Indian Butter Chicken Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

FAQs

What Indian dish is closest to butter chicken? ›

Tikka masala became popular in America as butter chicken after Indian restaurants began serving it with a side of white rice instead of basmati.

Butter chicken isn't really healthy

Just one bowl of butter chicken can really set you back — as per Livestrong, you'll be consuming around 438 calories, 14 grams of carbs, and a whopping amount of fat: 28 grams. Here's the major problem with butter chicken: the dish has around 12 grams of saturated fat.

Ingredients. Tomato Paste, Sunflower Oil, Onions, Water, Spices, Garlic, Gram Flour, Salt, Sugar, Skim Milk Powder, Ginger, Melon Seeds, Cashews And Paprika Oleoresin. Contains Milk And Cashews. May Contain Mustard Seeds, Peanuts, Sesame Seeds, Soy, Tree Nuts And Wheat.

Unlike most Indian curries where the preparation of the base starts with a blend of onion and a ginger garlic paste cooked in oil, butter chicken uses tomato as a base and is cooked in butter, giving it a slightly sweet flavor. Cashews and almonds add to the sweetness and richness of the dish.

Regarding nutrition, Butter Chicken and Tikka Masala are high in calories, fat, and sodium. Butter Chicken has more fat and calories than Tikka Masala due to the use of cream and butter in the sauce. However, Tikka Masala has more sodium than Butter Chicken due to the use of canned tomato puree.

"Most folks think it is traditional Indian food from India!" he explains. Invented in the UK in the 1960s, tikka masala is similar in taste to butter chicken, but in the end, it's a quintessentially British dish, having its own blend of spices that differentiate it.

Butter chicken is not considered a particularly healthy food, as it is typically high in calories, fat, and sodium.

The main difference between butter chicken and tandoori chicken tikka masala is the level of creaminess; butter chicken is much creamier, whereas chicken tikka masala relies on tomatoes and other spices, giving it its earthy and spicy flavor profile.

Incorporate Vegetarian

Vegetarian options are often lower in calories and saturated fats while providing ample protein and fiber. Consider trying dishes like Palak Paneer (spinach and cottage cheese), Baingan Bharta (roasted eggplant), or Daal (lentil curry) for a satisfying and healthful dining experience.

If your curry is too runny, there are a few simple ways to thicken it. Try mixing in a few spoonfuls of thick, unflavored yogurt. If your curry is tomato-based, you can use tomato paste as a thickener. For curries with potatoes in them, simply mash a few of the potatoes as they cook and combine them into the sauce.

Why is Indian butter chicken called butter chicken? ›

The dish originated in northern India, in Amritsar, to be exact. Legend has it that chefs there made chicken tikka with heavy amounts of butter to stay true to their Punjabi roots. But they didn't stop there: They added more butter as a garnish and called it butter chicken (or murgh makhani).

While many people assume that this dish originated in India, the most popular origin story places its roots in Scotland when a Bengali chef had to improvise in a jiffy. Today, many consider it to be the national dish of the UK. The dish is celebrated for embracing the diverse and ancient heritage of the islands.

Butter chicken is a curry

At its very core, a curry is a dish cooked using a blend of spices and aromatics. There are, like, hundreds of spices in Indian cuisine, and it still blows my mind how restaurants expertly balance all of these nuanced flavors.

Yoghurt or heavy cream:

To achieve a creamy, tangy curry sauce, incorporate yoghurt or heavy cream. Stir them in gently, as high heat may cause curdling. These ingredients are ideal for creating a luxurious texture in dishes like butter chicken or tikka masala.

With its sweetly spiced tomato and cream-based gravy, butter chicken is a comforting, warming dish that feels decadent thanks to its silky-smooth richness. It's a dish that can be cooked with either breast meat or chicken thighs, with bones or without.

It is similar to chicken tikka masala, which uses a tomato paste.

This butter chicken recipe, or chicken makhani, is one of my favorite Indian dishes.

Since chicken vindaloo is not a creamy dish like the butter chicken or a korma, I prefer to use onions & tomatoes either processed or pureed. If you use them chopped, you will have a chunky sauce.