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30 Minute Butter Chicken Meatballs. A delicious mix of cozy and healthy. This dish incorporates a variety of Indian spices, all with an abundance of health benefits. These meatballs are extra saucy, quick, easy, and delicious. Serve over steamed rice with a side of naan (preferably homemade because it’s the best). A great recipe any night of the week!
And just like that it’s already Wednesday, September is well under way, and like clockwork I am slowly beginning to share some more cozy recipes that are perfect for the cooler temperatures the approaching fall season is sure to bring.
So here’s the story behind this meatball recipe.
Those of you who have been reading HBH since the beginning (almost 6 years now!), may remember that during my first year of writing the blog I shared this naan recipe. Honestly? This is the naan that changed my life, my mom’s life, and really anyone that’s ever made or eaten it.
I know, I am so overly dramatic, but it’s all true. I never knew I could love a recipe as much as I love this naan. It’s soft, buttery, and delicious. Whether eaten with a bowl of soup, paired with a creamy curry, or especially when eaten on its own!
So, why am I gushing about an old recipe? Well, because it’s a recipe that’s inspired a lot of other recipes here on HBH. And yes, you guessed it, including these butter chicken meatballs. Really, I just needed a good excuse to make naan on a Monday, and butter chicken is the perfect dish to pair my favorite homemade naan with, so butter chicken meatballs it was.
And I am excited about them.
Meatballs have never been one of my favorites to make or to eat. Mostly because I really hate the word meatball. I find it so very unappealing. I mean, meatballs? Doesn’t seem like the greatest word to me, but I guess it is what it is.
This past year I’ve slowly started to put the unappealing name out of my head and begin to embrace the meatball. Thus far I’ve made simple baked Italian meatballs, Greek lamb meatballs, and ricotta turkey meatballs. And today I am embracing meatballs once again, only going the Indian route.
It’s kind of different, but so good.
Let’s talk details.
Start off by making the chicken meatballs. This is easy. Mix together ground chicken (you could also use ground turkey), an egg, and some bread crumbs. Form the mix into balls and then bake in the oven. I love baking my meatballs as opposed to pan frying them. One, it’s easier, two it’s healthier, and three, I find the meatballs cook evenly all the way through. Plus, cooking the meatballs in the oven gives you all the time (and hands) to make the sauce.
Which brings me to the sauce. The sauce is EVERYTHING. it’s what butter chicken is all about it. It’s where all the flavor is. It’s creamy, spicy, coconutty, and eat-by-the-spoonfuls good.
Traditionally butter chicken takes a while to make because the chicken needs to be slowly simmered in the sauce. Since we are using meatballs instead of whole chicken pieces, we can speed up the process and turn an hour plus recipe into a 30 minute, one pan and done, kind of recipe.
Cool. Cool. Love it.
The key to my butter chicken sauce is a good amount of spices, coconut milk, and tomato paste. The spices add all the flavor, the coconut milk adds creaminess, and the tomato paste adds richness.
Finish the sauce with a couple of tablespoons of butter and…PERFECTION.
You’ll want to get started on the sauce while the meatballs are baking so that when the meatballs are finished cooking, the sauce is all ready. Then all you’ll have to do is combine the two together, serve and enjoy. With a generous side of steamed rice and naan.
Of course.
I really can’t begin to describe just how good these meatballs are. The sauce is super creamy, incredibly flavorful, and perfectly seasoned. The meatballs soak it all in, making them tender and delicious…anything but boring.
If you wanted to bump up the vegetable count, toss some spinach, cauliflower, or broccoli right into the sauce. Any of these would be great, and would add a nice pop of color too.
As mentioned, this is a great recipe for transitioning from summer to fall…it’s cozy, yet still healthy.
Oh, and it will leave your house smelling like a fall candle. The BEST! Make this soon you guys, it’s one of those recipes that’s just really really good!
If you make these 30 minutes butter chicken meatballs, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
30 Minute Butter Chicken Meatballs
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 830 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey or chicken
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- kosher salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more or less to taste
- 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
- 1 can (14 ounces) full fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- steamed rice and naan, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.2. Add the turkey, egg, bread crumbs, and a pinch each of salt and pepper to a bowl. Coat your hands with a bit of olive oil, and roll the meat into tablespoon size balls (will make 15-20 meatballs), placing them on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the meatballs are crisp and cooked through.3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes or until fragrant. Add the garlic and ginger, cooking another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.3. Stir in the garam masala, curry powder, turmeric, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.4. Add the tomato paste, coconut milk, and 1/2 cup water. Stir to combine, bring the sauce to a boil, cook 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Stir in the yogurt and butter. Add the meatballs and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro.5. Serve the meatballs and sauce over bowls of rice with fresh naan. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on September 5, 2018
Made this once, and it was really good! Looking to make it again this week, but we are currently renovating our kitchen. Do you think I can through it all in a crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours or so? That’s what I’ve done with Italian Meatballs, hoping I can do the same with this recipe 🙂
HI Mackenzie! Love the idea of making this in the slow cooker and think that 6 hours on low will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This is the 3rd recipe from this website that I cooked, and I gotta say, it’s EASY and soooooo soooo delicious!!! I’ve been doing the prep once, cook all week. And since all your ingredients are so simple, and recipe are so easy, it saving a ton of money and time cooking lunch/dinner. So far, all three recipes I’ve tried (this, sticky ginger, sun dried tomato meatball pasta) will be a repeat recipes! Thank youuuuu!!! (Found you through IG -Arlaeats)
Hi Lea! I am so glad you enjoyed this so much! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
Thanks – have made this a few times and really like it. One tip for anyone who is feeding someone who doesn’t like rice (like I am) – chop a head of cauliflower into bite size pieces, and roast with turmeric and garam masala than add to the sauce with the chicken. Yum!
Yes! So glad this turned out so well for you K! Thank you! xTieghan
I loved this, such a good idea for an easy take on Indian food. I made it last night, I have a super picky father in law, and he loved it. My family was pretty much licking the sauce off their plates. I was a little scared for the meatballs at first because they were super mushy when I was trying to roll them so I ended up adding extra bread crumbs and could not make them as small as I wanted to, my ground chicken was really cold so maybe I needed to wait for them to get closer to room temp? Not sure, but either way they held their shape in the oven even if they weren’t perfectly round! They came out crispy just like the recipe calls for! 🙂
Will make again!
Hi Ally! I am so glad these turned out so well for you! Thank you so much for trying them! xTieghan
First time making this and it was a big hit. Followed the recipe except for the Greek yogurt; flavorful with just enough heat. We will be making it again.
Thank you so much Laurel! xTieghan
Made these delicious little meatballs for one of my personal chef clients. They were a big hit with the family. I’ll be adding them to other clients’ menus too ❤️?????
Thank you so much Amy! I am so glad your clients love this! xTieghan
This was excellent until I added the Greek yogurt. I tossed it out and restarted. I made two changes. I did 1.5x the spices and omitted Greek yogurt and added 1 tablespoon of cream. PERFECTION!
Hi! I am really glad you liked this without the greek yogurt! Thank you! xTieghan
This recipe was fabulous!!! I have raved about it to everyone. Will absolutely make this again!
Thank you so much Patti! xTieghan
This is one of my all time favorite recipes!! I always add a tiny bit of curry powder and garam masala into my meatball mixture to add an extra kick of flavor!! I make this at least once every other week if not once a week!! A for sure favorite!
Thank you so much Kayla! I am so glad you loved this recipe! xTieghan
I made these butter chicken meatballs for meal prep and had the four straight days in a row! I truly could not get enough of them, and will be making them again soon!! So so yummy!!!!
Thank you so much Andi! xTieghna
This recipe was awesome! So easy to make since it was virtually a one pan recipe (minus the meatballs) and the flavor was delicious! It’s hard to find recipes that actually add enough heat, but this one was perfect. Will definitely be saving this and making again!
Thank you so much Abigail! xTieghan
Was AMAZING!!! And so easy!
Thank you Rachel! xTieghan
These were amazing! They’ll be joining our dinner rotation for sure. Thank you for the recipe!
So happy to hear that Jaki! Thank you! xTieghan
Made this recipe last week and it was so simple and good! My kids even enjoyed it!
I love to hear that! Thank you so much Stephanie! xTieghan
Loved this curry, and can see why it is so popular. I have been wanting to do this one for some time. I did this with my usual fat free type options and am accustomed to cooking that way to maintain my weight loss over the years. This recipe was full of wonderful flavors. Will be a go to recipe for a great curry chicken. I think I really prefer meatballs to chicken pieces, more interesting! A favorite to have again and again. Thank you
Thank you so much Frances! I am so glad you loved this and could modify to fit with your lifestyle! xTieghan