These chicken meatballs in spicy gravy turned out to be a super amazing healthy meal to sort out our weeknight dinner that ended at a highly flavorful note!
My chicken meatballs in spicy gravy got a makeover and reappeared on our dinner table with a stunning look! I made this ages ago and loved it like crazy; so it has to be remade with a new look & feel!
Chicken meatball is one of those fancy foods that I fell in love with after I started exploring the culinary world thanks to my passion for blogging.
Initially I considered it a daunting task; preparing mince mixture, rolling them into balls and then frying them! But after making many meatball recipes, I can tell you it is one of those dishes which looks super-fancy with minimal effort!
Additionally, chicken meatballs cook very quickly; so you can bring dinner from kitchen to table in less than 30 minutes! Hence it is a win-win recipe for your hectic weeknight dinner!
What is my chicken meatballs in spicy gravy?
This creation of mine is nothing but my spin of quintessential spicy Indian gravy with flavorful chicken meatballs swimming in it!
The gravy is infused with the aroma of all flavorful Indian spices and the chicken meatballs are simmered in the gravy adding more tenderness to them.
If you use chicken thigh meat for your meatballs mince, you will be rewarded with the juiciest and softest meatballs ever which can give close competition to pork, lamb or any other variety of meatballs!
Plus, chicken meatballs are way lower in calories compared to lamb or pork meatballs and can be flavored easily with aromatics like ginger & garlic with a dash of chili powder and any other hot seasoning of your choice to add that spicy kick! What better can you ask for!
Even though I am raving about my chicken meatballs, the star attraction of this dish has to be my spicy gravy which lusciously laces the tasty chicken meatballs making them even tastier.
These chicken meatballs in spicy gravy is served best with plain white rice, sprinkled with some freshly chopped cilantro. If you like sour cream, you can drop a dollop of it for extra richness. Your fine dine experience at home is sorted!
Ingredients for chicken meatballs in spicy gravy
Chicken: I prefer buying boneless and skinless chicken thighs and mince them at home to make my chicken meatballs. Chicken thighs retain tenderness and juiciness thanks to the higher fat content compared to chicken breasts.
But if you prefer chicken breast, please feel free to use it. You may also buy chicken mince if you do not prefer handling raw chicken.
Egg: This is that magic ingredient which not only binds the meatball mixture, but also makes them super-soft! It is a must if you are using chicken breasts.
Breadcrumbs: Use half a cup of breadcrumbs for about a pound of chicken. This one also helps binding the chicken and gives you neat chicken meatballs!
Aromatics: Our typical Indian aromatics, ginger and garlic, will be used in 2 ways – first to flavor the chicken mince and secondly to make the flavorful spicy gravy!
Onion: The base of the spicy gravy for our chicken meatballs is the quintessential onion. Chop them finely so that you have a very smooth gravy.
Powdered spices: Like any other flagship Indian gravy, this one too is infused with the goodness of turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder. If you do not like it too spicy, use Kashmiri chilli powder instead of the regular one.
Pro tip: You can also use the mix of two chilli powders like I do to get the best of both worlds – vibrant red color from Kashmiri chilli and the spicy kick from regular hot chilli powder!
Tomato: A dash of tomato puree will add the right amount of tartness to this spicy gravy and your chicken meatballs will taste extraordinarily delicious when scooped with it!
Garam Masala: A final sprinkle of garam masala, the homemade one, will complete this chicken meatballs gravy and make a royal meal for you & your family!
Oil: You will need an oil of your choice to fry up the meatballs; you can use any flavorless vegetable oil like canola or sunflower oil. If you want to cut down on oil, then you can airfry the meatballs too, which I explained in my Air Fryer Meatballs in Teriyaki Sauce recipe.
For making the spicy gravy, you would need just 2 tablespoons of oil of your choice.
Seasoning: Use salt as per your liking.
How to make chicken meatballs in spicy gravy?
Step 1: If you prefer to make the chicken mince at home, then first wash the chicken thighs or chicken breast thoroughly and pat them dry using a kitchen towel.
Step 2: Cut them into small chunks to fit into the grinder or chopper. Transfer the chicken pieces to the chopper/grinder and grind them until you get a sticky chicken mince.
If you are using chicken mince bought from the store, you can directly start from step 3.
Step 3: Transfer the minced chicken to a large mixing bowl and add the ginger-garlic paste, egg, a dash of chilli powder, a teaspoon of oil and salt to taste.
Step 4: Mix the chicken mince well with all the added ingredients either with hand or using a spatula until all the ingredients are just evenly distributed and mixed well; but do not over-knead it. You should get a sticky dough-like mixture of chicken.
Step 5: Now take about a tablespoon of mixture at a time and roll it in a ball between your two palms. Repeat this until all the chicken mixture is used up.
Step 6: Now take a frying pan and add about 2-3 tablespoons of oil to fry the meatballs. I did not deep fry my chicken meatballs; shallow-frying them works just as fine.
Step 7: When the oil is quite hot, reduce the flame to medium-low, tip in the meatballs, arrange them in a single layer and fry them till they are golden brown on one side which would take about 4 to 5 minutes on medium flame.
Step 8: Now flip them over and fry the other side for another 5 minutes until the meatballs turn golden brown on all sides.
Step 9: Once the chicken meatballs are golden and nicely fried, take them out on a plate lined with absorbent kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.
Now, let’s get on to the gravy!
Step 10: For the gravy, heat oil in a kadai/wok. Add the chopped onion once the oil is hot and fry the onion on medium flame for about 8 to 10 minutes until the onion turns translucent.
Step 11: Now add the ginger & garlic paste and sauté them for a couple of minutes so that the raw smell is gone. Next add the tomato puree and sauté for 2 more minutes.
Step 12: In a small mixing bowl, add all the powdered spices – turmeric, cumin, coriander, red chilli. Then add a few tablespoons of water and whisk using a spoon to make a smooth paste of all the spice powders.
Step 13: Meanwhile the onion tomato mixture should start separating oil by now. Add the spice paste to the kadai and sauté it on medium-high heat. You would need to sauté the spice paste until it starts separating oil which might take about 2 minutes on medium high flame.
Step 14: Now add about a cup of warm water and season the gravy with salt to taste. Bring the flame to highest and allow the gravy to come to a rolling boil.
Step 15: It’s time to add the fried chicken meatballs to the spice gravy! After dropping in the meatballs into the wok, cover it with a snugly fitted lid, reduce the flame to lowest and simmer the meatballs gravy for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to develop and penetrate inside the chicken meatballs.
Step 16: After about 10-12 minutes, uncover the kadai and check the consistency of the gravy. You may boil off excess water if the gravy seems too thin. Check and adjust seasoning too if needed.
Step 17: Once you are happy with the gravy, sprinkle the garam masala and switch off the flame. Your chicken meatballs in spicy gravy is ready to serve! Devour it with plain rice or roti/naan.
More meatball recipes from Flavor Quotient
- Chicken thighs – 450-500 gms (about 1 lb), boneless & skinless
- Ginger paste – 1 tbsp
- Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
- Breadcrumbs - ½ cup (you can use panko breadcrumbs too)
- Egg – 1
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Oil for shallow frying
- Onion – 2, medium, finely chopped
- Ginger paste – 1 tsp
- Garlic paste – 1 tsp
- Tomato puree – 4 tbsp
- Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
- Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
- Coriander powder – 2 tsp
- Cumin powder – 2 tsp
- Garam masala – ½ tsp
- Oil – 2 tbsp
- Salt to taste
- If you prefer to make the chicken mince at home, then first wash the chicken thighs or chicken breast thoroughly and pat them dry using a kitchen towel.
- Cut them into small chunks to fit into the grinder or chopper. Transfer the chicken pieces to the chopper/grinder and grind them until you get a sticky chicken mince.
- If you are using chicken mince bought from the store, you can directly start from step 3.
- Transfer the minced chicken to a large mixing bowl and add the ginger-garlic paste, egg, a dash of chilli powder, a teaspoon of oil and salt to taste.
- Mix the chicken mince well with all the added ingredients either with hand or using a spatula until all the ingredients are just evenly distributed and mixed well; but do not over-knead it. You should get a sticky dough-like mixture of chicken.
- Now take about a tablespoon of mixture at a time and roll it in a ball between your two palms. Repeat this until all the chicken mixture is used up.
- Now take a frying pan and add about 2-3 tablespoons of oil to fry the meatballs. I did not deep fry my chicken meatballs; shallow-frying them works just as fine.
- When the oil is quite hot, reduce the flame to medium-low, tip in the meatballs, arrange them in a single layer and fry them till they are golden brown on one side which would take about 4 to 5 minutes on medium flame.
- Now flip them over and fry the other side for another 5 minutes until the meatballs turn golden brown on all sides.
- Once the chicken meatballs are golden and nicely fried, take them out on a plate lined with absorbent kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.
- For the gravy, heat oil in a kadai/wok. Add the chopped onion once the oil is hot and fry the onion on medium flame for about 8 to 10 minutes until the onion turns translucent.
- Now add the ginger & garlic paste and sauté them for a couple of minutes so that the raw smell is gone. Next add the tomato puree and sauté for 2 more minutes.
- In a small mixing bowl, add all the powdered spices - turmeric, cumin, coriander, red chilli. Then add a few tablespoons of water and whisk using a spoon to make a smooth paste of all the spice powders.
- Meanwhile the onion tomato mixture should start separating oil by now. Add the spice paste to the kadai and sauté it on medium-high heat. You would need to sauté the spice paste until it starts separating oil which might take about 2 minutes on medium high flame.
- Now add about a cup of warm water and season the gravy with salt to taste. Bring the flame to highest and allow the gravy to come to a rolling boil.
- It’s time to add the fried chicken meatballs to the spice gravy! After dropping in the meatballs into the wok, cover it with a snugly fitted lid, reduce the flame to lowest and simmer the meatballs gravy for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to develop and penetrate inside the chicken meatballs.
- After about 10-12 minutes, uncover the kadai and check the consistency of the gravy. You may boil off excess water if the gravy seems too thin. Check and adjust seasoning too if needed.
- Once you are happy with the gravy, sprinkle the garam masala and switch off the flame. Your chicken meatballs in spicy gravy is ready to serve! Devour it with plain rice or roti/naan. Enjoy!
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