make a big batch for freezing and reheating.
Freeze your butter chicken meatballs in a single layer in a plastic bag or silicone bag.
I use these fantastic silicone freezer bags for this purpose.
It is always best to let the meatballs come close to room temperature first before storing or freezing, and this will only take about 15-20 minutes.
To reheat from frozen, you can do the same as above or even add the meatballs into a covered pot in the oven. I like to let my meatballs defrost in the refrigerator first, but you can absolutely reheat them directly from the frozen state.
Nutrition
Calories: 390kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 703mg | Potassium: 926mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 789IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 4mg
