These butter hen meatballs are coated in a wealthy and mildly spiced tomato gravy that’s made luxurious with just a bit little bit of butter and cream. Severe weeknight magic!
This can be a model new recipe that’s a part of our Spring 2023 SOS Collection – in different phrases, EASY recipes! View our full collection of SOS recipes here.
In This Submit: Every thing You Want For Butter Hen Meatballs
- About Butter Hen
- The way to make this recipe dairy-free
- Different protein choices (meatless, too!)
- The way to add veggies
- FAQ about this recipe
- Extra weeknight meatball recipes
Butter hen, however make it meatballs!
Oh my goodness, it’s so good! My household is actually in love with this recipe.
These butter hen meatballs are coated in a wealthy and mildly spiced tomato gravy that’s made luxurious with just a bit little bit of butter and cream. It’s a factor of magnificence. I look ahead to dinner all day lengthy after I know we’re having this. And as I’m certain you think about, the leftovers are even higher, so lunch the following day is one thing to look ahead to, too.
You can also make it on the stovetop or within the Prompt Pot, and you should use a daily or immersion blender to get your sauce good and creamy. I usually have a batch of baked chicken meatballs available so I like to make use of these, however this may be scrumptious and straightforward with some store-bought meatballs to actually lock within the SOS goodness right here
There are numerous spices listed, however the magnificence is that you simply most likely have already got all of them and it takes two minutes or much less to measure them and get them cooking into one thing spectacular.
Weeknight magic on deck!
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Description
These butter hen meatballs are coated in a wealthy and mildly spiced tomato gravy that’s made luxurious with just a bit little bit of butter and cream. Severe weeknight magic!
Butter Hen Base:
To End:
To Serve:
- Make your rice in line with package deal instructions.
- Warmth oil over medium warmth in a big skillet or Dutch oven over medium warmth. Add onion, garlic, ginger, and spices; sauté till softened.
- Add tomatoes, water, salt, and sugar. Simmer for 10-Quarter-hour.
- Switch the sauce to a blender and puree till clean, or use an immersion blender immediately within the pot to mix.
- Add sauce again to the pan. Add the meatballs; simmer with the duvet on or carry on low warmth till warmed by.
- Add the butter and cream to make a luscious, heavenly sauce to coat your meatballs.
- Serve over rice with a sprig or sprinkle of cilantro. Add spiciness to style with cayenne or chili oil! OH ME OH MY.
Notes
Mixing strategies: For the silkiest sauce, I like to make use of a daily blender (we have now a Blendtec at residence). However an immersion blender may work and it’s the simpler possibility; this works greatest with a deeper pot like a Dutch oven or the Prompt Pot. For those who’re utilizing an immersion blender, tilt the pot to at least one aspect to pool all of the sauce collectively earlier than utilizing. For those who’re getting splatters, you may want so as to add an additional little bit of water to verify there’s sufficient quantity of sauce to run it by the immersion blender easily. I might not advocate utilizing an immersion blender in a shallow skillet the place it’s going to splatter over the perimeters – in that case, greatest to switch to a blender!
Prompt Pot directions: Add all sauce elements; prepare dinner on excessive strain for five minutes. Use an immersion blender immediately within the Prompt Pot to make it clean; add meatballs and switch it to heat or sauté till heated by (this takes 5-10 minutes). End by stirring within the cream and butter.
Prompt Pot directions with common hen: For those who’re utilizing simply common hen breasts or thighs as an alternative of meatballs, add the hen to the Prompt Pot proper at first of cooking with the sauce. Cook dinner on excessive strain for 12 minutes, then take away and shred or pull aside the hen. In the meantime, mix sauce, after which add hen again in with the cream and butter. We do it this manner fairly a bit as properly!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook dinner Time: Quarter-hour
- Class: Dinner
- Technique: Prompt Pot
- Delicacies: Indian-Impressed
Key phrases: butter hen, butter hen meatballs, Indian recipes, fast and straightforward dinner, dinner recipe
![](https://pinchofyum.com/wp-content/uploads/butter-chicken-1-scaled.jpg)
About Butter Hen
Butter Hen is a kind of curry the place hen is coated in a spiced tomato and butter sauce, in line with Wiki! It’s an Indian dish that’s historically referred to as Murgh Makhani, usually involving marinated hen that’s then cooked in a clay oven.
I’m taking a barely totally different strategy right here – meatballs as an alternative of hen! No marinating, no clay oven, however the butter sauce on this recipe meant to be a quick and straightforward tackle the basic that everyone loves.
I’ve made the Butter Chicken from Two Sleevers loads of occasions (bear in mind our “best of the internet Instant Pot recipes” put up?) so this model is a play on that! I diminished the general sauce quantity so it’s not a double batch, and used retailer purchased garam masala as an alternative of creating my very own with entire spices, and found alongside the best way that we really actually beloved this with meatballs!
Making This Dairy Free
Subs for the butter: I feel utilizing dairy free butter could be superior and a simple swap for the butter.
Subs for the cream: A knob of dairy free cream cheese melted in there could be good! One other thought: while you mix the sauce, add a handful of cashews (assuming you could have a excessive powered blender) and also you’d get a creamy, completely dairy free sauce. Technique could be much like this recipe.
Different Proteins That Would Be Good Right here
Hen: Clearly simply common hen breasts, or hen thighs, are the standard protein they usually work nice – I take advantage of them each once in a while! For those who do use common hen breasts or thighs, I’d advocate looking for a texture that’s someplace between shredded and chopped. Roughly pulled chunks is what I like greatest! For those who’re making this within the Prompt Pot, I might simply throw the hen proper in because the sauce cooks! 10 minutes for smallish hen breasts, 12-14 for hen thighs.
Meatless: This could be scrumptious with a cubed block of paneer. I simply noticed one at Costco this morning so that’s recent on my thoughts. YUM. You would fry up the paneer first after which get all of it up within the sauce? Mmmm. Equally – baked crispy tofu could be wonderful! Right here’s our information for how to cook tofu with directions for my favourite tofu methodology (the “baked crispy” one).
Meatless Meatballs: And allow us to not neglect concerning the ALDI frozen meatless meatballs that are so fabulous and would simply pop proper into the sauce for an ideal meatless meal.
How To Get Extra Veggies In
Peppers: This could be extra like a tikka masala, however you possibly can sauté or roast some bell peppers and throw them in with the sauce and the hen! Yum. I might not advocate placing them proper into the Prompt Pot as a result of they may overcook and get mushy.
Cucumber Salad: No cooking required. Toss sliced cucumbers with a tiny splash of vinegar, olive oil, salt, and sugar. Throw some herbs in if you’d like. The tip!
Easy Inexperienced Salad: My go-to for including greens to a meal (particularly in an SOS vogue) is that this simple green salad. There’s a home made balsamic maple dressing right here, however I’ve additionally used retailer purchased dressings – Dealer Joe’s maple French dressing is unbelievable. Throw some nuts and dried fruit on prime and my entire household will get into this huge time.
Roasted Veggies: Little extra work required for this, however roasting up some broccoli or cauliflower within the oven whereas the whole lot cooks up within the Prompt Pot could be a straightforward, scrumptious thought too!
Butter Hen Meatballs: Often Requested Questions
Sure! Paneer, tofu, or meatless meatballs would all be nice choices right here. Extremely advocate these vegetarian meatballs!
Utilizing vegan butter and utilizing the coconut milk possibility would make this dairy-free. You would additionally attempt mixing a handful of cashews into the sauce to make it creamy (if in case you have a high-powered blender).
The one subject with gluten on this recipe may very well be the meatballs you employ. For our Baked Chicken Meatballs, you’ll be able to sub in some almond flour or GF breadcrumbs. Or, you’ll be able to pivot to hen breasts as an alternative and remove the gluten completely.
As-is, in no way! However in case you’re in search of some spice, I’d advocate some cayenne or crushed pink pepper flakes to extend the warmth.
Yep! For those who’re making this within the Prompt Pot, I might simply throw the hen proper in because the sauce cooks! 10 minutes for smallish hen breasts, 12-14 for hen thighs. Then pull them out to cut or shred earlier than you mix the sauce up, after which add the hen again in after.