Butter Masala Chicken Koftas Recipe

Butter Masala Chicken Koftas. Delicious chicken koftas that are simmered in a beautiful, warm and rich, butter masala gravy.

Kofta is a meatball dish. It is popular in the Indian subcontinent and Middle Eastern cuisines. In the simplest form, koftas consist of balls of ground meat – usually beef, chicken, lamb, or mutton, or a mixture.
However, in India, as we know, vegetarian varieties predominantly use potatoes, various seasonal gourds, paneer, or even raw banana at times.

In India, we usually cook the koftas in a spicy curry and eat them with steamed rice or an Indian bread. I like to shape the koftas I make into patties, meatballs, or even cigar-like shapes.

Vegetable Kofta Curry is a popular, regional Indian gravy dish that we make using mixed vegetable dumplings dunked in an onion-tomato-based gravy. Koftas are usually small round or oval-shaped deep-fried dumplings made from minced vegetables, paneer, etc. The Koftas can be simmered in a broth-like light curry, or an indulgent curry using onions, tomatoes, masalas, and cream.

We love our koftas and kebabs. I love making bite-sized chicken meatballs at home because the girls love them. Often, I make a sauce to go along as well and that makes for a complete meal. I also like to make these mini koftas for our little snack on most days.

For this particular dish, I have used MayaKaimal’s Butter Masala sauce for the koftas. Mild and buttery with a hint of chili, this sauce is warm and rich and traditionally simmered with chicken. As a result, it goes beautifully with vegetables as well. This sauce is great for making a quick butter chicken and for simmering vegetables as well for your busy nights.

To make these Butter Masala Chicken Koftas, I have used store-bought chicken mince and mix in basic spices that are mild and do not overwhelm the dish. I add an egg to the mince so that it binds well but that is completely optional. To make the meatballs or koftas, I like to grease my palms to make even and nice, round spheres. Also, because the koftas/ meatballs will swell later when we simmer them, I like to make small size balls initially.

You only need to simmer and not overcook the sauce here. I’d suggest removing one kofta to check while they cook. Slice it mid-way – the inside should be a pale pink color that will indicate it is cooked.

Once done, I like to garnish with finely chopped fresh cilantro, mint and add a dash of heavy cream. Above all, it is always a good idea to let a meat curry sit covered for about an hour to let all the flavors soak in.

I like to serve these koftas hot with some steamed basmati rice and/ or warm flatbreads.