Name: Chicken Tikka Masala Meatballs
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 lb ground chicken; 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs; 1 large egg; 3 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped; 2 tsp curry powder; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp ground pepper; 4 Tbsp unsalted butter; 1/2 onion, diced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tsp ground ginger; 2 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp curry powder; 1 tsp ground cardamom; 2 tsp garam masala; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp paprika; 2 Tbsp tomato paste; 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes; 1 cup heavy cream; Kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste; Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Chicken Tikka Masala Meatballs

September 7, 2022

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Published May 20, 2020 • Updated September 7, 2022

Chicken tikka masala is one of my favorite Indian dishes when visiting Indian restaurants. Let’s take this dish to the next level and add meatballs. Yes, meatballs! These meatballs are made with ground chicken, breadcrumbs, cilantro, egg, and curry powder. Then add them to the most epic melt-in-your-mouth tikka masala sauce.

Mise en Place Ingredients

Start with preparing the meatballs. Preheat the oven to 425ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Prepare and measure out all ingredients for the Mise en Place prep station.

Making the Meatballs

To make the meatballs, preheat your oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Grab a medium bowl and combine your ground chicken, breadcrumbs, egg, cilantro, curry powder, salt, and ground pepper. Use a wooden spoon and mix until well combined.

Roll mixture into 1/2″ balls onto the baking sheet. This mixture will make about 30-35 meatballs. Place into the oven. Bake at 425ºF for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Chicken meatballs on a lined baking sheet with parchment paper — Preparing to bake the Chicken Meatballs

Making the Sauce

While the meatballs are baking, make the Tikka Masala sauce using the dry-heat method. In a large skillet, combine onion, garlic, and all the Indian spices. Sauté for about 1-2 minutes. Then add the crushed tomatoes and heavy cream. Stir until well combined. Simmer the sauce until the meatballs are finished baking.

Once meatballs are done, add them to the mouth-watering sauce. Serve meatballs over warm basmati rice. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

This is mild but there’s still plenty of spice to give it the kick you expect in Indian food. Once you taste the chicken meatballs smothered in the sauce. It’s like a party in your mouth because there are so many spices all in one place. You’ll want to savor every bite. These meatballs make great leftovers. Let your leftovers marinate in the refrigerator overnight. It tastes even better the next day.

After cooking these meatballs, your kitchen will smell like the fresh aroma of an Indian restaurant. Walking into your kitchen the next day will smell amazing.

Recipe Tips:

Use a 1/2″ cookie scoop for creating consistent-sized meatballs. It’s a clever hack for the meatballs to be the same size.
Bake the meatballs first before making the sauce. Baking the meatballs is a good dry-cooking method while you make the sauce. It makes the process quick and easy.
If you have extra meatballs, you can freeze them for later. Maybe use the leftovers for a curry pizza. Now that sounds amazing too. Leftovers are stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
You can get naan from the frozen bread section in the grocery store or an Indian restaurant.
I recommend serving these meatballs over basmati rice.

Serve warm with basmati rice and traditional naan (garlic naan is my fave)! 😋

A great meal to warm your soul with all the Indian spices. This recipe is mild but there’s still plenty spice to give it the kick you expect in Indian food. It’s ready in about 40 minutes. So good and amazing! 🇮🇳

Other Meatball Recipes

If you’re a fan of meatballs, try out some of these recipes.

Questions? Leave me a comment below. If you make this recipe, tag me #thedesignfoodie on Instagram or The Design Foodie on Facebook! Happy cooking!

Chicken Tikka Masala Meatballs

Ashlee

These meatballs are made with ground chicken, breadcrumbs, cilantro, egg, and curry powder. Then add them to the most epic melt-in-your-mouth tikka masala sauce. A great meal to warm your soul with all the Indian spices. So good and amazing! 🇮🇳

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Course Main Dishes

Cuisine Indian

Servings 6

Ingredients

For Meatballs:

2 lb ground chicken
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 large egg
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper

For Sauce:

4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste

For Garnish:

Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Instructions

For Meatballs:

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Prepare a baking sheet and line with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine ground chicken, Panko breadcrumbs, egg, cilantro, curry powder, salt and ground pepper. Using wooden spoon, mix until well combined. Roll mixture into 1/2” balls, forming up to 30-35 meatballs.
Place meatballs on prepared baking sheet. Place into oven. Bake at 425ºF for 15-20 minutes, until light browned and cooked through.

For Sauce:

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Stir in ginger, turmeric, curry powder, cardamom, garam masala, coriander, cumin, paprika and tomato paste. Stir spices until onions are coated and mixture has thickened slightly. Pour crushed tomatoes and heavy cream. Season with kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste.
Place baked meatballs in sauce and mix sauce with meatballs. Reduce heat and allow sauce to thicken.