Healthy Indian Chicken Meatballs Curry (Paleo, Gluten Free)

Okay so this recipe is so good, I can now officially say that I know to cook a good spicy Indian curry!

Well I did have that one success with a Tikka Masala a while ago, but I think this just beat that!

A little backstory? I baked the meatballs on a Monday night but couldn’t decide what kind of sauce I wanted them to go with. I knew I wanted to do something Indian, and planned a Butter Chicken or something of the sort.

But then I discovered that there’s an actual Indian dish of it’s own that’s essentially a meatball curry!

Goes to show how little my Indian food knowledge is, but I can tell you this curry was spot on in terms of the spiced-ness.

What is a Chicken Kofta?

“Kofta” is the Indian and Middle-Eastern name for meatballs.

They are a bit different from normal meatballs in that instead of just the usual ground meat, the mix also has onions and spices in them to give them enough flavor that they can be just eaten by themselves!

I may or may not have done that with some of the meatballs from this recipe. Shhh.

Ingredients for Healthy Indian Chicken Meatballs Curry

There’s 2 parts in this recipe, the Baked Indian meatballs and curry sauce, and they’re both equality healthy and spicy too!

For the Baked Chicken Meatballs:

• Ground Chicken Breast, or you can make your own ground chicken for this recipe from whole breast meat
• Cabbage to add to the meatballs themselves
• Almond Flour for a Paleo and gluten free chicken meatballs. You can substitute it with breadcrumbs if you please.
• Onion
• Minced Garlic & Ginger
• Garam Masala
• Curry Powder
• Cumin
• Coriander Powder
• Turmeric
• Cayenne Pepper
• Salt & Pepper

And for the Coconut Milk Kofta Curry

• Olive Oil – Just a bit for frying
• Onion
• Garlic & Ginger
• Garam Masala, Coriander Powder, Red Chili Powder, Turmeric, Cayenne Pepper
• Tomato Paste – you can use crushed tomatoes here, but reduce the amount of broth added
• Low Sodium Chicken Broth or even vegetable broth
• Light Coconut Milk for the Paleo version, or replace it with regular whole milk
• Coconut Yogurt
• A bit of Salt

How to make healthy and easy Indian Kofta Curry Meatballs:

Another 2 part process here – the baked, but again both equally easy – the chicken

First make the baked Indian chicken meatballs

While this baked chicken meatballs recipe calls for ground chicken breast, you can also make y our own using whole pieces.

Just chop it up into large chunks about 2-3 inches in size and then pulse it in a food processor about 8-10 times. Don’t over-do or ‘process’ it or the chicken will be mushy.

Note: Pulse refers to quick bursts of a second or so.

• Use the food processor to finely chop the cabbage and onions
• Mix the chicken, cabbage, onions, almond flour and spices/seasonings in a large bowl
• Scoop out tablespoons worth of the mix and shape into balls using your hands
• Place each gluten free chicken meatball on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes at 350°F

Then cook the Healthy Indian Chicken Curry

• Fry the onions, ginger and garlic in the oil on a medium-heated saucepan or pot
• Add in the spices and let them cook until they’re fragrant
• Then add the tomato paste and water, and stir
• Let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes.
• Pour in the coconut milk and yogurt, season with salt, and stir it all

Now combine them both: Chicken Kofta Meatballs

Add the baked meatballs to tomato-yogurt-curry sauce, and let the curry simmer another few minutes and thicken.

Garnish with cilantro and enjoy your new favorite chicken kofta meatballs curry!

More Healthy Indian Curry Recipes to try:

• Vegan Cauliflower Tikka Masala
• Versatile Spicy Spinach Curry

Some more Baked Paleo Chicken Meatballs:

• Curry Zucchini-Chicken Meatballs with Coconut Curry Sauce
• Smoky Hot Ketchup Chicken Meatballs