Chicken Kofta Curry

Tender chicken meatballs meet a fragrantly spiced, flavorful onion and tomato sauce (gravy) in this one-pot indian chicken kofta curry. This 2-in-1 chicken kofta recipe is so versatile! You can whip up these juicy koftas and serve them as a tasty snack or appetizer alongside a medley of chutneys. Or transform them into a hearty main course by simmering them in a rich and spicy curry sauce.

I love cooking keema dishes on weeknights- it is quick to cook and always a hit with my kids. Their absolute favorite is keema rice or keema pasta. And let's not forget about the mouthwatering keema masala paired with warm flatbreads.

Ever since I posted my chicken keema recipe, a few readers have reached out and asked me about my chicken kofta curry recipe. Here it is-a simple, homestyle recipe perfect for weeknights, as it only takes about 30-35 minutes to prepare.

Infact, if you are not in mood for a gravy, these ground chicken meatballs (kofta), are really wonderful on their own - they are incredibly soft and tender. And make for a perfect snack or starter with green chutney, hummus or ranch. My kids love them in lunch box too.

What is Kofta

In indian, pakistani, mediterranean and middle eastern cuisine, kofta is a dish prepared with a mixture of ground meat (or chicken) or vegetables & aromatic spices, fresh herbs and a binding agent (such a egg, bread or lentils).These ingredients are mixed together and shaped into balls (kofta) or patties (kebab)before cooking.

Once shaped, kofta can be grilled, fried, steamed, poached, baked, or marinated, or combined with a rich spicy sauce to make kofta curry. While researching for this article, I came across variations of kofta on wikipedia that might interest you.

Tips for Moist Chicken Kofta

For a good part of my life, chicken koftas had a reputation for being dry and tough, but not any more!  Finally I have figured out the secret to tender meatballs that are bursting with flavor at the same time. Here are my learnings as well as tips for whipping up juicy chicken koftas every single time!

1. Use dark meat - Purchase ground chicken from the store, or better yet, if you have food processor or meat grinder at home, make your own! I do it all the time! (cue spicy chicken burgers).Use boneless chicken thighs (if yours come with a bit of fat stuck on them, great!). Avoid using ground chicken breast for making koftas.
2. Do not overmix the ground meat mixture - Over mixing compacts the meat and the juices are squeezed out resulting in tough meatballs.
3. Be gentle while shaping the koftas- This is an extension of the previous tip. While shaping, smear water or oil on your palms to help it make easier to roll - the chicken kofta mix is a bit sticky. Light handedly, shape into round balls.
4. Test a sample - Once kofta mix is ready , take a small portion and cook it fully. Taste and then adjust the seasonings in the mix if needed. This makes sure that the koftas are perfectly seasoned.
5. Simmer gently - If you are making kofta curry, poach or simmer the chicken kofta in the gravy itself. Firstly, this reduces steps in the recipe and secondly, both the koftas and the sauce benefit from this process. As the koftas cook right in the sauce, their juices enhance the taste of the sauce and at the same time, the koftas absorb the flavor of the spices in the gravy.

Binding Agent

Now, let's discuss the most important ingredient in homemade chicken koftas. When it comes to binders, there is a wide range of things that can be used from eggs, to breadcrumbs to flour or bread soaked in milk.

• I developed this recipe over months and tried various binders and finally settled for a mixture of dry roasted besan (gram flour) and yogurt. While eggs kept the chicken kofta mixture moist, you will need about 600-700g of ground chicken per 1 large egg (40g-50g). Egg is a great option when making a large batch of chicken kofta, I found that 1 whole egg incorporates excess moisture and makes the koftas a bit sticky when used for 1 lb (450g) of chicken mince. 
• I am not a huge fan of breadcrumbs or bread in koftas, particularly when I am going to simmer them in a curry sauce. But yes, if you are only making chicken koftas as an appetizer, bread crumbs will work great.
• In my recipe, I use a combination of dry roasted besan (gram flour) and yogurt. Whole yogurt brings out a wonderful moistness & adds mild rich tang in these juicy koftas. We simply loved the taste and my husband confirmed repeatedly that he did not taste the besan, neither did I. Just in case you cannot find gram flour, substitute with fine oat flour.

Ingredients

For The Chicken Kofta

• Ground Chicken - Use chicken keema high in fat content or make at home using boneless chicken thighs to make these easy chicken kofta meatballs. Fat = lot of flavor & also, moist chicken kofta balls! Infact, you can use any type of ground meat (ground turkey, ground beef or ground lamb).  
• Yogurt - I use whole milk plain greek yogurt.
• Besan - Or gram flour helps hold the ground chicken mixture together while trapping moisture inside.
• Ground Spices - coriander powder, garam masala, red chilli powder ( or cayenne pepper), black pepper powder
• Fresh Green Herbs - cilantro & fresh mint leaves
• Onions - Or use green onion for a mild onion flavor
• Garlic Paste & Ginger Paste - Store bought ginger garlic paste is fine to use.
• I am noting green chillies in the recipe though I am unable to use them on most days because they are too sharp for the kids.

For The Kofta Curry

• Onions - I prefer red onion when making indian gravy, though yellow onions are also a great choice.

Note on Prepping Onions - We need crushed onions for the gravy, so I add peeled onions to a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process on low. There are two things that I want to mention here. Firstly, avoid chopped onions or sliced onions because kofta cook quicker as compared to chicken curry and your onions will not get long enough time to break down and become part of gravy and hence will remain separate in the gravy. Secondly, I am not making a fine onion paste because I want slight texture in the sauce. Trust me, in indian curries, onions play a very important role and once you understand how to prep them correctly, you are one step closer to mastering indian curry.

• Tomatoes - I use fresh roma tomatoes for their bright tangy flavor. Roughly chop the tomatoes and make a puree. You could use canned tomato if you wish.
• Mustard Oil - For a traditional punjabi taste, use mustard oil as the cooking medium. It's piquant taste makes the kofta gravy taste authentic and flavorful. However, mustard oil could be difficult to source or if you don't prefer it, use any neutral cooking oil like avocado oil.

Instructions

Make Chicken kofta

• In a small dry pan (4 inch), dry roast the besan on low heat. Keep a watchful eye and keep stirring every now and then since besan tends to burn easily. The besan will tell you when its roasted and that's when you will smell a wonderful nutty aroma and a pinkish brown color. Take the pan off the stove and transfer to a small bowl. Let cool down fully.
• While the besan is roasting, I chop the onions, green chillies and fresh herbs.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, chopped herbs, ground spices, garlic paste, ginger paste, and green chillies
• Using a silicone spatula, light handedly mix well until all the ingredients are evenly distributed. Don't squeeze the mince.

• Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Avoid using aluminiun foil, the koftas tend to stick.
• Take a small portion of the mixture in damp hands and shape into a small round or oval-shaped kofta. Repeat with the remaining mixture, placing the shaped koftas on an a plate.

Tip - You could thread koftas on wooden skewers to make them look like kebabs - makes for an appetizing presentation.

• Line the koftas on the baking tray, a little apart from each other. Spray with oil.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes or until nicely golden brown on all sides. No need to turn. Slightly adjust the cooking time depending on how large or small you made the chicken kofta. If using a meat thermometer, the internal temperature should reach 165F. You can cook in air fryer or pan fry on stove top too, I am including the instructions in the recipe card. 
• For Kofta Curry - Let koftas stand while you make the gravy.

Make Kofta Masala(Gravy)

• In a heavy bottom cooking pot (I use enamaled cast iron 3 qt balti dish), heat up the mustard oil on low medium heat until it is a bit smoky.
• Temper the hot oil with whole spices. Then,add the garlic paste and ginger paste. Fry for few seconds taking care not to burn.

• Add the crushed onions next and for the next 6-8 minutes, fry them until browned.
• To the browned onions, add all the ground spices (except garam masala). Add ¼ cup water and on low heat, fry the spices with onions. Frying onions and spices together with water blooms their flavor and the taste of the gravy is intensified.

• Next, add the tomato puree and fry until you see tiny bubbles of oil separating. Takes about 3-5 minutes on low medium heat.
• Add the beaten yogurt next and immediately stir for 1-2 minutes or until yogurt becomes part of the masala base. Continously stirring after adding it prevents the yogurt from curdling.

• Fry the yogurt for 2-3 minutes or until you see that the oil separates again. At this point, add ½ cup of water to the masala base and bring to a slow boil.
• Reduce to low flame and to the simmering gravy ,slowly add the chicken kofta in a single layer.
• Chicken kofta cook in about 12-15 minutes. Let koftas simmer in the gravy on low flame.

• Keep aside cooking spoon now. We are not going to stir the curry using a spoon. Rather, carefully pick up the cooking pot and swirl around to stir the chicken meatballs every now and then. This prevents the kofta from breaking and the swirling makes sure that they cook evenly.
• Towards the last few minutes, cover the pot to make sure that they are cooked through.
• At this point, if desired, add a splash of coconut cream, heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk for creamy curry meatballs.. Simmer for additional 2-3 minutes.
• Finish chicken kofta curry with garam masala, crushed kasuri methi and chopped fresh cilantro leaves. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Serving & Storage

Chicken Koftas

• Serve juicy meatballs as an appetizer/starter or snack with green chutney, mango chutney or sweet tamarind chutney.
• You could parcel chicken koftas in a naan, plain parathas or pita with kachumber and a dash of spiced yogurt and squeeze of lime or lemon juice for a satisfying wrap.
• These koftas are also great served with a side of grilled vegetables or baked potato wedges. Add cooked rice or bread along with a dipping sauce and you have chicken kofta bowl ready! 
• I often pair the chicken kofta with dal-chawal (lentils & rice) for a well rounded meal.
• Store refrigerated in an airtight container for 2-3 days. You can freeze the kofta for 3-4 weeks. Either reheat frozen meatballs in sauce or in a 300F oven until warmed through. While re heating keep in mind that we don't want to cook the koftas further.

Chicken Kofta Curry

• Indian flatbreads such as homemade roti, paratha or naan are my favorite to go along with the curry. You could make oats roti if you wish to keep the meal gluten-free.
• If you are a fan of rice, serve chicken kofta curry over plain basmati rice, jeera rice or pulao such as keema pulao, egg pulao for a delicious meal.
• Serve with raita, kachumber and chutneys to add fresh, cooling sides.
• Store leftover kofta curry refrigerated for 2-3 days.