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Butter Chicken Meatballs with Cucumber Raita

Butter Chicken Meatballs with Cucumber Raita

A small twist on the Punjabi classic Butter Chicken, these Butter Chicken Meatballs feature plump chicken meatballs and simmered in a spicy tomato gravy rich in butter and cream. Serve over rice, greens or in a sandwich with a side of cucumber raita.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Chilling Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 sweet onion coarsely chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic peeled
  • 1 (1 ½ inch) knob ginger peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 454g (1 lb) ground chicken
  • 1½ cups cooked brown basmati rice cold
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp Greek yogurt
  • 2 scallion thinly sliced, divided
  • ½ lime zested
  • 2 tsp salt divided
  • 3 tsp Kashmiri chili powder** divided
  • 2½ tsp garam marsala divided
  • 1 tsp turmeric divided
  • ½ tsp ground coriander divided
  • ½ tsp ground cardamom divided
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • 4 tbsp neutral oil I used canola, divided
  • 2 ½ cup tomato puree
  • 2 tsp turbinado sugar
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1 tsp fenugreek leaves
  • cilantro finely chopped, for sprinkling
  • sunflower micro-greens for sprinkling
Cucumber Raita
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil I used canola
  • ½ tsp black mustard seeds
  • 1 ½ cups Greek yogurt
  • 4 Persian cucumbers peeled and shredded
  • ¼ cup cilantro finely chopped
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ lime juiced

Method
 

For the Raita
  1. Place the cumin seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast until fragrant. Take the skillet off of the heat and deposit the seeds onto a cutting board. Give the seeds a quick chop and place them in a medium-sized bowl.
  2. Return the skillet to the heat and add the oil and black mustard seeds. Saute until the seeds begin to pop. Pour the seeds and oil into a small bowl and set aside to cool.
  3. Spoon the yogurt into the bowl with the cumin seed. Squeeze any excess moisture from the cucumber and add it to the bowl as well. Toss in the salt, cilantro, lime juice, and the cooled mustard seeds and oil. Stir until well-integrated. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
For the Meatballs
  1. Place the onion, ginger, and garlic in a food processor and blitz until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, place the ground chicken along with 2 tbsp of the onion puree. Add the rice, egg, yogurt, half of the sliced scallions, lime zest. Next, toss in 1 tsp of the salt, 1 tsp of the chili powder, 1 tsp of grama marsala, ½ tsp of the turmeric, and a ¼ tsp of the cardamom and ground coriander. Using a clean hand, mix until everything is well-integrated.
  3. Form the mixture into meatballs, using a heaping tablespoon as a guide. Transfer the meatballs to the fridge and chill for 30 minutes or overnight if you prefer to form them a day ahead.
  4. Once chilled, pour 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large, deep skillet and place over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the meatballs to the skillet. Sear the meatballs on all sides until well-browned. Transfer the meatballs to a plate and set aside.
  5. Add the remaining oil to the skillet and pour in the reserved onion puree. Add a pinch of salt and saute until the puree is fragrant and slightly golden in color, about 7-10 minutes. Add the remaining chili powder, grama marsala, turmeric, coriander, and cardamom along with the cayenne pepper and saute for a minute or two more. Pour in the tomato puree, salt, and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Let simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes.
  6. Once the 15 minutes have passed, add the butter and stir until melted and well-integrated. Stir in the cream and bring the sauce back up to a simmer. Place the meatballs in the sauce and cover. Let simmer for 10 minutes, rotating the meatballs once halfway through.
  7. Take the meatballs off of the heat and stir in the fenugreek leaves. Spoon 4 or 5 meatballs over rice, greens, naan or all of the above. Garnish with fresh cilantro, the remaining scallion, sunflower microgreens, and additional fenugreek leaves. Serve immediately.

Notes

**If you can't find Kashmiri chili powder sub in paprika, preferrably smoked.