Skillet Chicken Tikka Masala Meatballs
on Mar 18, 2019, Updated Aug 25, 2024
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Skillet Chicken Tikka Masala Meatballs are a fun twist on the popular Indian dish. Chicken meatballs are simmered in a creamy and flavorful tikka masala sauce and served over rice for a cozy, ethnic meal.
Indian food is something we almost never go out for. Honestly, I think I’ve only been to one Indian restaurant and it was so long ago I don’t even remember where it was. While we don’t go out for it, I do enjoy making it at home. One of my favorite dishes is chicken tikka masala. There’s something about that sauce that keeps me coming back for more.
Instead of doing a traditional recipe for it I decided to make these Chicken Tikka Masala Meatballs instead. I’m a huge lover of meatballs, so putting this twist on the classic recipe was a no brainer.
The meatballs are made with ground chicken, but if you can’t find that ground turkey works well too. The meatballs are flavored with lots of fresh ginger, garlic, cilantro and one of my favorite Indian spices, garam masala. If you’ve never used garam masala it’s a fragrant blend of warm spices that generally includes, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and black pepper.
When combining the meat mixture for the meatballs do it with a light hand. You don’t want to overwork the mixture or you’ll end up with tough, chewy meatballs like the ones you typically find in the freezer section at the grocery store. Homemade meatballs are always my preference even if they aren’t as convenient.
The meatballs are cooked in a skillet. Once cooked, put them on a plate while you make the tikka masala sauce in the same pan. The sauce uses many of the same ingredients that are in the meatballs. Ginger, garlic, garam masala and cilantro. The base of the sauce is tomato paste and tomato sauce. Some variations use diced tomatoes, but I wanted a smooth sauce.
The creaminess comes from coconut milk. I used light coconut milk to cut back on some of the fat and calories, but feel free to use full fat if that isn’t a concern for you. This is a great recipe to make if you’re dairy-free or gluten-free and most importantly, if you love making homemade Indian food!
More Meatball Recipes
Skillet Meatballs in Marinara Sauce
Greek Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce
Skillet Enchilada MeatballsSkillet Chicken Tikka Masala Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground chicken, or turkey
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 clove garlic, grated or minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Tikka Masala Sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 cup light or full fat coconut milk
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
- In a large bowl, use your hands to combine all of the meatball ingredients minus the oil until incorporated. Shape into golf ball sized meatballs.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, swirl to coat the bottom. Sear the meatballs (in batches if necessary) for 6-8 minutes turning them over halfway through the cooking time. Transfer to a plate. They don't need to be fully cooked, just browned.
- Add the butter or coconut oil to the skillet along with the diced onion. Sauté for 3 minutes until softened then add in the garlic, ginger, spices, and tomato paste. Stir and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, or until the tomato paste has darkened.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, cover with a lid and cook until it just starts to simmer. Add in the coconut milk and cilantro and stir until combined. Place the meatballs into the sauce, turn down the heat to low, cover with the lid and simmer until the sauce has thickened and the meatballs are cooked through, about 10-15 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Serve with brown basmati rice and garnish with cilantro.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I had never made any Indian style dishes. This was really easy and tasty! I baked the meatballs and made the sauce while those baked and then added the meatballs to the sauce after. I let them simmer together for a few minutes before serving. Delish! Thanks again for a wonderful recipe.
Thank you for trying it out Alicea, I’m glad you liked the meatballs!
I’m kind of new to Indian cuisine excellent dish. I try to stay away from curry dishes because my wife haaaaates curry. She hasn’t tried this yet.