💡 Quick Answer
A home serving of butter chicken (about 250 g, made with 120 g boneless chicken thigh, 2 tsp butter and 20 g cream) has roughly 420 kcal, 28 g protein, 12 g carbs and 30 g fat. One katori (150 g) is about 250 kcal and 17 g protein. A restaurant portion is usually 500–700 kcal, and with two butter naans the meal reaches about 1,100–1,450 kcal.
- Butter, cream and cashew supply over half the calories of the dish.
- The chicken itself gives most of the protein: about 24 g per serving.
- A lighter home version with chicken breast and yogurt is about 295 kcal and 33 g protein.
- Naan adds about 250 kcal plain and 285 kcal with a teaspoon of butter.
Portion calculator
1 katori of home butter chicken ≈ 17 g protein · 250 kcal
Scaled from the figures on this page. Brands and recipes vary.
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Butter chicken, or murgh makhani, is tandoori-style chicken simmered in a tomato gravy finished with butter, cream and often a cashew paste. It has plenty of protein, but the gravy is where the calories pile up, and restaurants are generous with the butter and cream. The numbers below show what a home serving and a restaurant portion actually cost, and how much the naan or rice on the side adds.
How These Numbers Were Calculated
Butter chicken has no single official nutrition value, so every figure here is calculated from a stated home recipe. Base values per 100 g come from USDA FoodData Central: raw boneless chicken thigh 121 kcal and 19.7 g protein, raw chicken breast 120 kcal and 22.5 g protein, whole-milk plain yogurt 61 kcal and 3.5 g, tomato 18 kcal, salted butter 717 kcal, vegetable oil 884 kcal, heavy cream 340 kcal, cashews 553 kcal and 18.2 g protein, and all-purpose flour 364 kcal and 10.3 g protein.
The reference serving uses 120 g raw boneless chicken thigh marinated in 20 g curd and cooked in 5 g oil (1 tsp), then simmered in a gravy of 120 g tomato, 10 g butter (2 tsp), 20 g cream (about 1.5 tbsp), 8 g cashews (about 5 nuts) and 3 g sugar or honey. Kasuri methi, ginger, garlic and spices add very little and are ignored. The cooked serving weighs about 250 g, a little under 2 katoris. One katori is taken as 150 g.
Calories in Butter Chicken: Home vs Restaurant
| Butter chicken | Serving | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home recipe | 1 katori (150 g) | ~250 kcal | ~17 g | ~7 g | ~18 g |
| Home recipe | per 100 g | ~168 kcal | ~11 g | ~4.6 g | ~12 g |
| Home recipe | 1 serving (250 g) | ~420 kcal | ~28 g | ~12 g | ~30 g |
| Lighter home recipe (breast, yogurt, 1 tsp butter) | 1 serving (250 g) | ~295 kcal | ~33 g | ~10 g | ~13 g |
| Lighter home recipe | 1 katori (150 g) | ~177 kcal | ~20 g | ~6 g | ~8 g |
| Restaurant butter chicken | 1 katori (150 g) | ~270–330 kcal | ~14–18 g | ~8–10 g | ~20–25 g |
| Restaurant butter chicken | 1 portion (300–350 g) | ~500–700 kcal | ~28–38 g | ~15–20 g | ~38–52 g |
Basis: USDA FoodData Central ingredient values and the recipe above. Cooked weight depends on how far the gravy is reduced. Restaurant values are estimates, not calculations: restaurant gravies typically use 2–3 times the butter and cream of the home recipe and often a larger cashew paste.
If you only remember one number: a katori of home butter chicken is about 250 kcal, and a restaurant portion is about 500–700 kcal before naan or rice.
Where the Calories Come From
In the home serving, the chicken and curd marinade add up to about 157 kcal. The butter adds 72 kcal, the cream 68 kcal, the cooking oil 44 kcal and the cashews 44 kcal. That is about 228 kcal of the 420 total, or 54%, coming from the fats in the gravy. The tomato and sugar add only about 34 kcal.
That is also why the dish is easy to lighten. Cut the butter to a teaspoon, swap the cream for hung curd or Greek yogurt, and use chicken breast instead of thigh, and the serving drops by about 125 kcal while the protein goes up.
Butter Chicken With Naan, Rice or Roti
The side often adds as much as the curry. A home plain naan made from 60 g maida, a little curd and 3 g of oil is about 90 g and 250 kcal with 6.5 g protein; brushed with a teaspoon of butter it is about 285 kcal. Restaurant butter or garlic naans are bigger and buttered more heavily, so budget 300–380 kcal each as an estimate. Rice and chapati values are from our rice and chapati guides.
| Meal | Calories | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Home serving + 1 butter naan | ~705 kcal | ~34 g |
| Home serving + 2 butter naan | ~990 kcal | ~41 g |
| Home serving + 1 katori white rice (150 g) | ~615 kcal | ~32 g |
| Home serving + 1 katori jeera rice | ~660 kcal | ~32 g |
| Home serving + 2 medium chapati, no ghee | ~615 kcal | ~34 g |
| Lighter serving + 2 medium chapati, no ghee | ~490 kcal | ~39 g |
| Restaurant portion + 2 restaurant butter naan | ~1,100–1,450 kcal | ~40–55 g |
Naan calculated from USDA flour, yogurt, oil and butter values; restaurant naan is an estimate. Cooked white rice about 195 kcal and 4 g protein per katori; jeera rice about 240 kcal; medium chapati about 97 kcal and 3 g protein.
Butter Chicken vs Other Chicken Dishes
If you like the flavour but want a leaner order, chicken tikka is the same marinated chicken without the gravy. Using the same 120 g of raw thigh, 20 g curd and a teaspoon of oil, a serving of dry chicken tikka is about 200 kcal and 24 g protein, less than half the calories of butter chicken for nearly the same protein. Tandoori chicken on the bone is similar. Chicken tikka masala usually uses a little less butter and cream than butter chicken, but restaurant versions vary so much that the two are best logged in the same 500–700 kcal range per portion. For a plain protein baseline, see protein in chicken breast.
A Lighter Butter Chicken at Home
- Use chicken breast (120 g raw, about 144 kcal and 27 g protein) instead of thigh.
- Cut the butter to 1 teaspoon and the oil to about half a teaspoon; most of the "butter" flavour comes from finishing with a small amount at the end.
- Replace the cream with 30 g of nonfat Greek yogurt or hung curd, whisked in off the heat so it does not split.
- Keep a few cashews (5 g) for body, or blend in a little of the cooked tomato and onion instead.
That serving comes to about 295 kcal and 33 g protein, against about 420 kcal and 28 g for the regular home recipe.
How It Fits Your Goal
Fat loss: home butter chicken is workable at about 250 kcal per katori; the real risk is the naan. Choose 2 plain chapatis or a katori of rice instead of butter naans, and the meal stays near 600 kcal. In restaurants, share one portion, order tandoori roti instead of butter naan, and add a salad or dal on the side. Better still, order chicken tikka.
Muscle gain: butter chicken is a good protein meal, with about 28 g per home serving. With 2 butter naans it makes an easy 1,000 kcal, 40 g protein meal for a bulk. Set your daily numbers with the calorie calculator and compare with dal makhani, biryani and other dishes in the Indian food calories and protein chart.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories are in 1 katori of butter chicken?
About 250 kcal and 17 g protein for a 150 g katori of home butter chicken made with 2 teaspoons of butter and 20 g cream per serving. Restaurant butter chicken is roughly 270 to 330 kcal per katori.
How many calories are in a restaurant butter chicken?
A restaurant portion of about 300 to 350 g is usually 500 to 700 kcal, because restaurant gravies use much more butter and cream. With two butter naans the meal is about 1,100 to 1,450 kcal.
How many calories are in butter chicken with naan?
A home serving of butter chicken with one butter naan is about 705 kcal and 34 g protein. With two butter naans it is about 990 kcal.
How much protein is in butter chicken?
About 28 g per 250 g home serving made with 120 g of raw boneless chicken, or about 17 g per katori. A lighter version with chicken breast and Greek yogurt has about 33 g per serving.
Is butter chicken good for weight loss?
It can fit if you control the portion and the sides. A home katori is about 250 kcal. Eat it with chapati or rice instead of butter naan, or make the lighter version with breast, yogurt and 1 teaspoon of butter at about 295 kcal per serving.
Which has fewer calories, butter chicken or chicken tikka?
Chicken tikka. A serving made from 120 g of raw chicken thigh is about 200 kcal and 24 g protein, against about 420 kcal and 28 g for a home serving of butter chicken.
Sources: USDA FoodData Central for chicken thigh, chicken breast, yogurt, tomato, butter, vegetable oil, heavy cream, cashews and all-purpose flour. All butter chicken and naan values are calculated from the stated home recipes and are estimates; restaurant values are estimates only.
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