These Butter Chicken Meatballs are melt in your mouth moist, tender and slathered in rich and creamy butter chicken curry sauce. Made totally from scratch, this version of butter chicken is light and fresh and is a recipe you can make in under 40 minutes. Like these Thai Chicken Meatballs with Peanut Sauce, its a gentle meatball curry suitable for the whole family.
Save This Recipe!
Enter your email below and I'll send this recipe link straight to your inbox so you'll always have it handy!
It uses no oil, and is a healthier take on a old fave. The addition of warming spices and curry leaves along with the spices in the meatballs give this dish a double hit of flavour.
I love Butter Chicken, and I also make this Clean Butter Chicken dish using Chicken Thighs cooked in the oven quite often. Its made from scratch and has all the usual rich aromatic flavours you'd expect but its healthier and lightened up.
Why Make This Dish?
- This is Butter Chicken but different, better and way more delicious
- No store-bought curry pastes. Completely from scratch like this quick Chicken Curry with Pumpkin
- No weird ingredients. You can buy everything from your standard supermarket
- The meatballs are easy to make, won’t fall apart and cook in the sauce
- You can even make the meatballs ahead of time, or you could totally use store bought premade meatballs if you’re pressed for time.
- The sauce is thick, creamy, and full of spices, garlic and ginger
- The curry leaves are the secret weapon adding flavour and texture
- Its easy to make low carb with a side of cauliflower rice
- Its great for meal prepping and it freezes well
- Adjust the level of spiciness easily buy adding more or less chilli
Its not too spicy, but its very easy to adjust the spice level up or down depending on your preferences.
Enjoy this dish with rice, crusty bread, naan bread, or cauliflower rice for a low carb flavour sensation!
You may also like these Slow Cooked Moroccan Meatballs in rich tomato sauce, these Asian Chicken meatballs (perfect for meal prepping) or this Creamy Garlic Mushroom Chicken.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: Using chicken mince or ground chicken is what you will need for this recipe to create tasty moist meatballs. Alternatively you could use ground turkey/turkey mince, or lean beef mince/lean ground beef following the same instructions.
- Brown Rice: Make sure to use instant or minute brown rice – they kind you zap in the microwave. Although don’t microwave it before adding it to the chicken. Use it straight from the packet to act as a binder to hold the meatballs together and make them easier to handle as chicken mince/ground chicken can be quite moist.
- Coriander/Cilantro: make sure to buy coriander/cilantro that still has the roots attached as they are a major part of this recipe. The coriander roots are packed with flavour and it really comes through.
- Crushed Garlic, Ginger and red onion: these are the flavour base ingredients. Using fresh garlic and ginger or garlic/ginger from a jar is perfectly fine and will still give you a very tasty result.
- Garam Masala, Tumeric, Coriander Seeds, Mustard Seeds: these are the essential spices that create the curry base.
- Coconut Milk: My preference is for full fat coconut cream when making curry sauces, however to reduce the number of calories, you can use light coconut milk – the sauce will just be a little thinner.
- Tomatoes: I prefer using crushed tomatoes as they have a nice texture in the sauce. Alternatively you could use Passata or tomato puree.
- Chilli: Make sure to get long red chilis. Remove the seeds if you want it less hot. Or keep seeds in if you like it extra spicy
- Butter: To help bring out all the flavours
- Curry Leaves: these are lightly fried to become crunchy and I love them sprinkled on top of my bowl of curry as well as incorporating them into the cooking process.
Summary of How To Make
Make the Meatballs
- Add all the ingredients for the meatballs into a mixing bowl and mix together until combined Use a tablespoon or ice cream scoop to shape meatballs. (about 12 to 15)
Set meatballs aside whilst you make the sauce
Make the Sauce
- Heat butter in a skillet adding cumin and mustard seeds, cooking until fragrant.
- Add in curry leaves, onion, ginger and garlic, chilli, turmeric and garam masala.
- Mix together until a paste is formed
- Add crushed tomatoes and water, stirring through to loosen. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to medium.
- Add meatballs into the sauce, and cover with sauce. Put lid on and cook for 10 minutes. Remove lid and stir coconut cream through the curry sauce. Add lid back on and cook for another 6 minutes.
Frying curry leaves
- Add 2 or 3 springs of curry leaves (stems removed) to a pan on high heat for a minute or two until leaves crisp up and become and glossy
Once the meatballs are cooked in the sauce and the curry leave are lightly fried, add meatballs to a bowl to serve, sprinkling curry leaves on top with a drizzle of coconut milk.
Recipe Tips
- Meatballs: you can make the meatballs a day ahead and store them in the fridge until you need them
- Skillet/Pan: You’ll need a large skillet or pan for this recipe to hold both the sauce and meatballs
- Freezing: Freeze cooked meatballs in sauce in a freezer suitable container for upto 2 months. Don’t freeze with rice as it will soak up all the sauce.
- Reheating: Defrost overnight in the fridge, or use your microwave defrost settings
- Storing: Store leftovers in serving sized containers in the fridge for meal prepping for 2 days. Keep rice separate and heat the rice when you’re ready to serve and eat
How To Serve
- Rice: jasmine or basmati rice or brown rice. I love the convenience of instant or minute rice that cooks quickly in the microwave which is great for busy weeknights.
- Noodles: any type of noodles you have will honestly be fine, but if I have to choose, I would go a packet of instant rice noodles stirred through the butter chicken meatballs whilst it is still on the stove
- Bread: crusty sourdough with a little butter, naan bread, pappadams, or my 3 ingredient flatbread
- Low Carb: for the ultimate comfort food served low carb, you cant beat frozen cauliflower rice heated in the microwave, or alternatively zucchini noodles. Or my other fave, steamed green veges to contrast that beautiful red curry sauce!
Meat Alternatives
- Ground Turkey or turkey mince could be used the same way chicken mince is used. Follow the same instructions to make turkey meatballs, instead of chicken meatballs. Or make these Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs and drizzle the sauce over.
- Ground Beef can be substituted also. I would recommend using a lean beef mince with low fat percentage to keep these on the healthier side. Make beef meatballs the same as you would the chicken meatballs.
- Chicken Breast is a quick fix substitute when you don’t feel like making meatballs, or its all you have on hand. Chop chicken breasts into 1 inch chunks and cook in the sauce the same as you would the meatballs.
- Store-bought Frozen Meatballs are also another convenient shortcut. Instead of cooking them in the sauce (as they are probably already pre cooked), reheat them as per packet instructions, and pour the sauce over them to serve.
FAQ
You could, but it will make the sauce very thick, possibly even a bit gluggy. I'd definitely recommend coconut milk over full fat coconut cream as it creates just the right sauce consistency
Yes. Thickened cream, or cooking cream would be a suitable replacement for coconut milk. Use the same quantity cream as you could coconut milk.
If you make the recipe as is, I would say its mild to medium. There isn’t a lot of heat from the chilli, and if it’s a concern (if making for kids or those who don’t like chilli), you can leave it out.
These butter chicken meatballs are pretty easy to make and its made all in one pot. If you’re a fan of butter chicken in general, this recipe is a great one to try. Rich and creamy butter chicken curry sauce over lightly spiced, tender juicy meatballs.
More Curry Recipes
This recipe is sure to be a hit if you love meatballs, love curry, and want to re-create a classic takeout dish with a homemade twist.
Butter Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 500 grams (1 pound) Chicken Mince/Ground Chicken
- ¾ cup Instant or Minute Brown Rice - Do not microwave
- ¼ cup Corriander/Cilantro - finely chopped
- ½ long red chilli - diced
- 2 teaspoons Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon Crushed garlic
- ¼ teaspoon each Salt and pepper
Curry Sauce
- 1 large red onion - diced
- 1 teaspoon Crushed garlic
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons Coriander root and stem - finely chopped
- ½ long red chilli - diced
- 3 teaspoons Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon Tumeric
- 1 ½ tablespoon butter
- 1 ½ teaspoons Cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 4 sprigs of Fresh Curry Leaves
- 1 can - 410 grams/7 oz Canned Crushed Tomatoes
- I/2 cup Tap water
- 1 cup Coconut cream
To Serve
- Cooked Brown Rice
- Extra curry leaves - lightly dry fried in a pan
- 4 tablespoons coconut cream drizzled on top
Instructions
Get the Meatballs Ready
- In a large mixing bowl, add the ingredients for the meatballs. Mix ingredients together, making sure the mixture is well combined. Use a tablespoon or ice cream scoop to shape meatballs. Place meatballs on a baking tray lined with baking paper/parchment paper and pop into fridge while you get the sauce started.
Make the Sauce
- Heat butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add cumin and mustard seeds and cook for one minute until fragrant.
- Add in curry leaves and cook for 30 seconds. (They may “pop” or “squeak” a little but this is normal)
- Add onion and cook until it starts to soften (2 – 3 minutes), then add the ginger and garlic, chilli, turmeric and garam masala. Mix together until a paste is formed (around 1 minute)
- Pour in crushed tomatoes and water, stirring through to loosen paste. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to medium. Gently add meatballs into the sauce, making sure they are covered on top with a little sauce. Put lid on and cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove lid and stir coconut cream through the curry sauce. Add lid back on and cook for another 6 minutes.
Frying curry leaves
- Add 2 or 3 springs of curry leaves (stems removed) to a pan on high heat no oil needed) cook for a minutes or two until leaves become firm and glossy
Serving
- Add rice to bowl, and divide meatballs across 4 bowls. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of coconut cream over each set of meatballs, and garnish each with fried curry leaves
Notes
- Meatballs: you can make the meatballs a day ahead and store them in the fridge until you need them
- Chicken: Using chicken mince or ground chicken is what you will need for this recipe to create tasty moist meatballs. Alternatively you could use ground turkey/turkey mince, or lean beef mince/lean ground beef following the same instructions.
- Brown Rice: Make sure to use instant or minute brown rice – they kind you zap in the microwave. Although don’t microwave it before adding it to the chicken. Use it straight from the packet to act as a binder to hold the meatballs together and make them easier to handle as chicken mince/ground chicken can be quite moist.
- Coriander/Cilantro: make sure to buy coriander/cilantro that still has the roots attached as they are a major part of this recipe. The coriander roots are packed with flavour and it really comes through.
- Crushed Garlic, Ginger and red onion: these are the flavour base ingredients. Using fresh garlic and ginger or garlic/ginger from a jar is perfectly fine and will still give you a very tasty result.
- Garam Masala, Tumeric, Coriander Seeds, Mustard Seeds: these are the essential spices that create the curry base.
- Coconut Milk: My preference is for full fat coconut cream when making curry sauces, however to reduce the number of calories, you can use light coconut milk – the sauce will just be a little thinner.
- Tomatoes: I prefer using crushed tomatoes as they have a nice texture in the sauce. Alternatively you could use Passata or tomato puree.
- Chilli: Make sure to get long red chilis. Remove the seeds if you want it less hot. Or keep seeds in if you like it extra spicy
- Butter: To help bring out all the flavours
- Curry Leaves: these are lightly fried to become crunchy and I love them sprinkled on top of my bowl of curry as well as incorporating them into the cooking process.
- Nutritional information does not include additional rice to serve.
Nutrition
Note: Sugars contained in this recipe are from naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables or other natural sweeteners. Calories have been calculated for your convenience using My Fitness Pal and are based on the ingredients listed in the recipe card.
Aimee
Hi. I don’t have access to curry leaves. How do I use curry paste instead ?
Kim
The curry leaves in this recipe are for texture only and don't provide any of the curry flavour as that comes from all the other spices. If you don't have curry leaves, you can leave them out, as they are a garnish, or alternatively, replace with fresh corriander/cilantro leaves.