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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!

side angled photo of 30 Minute Butter Chicken Meatballs

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.

30 Minute Butter Chicken Meatballs on baking sheet

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.

30 Minute Butter Chicken Meatballs in skillet with curry sauce

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.

overhead photo of 30 Minute Butter Chicken Meatballs

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!

overhead close up photo of 30 Minute Butter Chicken Meatballs

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

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
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

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!
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Comments

  1. 4 stars
    Okay I truly love all of your recipes. The flavor is great in this recipe & would highly recommend! However, I found that there was almost 2x the amount of sauce actually needed. If you don’t need a ton of leftover sauce, either double the chicken meatballs or cut the sauce recipe in half (an opinion from one cook!). Thanks for another delicious, quick, and easy dinner.

    1. Additionally, I used only 1/2 tsp of cayanne and it was still pretty spicy for me. Use less or non if you don’t like a lot of spice 🙂

    2. Hey Katelyn,
      Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed. I like to have a lot of sauce to serve over rice. Have a great weekend:) xTieghan

  2. 5 stars
    I’ve made this as a stew with potatoes, roasted cauliflower and peas, with chicken breasts, with the meatballs, it’s been great all those ways. This sauce is now a staple in our house. It’s definitely one of those things that are better the second day but my kids both like this curry, it’s super easy and that’s a major win!

    1. Hi Vienna,
      Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it was a hit!! xTieghan

  3. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! Instead of the tomato purée, I blended sundried tomatoes together to make a paste and added a little water . It was so so good

    1. Hey Ashley,
      Happy Friday!! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan

  4. 5 stars
    We love butter chicken and this is as a great twist with chicken meatballs! It was easy to make and will definitely make again! Love your recipes 🙂

  5. Do you have a substitute of coconut milk? I have 8oz and am trying to figure out what I can use to fill in the rest.

    1. Hi Tricia,
      Any other milk that you enjoy will also work. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan

  6. 5 stars
    This recipe was so tasty. Just a little spicy for the kids so I’ll cut back the cayenne next time. The meatballs need some extras salt and seasoning.
    Very simple for an Indian recipe and a great make ahead meal!

    1. Hey Maria,
      Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Sorry about the spice. xxT

  7. 5 stars
    Delicious and super easy! I used sour cream instead of Greek yogurt because that’s what I had on hand.

    My only critique is that I wish I could taste the coconut milk and sweetness from that more. Are you supposed to taste the coconut milk? The only size coconut milk I could find was 13.5 oz so maybe that threw off the recipe a little but let me know your thoughts!

    1. Hey Christina,
      I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Hmm, you really shouldn’t have a huge coconut flavor. xxTieghan

      1. Got it! Just had leftovers and it was even more delicious and flavorful so it seems like letting the sauce sits really helps with this recipe. I’m going to make it ahead of time in the future (:

        1. Hey Christina,
          Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xxT

    1. Hi Nancy,
      you can use cumin mixed with all spice. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan

  8. 5 stars
    This recipe is SO delicious. I make it at least twice a month. I love adding a head of broccoli shortly before it’s finished and typically serve it over a cauli/brown rice mix. The ultimate cozy, comfort meal, perfect for cold evenings!

  9. 5 stars
    This is even better as leftovers! I decided to meal prep and made several of Tieghan’s meatball recipes so that I could bake them all at one time. I like to add veggies to everything, so I added finely chopped multi-color peppers to the meatballs and spinach to the sauce when I added the meatballs back to to the sauce. For lunch the next day, I warmed up the leftovers with spinach in the bottom of the bowl and some leftover green beans. The sauce makes everything amazing! Next time, we will try with either roasted veggies or cauliflower rice to conserve some calories. Great work Tieghan!

    1. Hey Stacie,
      Fantastic!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan

    1. Hi Christina,
      Totally, that will work well for you. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan

  10. 5 stars
    This dish is so delicious. We are making it every week. It’s great to make ahead and eat throughout the week. So tasty.

    1. Hey Amanda,
      Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT

  11. 4 stars
    This is a delicious cozy and different recipe for us! A little spicy, which I appreciate. The only thing I tweaked was needing to add a little salt to taste in each bowl!

    1. Hi Megan,
      Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan

  12. Hi Tieghan, I tried this recipe this evening and have a question. I feel like the coconut milk separated in my sauce. There are very small white specks which I don’t see in your photos. Is that possible? Any tips to avoid that next time? Thanks!

    1. Hey Jessie,
      Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear about the coconut milk. Did you whisk while you were adding the milk? That usually helps! xTieghan

    1. Hey there,
      I really appreciate you giving the recipe a try, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xxT