This easy chicken kofta curry recipe features the juiciest chicken meatballs, or koftas, in a spicy, tomato-based sauce. Once the koftas are ready, they take just 15 minutes to cook. Kofta searing optional.
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When developing this recipe, I had several boxes to check. It had to be quick enough to make on a weeknight. It had to be easy yet flavorful. And it had to be dairy-free. I am happy to report, I’ve checked all the boxes!
It’s fuss-free and quick because we skip searing the koftas. You totally can if you want to, but apart from the koftas deepening in color, there really is no benefit to the additional step. There is, however, some downside. There’s added cooking time, and the fear of the koftas sticking to the pan and breaking up.
That’s why I call this recipe easy. Because you don’t need unnecessary steps or fancy ingredients. No binders or tenderizers needed. The fat in the ground chicken thighs is sufficient as both.
Lastly, although traditionally kofta curry is yogurt-based, I used tomato sauce to get the saucy curry consistency.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
⏲️Ready In: 50 mins
👪Serves: 6
🍽 Calories and Protein: 247 kcal, 21 g
📋 Main Ingredients: Chicken, onion, tomato, tomato sauce (passata)
📖 Dietary Notes: Dairy-free
⭐ Why You’ll Love It:
- It’s meal-prep friendly. You can prep these ahead of time and use them to make several different weeknight meals. Speaking of weeknight meals, if you’re looking for budget-friendly ground-meat dishes, you’ll love my Easy Keema Recipe. It comes together fast and is perfect for busy weeknights.
- It’s freezer-friendly. You can freeze the whole curry portioned out, or freeze the meatballs and then cook them in the curry.
- Quick and easy. The koftas of my childhood were made from ground beef, never chicken, but here I am using chicken because it cooks faster and, in my opinion, turns out juicier than beef or lamb. Plus, there is no need for egg or flour to bind or soften the koftas.
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Ingredient Notes
Ground chicken: I make it with thigh meat because it’s a juicier cut, and the higher fat content brings juiciness to the koftas. You can use breast meat if that’s all that you have available, but I highly recommend using thigh meat for this recipe.
Aromatics: This gives the koftas more texture and depth of flavor.
Tomato and tomato sauce: Not traditionally used, but I wanted to omit dairy, and so in came the tomato. Over the years I have tested this curry with just the passata and with the addition of fresh tomato, and both turn out great. If you prefer a chunkier, jammier curry, add the fresh tomato.
Variations
- Make this dish fancier by adding boiled eggs sliced in half, and call them lazy man’s Nargisi Kofte. For a vegetarian version, make my Quick Egg Curry.
- The chicken meatballs can be air-fried, baked, or pan-fried and then used in a sub sandwich or wrap. Similar to my Chicken Seekh Kebabs.
- Bake, air fry, or pan fry the meatballs and serve them as appetizers with my Imli ki Chutney and/or Sweet Pea Chutney as dips.
How to Make Chicken Kofta Curry
Step 1: Chop the onions. Chop the onion in a food processor till just chopped. Empty the onions into a large bowl and set aside.
Step 2: Next, use the same food processor to chop the green chili, cilantro, and ginger. Empty it out into the same bowl with the onions.
Step 3: Combine everything. Now add the ground chicken and the spices to the bowl and mix everything until just combined.
Step 4: Make the koftas. Take a handful of the chicken mixture and form it into a golf-ball-sized ball. Place on a plate and repeat till all the mixture is finished. Set it aside.
Step 5: Make the curry. Next, heat a pan over medium-high heat, add oil, then add the diced onions. Fry till golden brown. Add the minced garlic and sauté for a minute, until aromatic.
Step 6: Add the tomatoes and spices. Roughly chop the tomato and add it to the same food processor you used to chop the other veggies. Add the pureed tomato, the tomato sauce, and the spices. Stir to combine and lower the heat to medium-low.
Step 7: Once the tomato sauce starts to bubble, add the koftas. Swirl the pan to coat the meatballs with the sauce, then cover and let cook for about 15 minutes.
Step 8: Finish off and garnish. After fifteen minutes, uncover the pan and raise the heat to medium. Dry out the water and let the oil rise to the top. Garnish with cilantro and garam masala if desired.
Pro Tips
- Good to know: Tomato sauce (in the US) is canned, strained tomato puree, not Ketchup. It is also referred to as passata.
- The key to juicy koftas is to use minced chicken thigh meat. I have tried it with minced breast meat, and it’s just not as juicy as the ones made with thigh meat. I picked up the meat at my local South Asian grocery store, but I figure you can ask most butchers to grind the thigh rather than the breast.
- Use water to coat your hands before handling the koftas, as the fat in the meat makes it super sticky.
- Rather than flipping the koftas in the sauce, swirl the pan back and forth. This ensures the koftas don’t break apart.
Chicken Kofta Curry FAQs
Leftovers can be stored for up to 3 days in the fridge. You can also freeze the curry in an airtight container for a month.
The chicken meatballs can also be pan-fried and frozen for later use. Store in an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag. Thaw and continue to use in the curry as instructed.
Serve the chicken kofta curry with Pakistani tadka dal and a side salad or Kachumbar to round off your meal.
The secret to juicy chicken koftas is using high-fat meat (e.g., chicken thighs) and enough onion in the kofta mixture.
More Pakistani Chicken Recipes to Try
If you tried this chicken kofta curry recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments. I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Pinterest or subscribe to our newsletter to get more deliciousness straight to your inbox!
Easy Chicken Kofta Curry
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1.5 pound ground chicken thigh meat
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger or 1 inch knob of ginger
- 1/2 onion
- 1 green chili
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
For the Curry
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1/4 onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2-1 cup tomato sauce See note
- 1 Roma tomato small, crushed in food processor
- cilantro for garnish
- 1/4 teaspoon garam masala for garnish
- 1/4 cup water optional, for consistency
Instructions
- In a food processor mince the onion till just chopped (avoid mincing it as onion releases a lot of water and prevent the kebabs from binding) and add that to the bowl of ground chicken thighs. In the same food processor bowl grind the green chili, cilantro and ginger ( if using whole ginger) . Add this to the bowl of chicken as well.
- Next, add the spices and the minced garlic to the bowl. Then, take a small bowl of water and dip your hands and make golf ball sized meatballs. Place on a plate and work your way through the whole mixture.
- In a medium sized saute pan, over medium high heat, add the oil and once shimmering, add the chopped onions and saute till golden brown. Once the onions are golden brown, add the garlic and all the spices.Saute for a minute, till aromatic and then add the tomato sauce and if using, the crushed tomato.
- Stir to combine ad then add the meatballs. Cover the pan, lower the heat to medium low and let cook for about 15-20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, uncover the pan, increase the heat to high and swirl the pan to evenly coat the koftas with the curry. There may be some water released by the koftas. Let the moisture cook off and the oil rise to the top, abou If you prefer a saucier curry, add 1/4 cup water and adjust salt to taste.
- Once the oil separates, switch off the heat, garnish with chopped cilantro and garam masala and serve with white or cauliflower rice.
Video
Notes
- Tomato sauce (in the US) is canned, strained tomato puree, not Ketchup. It is also called passata. You can use 1/2 cup of passata and 1 fresh chopped Roma tomato for a chunkier curry or 1 cup passata for a quicker and easier dish.
- The key to juicy koftas is to use minced chicken thigh meat. I have tried it with minced breast meat, and it’s just not as juicy as the ones made with thigh meat. I picked up the meat at my local South Asian grocery store, but I figure you can ask most butchers to grind the thigh rather than the breast.
- Use water to coat your hands before handling the koftas, as the fat in the meat makes it super sticky.
- Rather than flipping the koftas in the sauce, swirl the pan back and forth. This ensures the koftas don’t break apart.
Zeeshan Shah says
Juicy and flavorful uncomplicated recipe!
Meryl D Hunte says
This recipe looks delicious! I will have to try it!
Zeeshan says
Please do Meryl and come back and tell me how you liked it!