Enjoy juicy and delicious meatballs with this simple, stress-free Butter Chicken Meatballs recipe. They’re packed full of flavor and perfect anytime.

Creamy Butter Chicken Meatballs Recipe
When you’re craving a wholesome meal that reminds you of traditional butter chicken, why not try these incredible Butter Chicken Meatballs?
They’re tasty, full of flavor, and much different from traditional meatballs that you may be used to eating. If you want something yummy that you can pair with white rice or even roasted vegetables, these meatballs are worth trying.
Why You’ll Love this Spicy Chicken Meatball Recipe:
- They’re easy to prepare. It won’t take you long at all to make the Butter Chicken Meatballs.
- They taste great. When you want to prepare something new, different, and delicious, this is the perfect recipe for you.
- Goes with many sides. You can pair these incredible meatballs with some of your favorite side dishes to make a full meal.


How to make Butter Chicken Meatballs
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Grab a bowl and combine the ground chicken with panko, cilantro, egg, pepper, and salt until just mixed.
- Use a heaping tablespoon to grab enough meat to start rolling out your meatballs.
- Place them on the baking sheet and put them in the oven to bake for 15 minutes.
- Heat oil in a skillet and saute your onion and jalapeno for five minutes before adding the garlic and ginger, cooking until fragrant for about a minute.
- Stir in your garam masala, tomato paste, and turmeric while cooking for an additional minute.
- Add the chicken broth and cream to the skillet and let it simmer for five minutes.
- Place your meatballs in the skillet with the sauce, cover them with the sauce, and then serve them.


What is Butter Chicken?
Butter Chicken is curried chicken in a blend of spices with tomato puree and cream.
What Kind of Chicken Do I Need?
You’re going to need ground chicken for this recipe to make the meatballs. These are chicken meatballs, so you will not need ground beef. However, if you choose to use ground beef instead, you can.
What Can I Serve with These Meatballs?
You can serve these meatballs with white rice. If you’re not sure which type of rice to use, Jasmine is an excellent option. You can also serve with Naan.


More Indian Inspired Chicken Dishes to Try
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Leave the jalapeno out if you don’t want your Butter Chicken Meatballs to taste too spicy.
- If you don’t want to use ground chicken or don’t have it available, use ground turkey as an alternative.
- Add more jalapeno and some cayenne pepper to create an even spicier sauce if you want to take it up a notch.

Enjoy the fresh flavor of these Butter Chicken Meatballs. They’re juicy, spicy, and absolutely delicious. They are the perfect twist to the traditional meatballs and make both a perfect entree and a perfect appetizer.
More chicken meatball recipes we love
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Curry Chicken Meatballs
- Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
- Asian Chicken Meatballs
- Hawaiian Chicken Meatballs
- Greek Chicken Meatballs
- Air Fryer Firecracker Chicken Meatballs
If you’ve made this recipe, please be sure to let us know by leaving a star rating or a comment below. Enjoy!

Butter Chicken Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 lb ground chicken
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 jalapeno seeded and diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons finely minced ginger
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
For serving:
- Fresh cilantro
- Naan
- Rice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Stir together the ground chicken, panko breadcrumbs, egg, cilantro, salt and pepper until just mixed. Make sure all the ingredients are incorporated, but don’t overmix the meatballs. It will make them tough.1 lb ground chicken, ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, 1 egg, ¼ cup chopped cilantro, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper
- Using a heaping tablespoon, roll the mixture into balls and place them on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
- While the meatballs are baking, heat the oil in a large sauté pan. Add in the onion, jalapeno, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.2 tablespoons oil, 1 yellow onion, 1 jalapeno, 1 clove garlic, 2 teaspoons finely minced ginger
- Stir in the tomato paste, garam masala, and turmeric, cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add in the chicken broth, cream, and bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring often. Simmer for 5 minutes and season with salt and pepper to taste.6 oz can tomato paste, 1 tablespoon garam masala, ½ teaspoon turmeric, 1 cup chicken broth, ½ cup heavy cream, Salt and pepper to taste
- Gently stir in the meatballs. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with rice and naan.Naan, Rice, Fresh cilantro
Notes
- For a less spicy sauce, omit the jalapeno.
- For a spicier sauce, add a second jalapeno and ¼-1/2 teaspoon cayenne.
- You can also use ground turkey in place of chicken.
Fred Firth says
Why would you publish a recipe for something called butter chicken meatballs with no butter listed as one of the ingredients? I won’t be making this.
Becky Hardin says
It’s similar to butter chicken, an Indian dish!
Altie Metcalf says
Such a kind response.
Altie Metcalf says
Seriously, why in the world would you give a one star review if you don’t even cook the recipe?