Slow Cooker Butter Chicken Meatballs
 
Prep time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 16 meatballs
Ingredients
  • FOR MEATBALLS ->>
  • 1 pound (roughly ½ kg) ground chicken ( I used extra lean)
  • ½ tsp red chili powder
  • ½ tsp garam masala
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1.5 tsp garlic paste
  • 2 tsp ginger paste
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp thick yogurt
  • 2 tbsp eggs
  • 3 tbsp breadcrumbs
  • Few tsps oil for browning
  • CURRY ->>
  • 2.5 tbsp ginger paste
  • 8-10 cloves of garlic, made into a paste
  • 7-8 fresh green chilies, slit lengthwise
  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 4-5 green cardamoms
  • 1 black cardamoms
  • 4 cloves
  • 2-3 inch long cinnamon stick
  • 4 cups tomato puree from fresh tomatoes or you can use canned too (I used 7 medium size tomatoes)
  • ½-1 tbsp red chili powder or to taste
  • 10 almonds, soaked and made into a paste
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves or kasuri methi
  • 1-1.5 tbsp sugar or to taste
  • 4 tbsp heavy cream
  • Salt to taste
Instructions
  1. FOR MEATBALLS ->>
  2. In a bowl add all the ingredient for meatballs and mix just until mixed, DO NOT OVER MIX. Roll into golf sized balls. I ended up with 16 golf sized balls.
  3. In a skillet, add few drops oil and once hot lay the meatballs without overlapping and cook 45 seconds on each side. We are browning them just so they don't break while cooking in slow cooker and hold their shape.
  4. CURRY ->>
  5. In a blender add ginger paste, garlic paste, green chilies, green cardamom, black cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon powder or cinnamon stick and tomatoes or tomato puree and blend until smooth.
  6. Heat ghee+oil in a pot and once warm add the mixture we just blended to it. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the raw smell starts to go. Then add red chili powder, almond paste, garam masala, dried fenugreek, sugar and heavy cream. Taste and add salt.
  7. Let it simmer for another 10-20 minutes.
  8. In a slow cooker add half of this gravy. Lay the meatballs gently and cover with the remaining gravy. Cook on high for 2-3 hours or until meat is cooked through. Take the meatballs out of the gravy and if you feel gravy is on the thinner side, reduce it further until nice and thick. Sometimes I even blend the gravy in my blendtec for a creamier texture as you see in picture.
Notes
Ami says :
If you don't want to use slow cooker, just add the browned meatballs into the fully cooked gravy and simmer until meatballs are cooked through.
GRAVY recipe adapted from my BUTTER CHICKEN TACOS recipe.
Recipe by Naive Cook Cooks at https://www.naivecookcooks.com/slow-cooker-butter-chicken-meatballs/