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Creamy Indian Butter Chicken Meatballs
5 from 99 votes

Creamy Indian Butter Chicken Meatballs

The Creamy Indian Butter Chicken Meatballs blend ground chicken seasoned with traditional spices into small meatballs cooked and coated in a smooth, flavorful butter sauce made from tomatoes, aromatics, and nuts. This recipe showcases a richly spiced curry flavor, creamy texture, and the warm depth from whole spices and cream, making it a distinct take on Indian-style comfort food served as meatballs instead of the typical chicken pieces.

Prep Time
35 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
45 mins
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 449 kcal
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

For Chicken Meatballs
  • 300 grams ground chicken or 0.66 pound
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon garlic minced
  • 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 onion roughly chopped, medium size
  • 6 garlic roughly chopped, cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ginger roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup cashews
  • 1-2 bay leaf
  • 3 cloves
  • 2 cardamom
  • 1 cinnamon stick approx 2 inches long
  • 2 tomato sliced, medium-size
  • 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
    Cup of Yum
  1. 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.
  2. Add cashews, cardamoms, cloves, and bay leaves. Stir for a minute. Add tomatoes, salt, chili powder, and stir to mix.
  3. Add 1 cup of water and mix. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the tomatoes cooked completely.
  4. Turn off the flame, remove the bay leaves, and let the sauce cool down.
  5. Once cooled down, blend the sauce until smooth.
  6. Then strain it with a colander to get a silky smooth texture and set aside.
Making the Meatballs
  1. 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.
  2. 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
  1. melt butter in the same pan. Pour the sauce. Stir and cook for 4-5 minutes until the sauce slightly thickens.
  2. Add a cup of chicken stock and bring it to boil.
  3. Add meatballs to the sauce and stir to coat. Cover and cook over simmer flame for 7-8 minutes.
  4. Add white pepper powder, kasuri methi powder, and garam masala powder. Stir to mix.
  5. Turn off the flame, add cream and serve hot or warm over rice or with naan.

Notes

  • Use ripe red tomatoes to achieve vibrant color in the sauce.
  • Cashews in the sauce can be substituted with almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, or watermelon seeds if desired.
  • Garam masala can be replaced with a homemade mixture of cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, mace, and nutmeg powders.
  • Fresh coriander leaves may be swapped with celery for variation.
  • Adjust butter, cashews, and cream to control the sauce's richness and chili powder for desired heat.
  • Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) adds essential aroma; dry roast briefly and crush it before adding.
  • Sauce can be prepared up to two days ahead and refrigerated; add cream only before serving to prevent spoilage if freezing.
  • Store leftovers properly in food-grade freezer containers to maintain quality.

Nutrition Information

Calories 449kcal (22%) Carbohydrates 15g (5%) Protein 19g (38%) Fat 37g (57%) Saturated Fat 15g (75%) Polyunsaturated Fat 7g (41%) Monounsaturated Fat 12g (60%) Trans Fat 1g (50%) Cholesterol 152mg (51%) Sodium 178mg (7%) Potassium 819mg (17%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 5g (10%) Vitamin A 1562IU (31%) Vitamin C 17mg (19%) Calcium 74mg (7%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4 people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 449

% Daily Value*

Calories 449kcal 22%
Carbohydrates 15g 5%
Protein 19g 38%
Fat 37g 57%
Saturated Fat 15g 75%
Polyunsaturated Fat 7g 41%
Monounsaturated Fat 12g 60%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 152mg 51%
Sodium 178mg 7%
Potassium 819mg 17%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 5g 10%
Vitamin A 1562IU 31%
Vitamin C 17mg 19%
Calcium 74mg 7%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.