Chicken Tikka Masala Meatballs

[x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 45px 0px 45px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1/4″ style=”padding: 10px 10px 10px 10px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 1px; “][x_text class=”center-text “]by Karen Gifford[/x_text][/x_column][x_column bg_color=”” type=”3/4″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_text]

The first time I tried Indian food was back in college. I had just started dating a guy who was a waiter at an Indian restaurant close to campus. He introduced me to Chicken Tikka Masala.

If you’ve ever had Chicken Tikka Masala, you will know about the love affair that ensued. (This is not a double entendre; I’m definitely not talking about the guy. It’s allll about the Chicken Tikka.)

A few weeks later my family was in town for a visit, and I brought them to that restaurant for dinner. There were at least 10 of us, and we were making a ruckus, but there was no one else in the restaurant, so we foolishly thought it didn’t matter.

They had this jazz pianist playing in the background, which is kind of funny because when I think of Indian music, I do not think of jazz piano.

My boyfriend (our waiter) came over and apologetically asked us to keep it down. “Our piano player feels that you’re not appreciating his music,” he said. We just laughed. Then we realized he was COMPLETELY SERIOUS.

Cozy restaurant? Check. Delicious Chicken Tikka Masala? Check. Narcissistic pianist? Double check.

Crazy piano players aside, I’ve been obsessed with Chicken Tikka Masala ever since. This time around I decided to take the flavors and make meatballs out of them—the ultimate comfort food. I’ve tried both ground chicken and ground turkey and like them both, so get whichever one is on sale. Don’t be freaked out by the cinnamon. It doesn’t make it taste sweet, it just adds warmth. Serve this with rice (or cauliflower rice) and lots of naan to sop up all the sauce!

Chicken Tikka Masala Meatballs

 Ingredients:

For the meatballs:

• 1 pound ground chicken (or turkey)
• 1/4 of a large red onion, chopped small
• 1 jalapeno, chopped small
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced or grated
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons cilantro, minced

For the sauce:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce (1 cup)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with nonstick spray.
2. In a medium bowl, add all the ingredients for the meatballs. Use your hands to mix it until it is just combined—don’t overdo it or the meat will get tough.
3. Shape the meat into balls that are a little smaller than a golf ball. (Or any size, really, as long as they are uniform. Adjust baking times if you change the size.)
4. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, or until they are browned on the bottoms.
5. Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a small bowl combine 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, and set aside.
6. Melt butter in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Sauté garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Add the bowl of spices and cook for another minute.
7. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes.

You can add the cooked meatballs to the sauce, or spoon the sauce over each individual serving. Serve this with naan and jasmine or basmati rice. (About 2 cups of uncooked rice will be enough.)

Karen Gifford of The Food Charlatan

I love to make food for my family and share it with the internet, because that’s totally normal. Charlatan: someone who makes showy pretenses to pretended ability. Food Charlatan: A cook who likes to take pictures of her food, even though her kitchen (that you can’t quite make out in the background) looks like a 10 pound bag of flour exploded.

[/x_text][/x_column][/x_row][/x_section]