Description
Succulent butter chicken meatballs elevate traditional Indian cuisine with a creamy, spiced sauce that dances across palates. Homemade comfort meets elegant flavors you’ll savor with each perfectly seasoned bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 20 oz (567 g) chicken or turkey meatballs, cooked
- 2 tbsps (30 g) butter
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) heavy cream
- 1 (14-oz/400 g) can crushed tomatoes or plain tomato sauce
- 1 ½ cups (360 ml) basmati rice, or precooked rice
- ½ onion, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or garlic paste
- 1 small piece fresh ginger, grated or ginger paste
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) avocado oil or olive oil
- ½ cup (120 ml) water
- ¼ cup (15 g) fresh cilantro
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ to 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp sugar
Instructions
- Rice Preparation: Cook basmati rice precisely following package instructions, aiming for light, fluffy grains that will serve as a perfect base for the meatballs.
- Flavor Foundation: Heat oil in a large skillet, sauté onions, garlic, ginger, and spices until they release an aromatic blend and become translucent, developing a robust flavor profile.
- Sauce Development: Combine tomatoes, water, salt, and sugar in the skillet, allowing the mixture to simmer and reduce, concentrating the flavors into a rich, harmonious sauce for approximately 12-15 minutes.
- Sauce Transformation: Puree the simmered sauce using a blender or immersion blender until achieving a smooth, velvety consistency that will elegantly coat the meatballs.
- Meatball Integration: Return the pureed sauce to the pan, gently nestle the pre-cooked meatballs into the liquid, and warm through on low heat, covered, enabling the meatballs to absorb the complex, nuanced flavors.
- Final Flourish: Enrich the sauce by incorporating cold butter and heavy cream, creating a luxurious, silky finish that elevates the entire dish to a truly indulgent experience.
Notes
- Spice Intensity Control: Adjust spice levels by gradually adding garam masala and chili powder to match personal heat preferences without overwhelming the delicate meatball flavors.
- Blending Technique: Ensure sauce smoothness by blending in small batches and straining through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any potential tomato seeds or tough fiber chunks.
- Meatball Moisture Management: Mix ground meat with breadcrumbs and egg to prevent dryness, ensuring tender and juicy meatballs that absorb sauce beautifully.
- Cream Incorporation Tip: Add cream off direct heat to prevent curdling, stirring gently to create a silky, uniform sauce that maintains its luxurious texture and vibrant color.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 460
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 27 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg