Richly spiced tandoori chicken meatballs have all the flavor of Indian takeout in an easy-to-make meatball form. Enjoy them on their own as an appetizer or over rice for a simple weeknight dinner.
The timing for this month’s edition of Progressive Eats couldn’t be more perfect. We’re sharing a menu for a ski weekend party, and as I’m writing this, the first snowflakes of this winter’s first big snowstorm are starting to fall. Warm and cozy food and drinks are definitely on order for tomorrow! (The ski weekend theme was also a great excuse to pull out my favorite moose bowls!)
I’ve had tandoori chicken meatballs on my “to-make” list for months and I’m so glad that I finally decided to make them happen. They’re really easy to make – they’re baked, so you don’t even need to deal with frying them – and they’re really good. I seasoned the meatballs as well as the yogurt sauce that they’re coated with, so there’s tons of flavor in each bite.
Like traditional tandoori chicken, which is marinated in a highly seasoned yogurt-based sauce and baked in a hot oven, these meatballs have just a thin coat of sauce on them – they aren’t “saucy” at all. I think they’re perfect as they are, but you could make a double batch of yogurt and save half to use for dipping.
These tandoori meatballs are delicious as an appetizer or as part of a buffet spread (think of them as an alternative to Swedish meatballs) but they also make a delicious dinner served with basmati rice and peas.
More Meatball Recipes
- Coconut Curry Meatballs
- Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Meatball Subs
- 4 Ingredient Spicy Cranberry Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Meatballs in Homemade Tomato Basil Sauce
- North African Meatballs with California Prunes and Pine Nuts
- Thanksgiving Meatballs (Turkey and Cranberry Meatballs)
- Air Fryer Chicken Meatballs
- Meatballs in Homemade Enchilada Sauce
- Chicken, Spinach, and Feta Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken breast
- ¼ cup unseasoned bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- ½ lemon juiced
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the yogurt sauce
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ¼ teaspoon coriander
- /4 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350F. Spread the oil onto the center of a rimmed baking sheet.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, bread crumbs, egg, cilantro, lemon juice, and spices. Mix gently to combine. Form into 12 balls (a medium cookie scoop is perfect for this.) Arrange the meatballs on the baking sheet.
- Bake 10 minutes. Turn the meatballs over and bake another 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the yogurt and remaining spices. Coat the cooked meatballs in yogurt sauce and return to the baking sheet. Bake an additional 10 minutes.
- Serve with lemon wedges.
Join Us for a Weekend Ski Party!
Join Us for a Weekend Ski Party!Appetizers
Bacon Wrapped Chicken Stuffed Jalapeno Bites
Tandoori Meatballs
Slow Cooker Asian Style Wings
Drinks
Brandy Avondale
Totally Decadent Hot Chocolate with Amaretto
Soup
Main Course
Polenta ‘Lasagna’ with Swiss Chard
Bread
Veggies/Side Dishes
Broccoli Cheese Toasties
Orange Pomegranate Salad with Fennel Pollen and Toasted Quinoa
Desserts
Hot Chocolate Custard
Chocolate Lava Cakes
Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a progressive dinner party. This month’s theme is Weekend Ski Party and is hosted by Susan Pridmore who blogs at The Wimpy Vegetarian. Don’t consider yourself snowed in…consider it a party!
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats, a theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out.
We have a core group of 12 bloggers, but we will always need substitutes and if there is enough interest would consider additional groups. To see our upcoming themes and how you can participate, please check out the schedule at Creative Culinary or contact Barb for more information.
This looks so good! I’m thinking of serving this with some naan and extra yogurt sauce. Question: I have a premade tandoori seasoning blend. Could I simply add a tablespoon or so of that instead of all of the other spices?
yes, definitely!
I just made the meat mixture and it smells amazing, but it is a little wet and won’t really hold form. It’s in the fridge overnight, but I might have to add some more bread crumbs. Yogurt sauce tastes bomb.
oh no! I’m not sure what would cause it to be so wet… it should be pretty dry. Did you accidentally mix the oil into the chicken? Maybe your lemon was exceptionally juicy…
Wow, these sound delicious! My son loves trying new foods and this would be perfect to introduce him to Indian flavors. Thanks! 🙂
I just love a progressive dinner. Especially one that starts with meatballs as tasty as yours!