Butter Chicken

Allergens at a glance

• UsuallyMilkYoghurt in the marinade, then butter, cream and often ghee in the sauce.
• OftenTree nutsCashew paste is a common thickener; some kitchens use almonds.
• SometimesMustardMustard oil in some tandoori marinades.
• SometimesPeanutsGround peanut has been found standing in for, or contaminating, ground nuts and spices.
• SometimesGlutenNaan baked in the same tandoor; ask if anything is added to thicken the sauce.

Usually in the standard recipe. Often in many versions. Sometimes in some kitchens, or a cross-contact risk.

Diets

• Not dairy-free in any normal version: dairy is the point of the dish.
• Paneer makhani or paneer butter masala is the vegetarian version.
• Halal depends on the restaurant's chicken supplier: ask.
• The curry is usually wheat-free by recipe, but the naan served with it isn't.

Recipes change from kitchen to kitchen. If you have an allergy, confirm every ingredient with the restaurant before you order.

What is butter chicken?

Butter chicken is chargrilled tandoori chicken simmered in a smooth tomato sauce finished with butter and cream. It's usually credited to Delhi restaurant kitchens of the mid 20th century, created as a way to use leftover tandoori chicken. It's one of the mildest curries on most Indian menus, sweet-tangy rather than hot.

What's in it

• Chicken marinated in yoghurt, ginger, garlic, lemon and spices, then cooked in a tandoor (clay oven) or grill
• Sauce: tomatoes, butter, cream, ginger, garlic and mild chilli, often thickened with cashew paste
• Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), garam masala and sometimes a little sugar or honey
• Served with naan, roti or rice

It's often confused with chicken tikka masala. The two overlap a lot, but butter chicken is usually smoother, milder and more buttery.

Allergens and diets

Milk is in every layer: yoghurt in the marinade, butter and cream in the sauce, often ghee as the cooking fat. There's no realistic dairy-free version at a standard restaurant.

Tree nuts are the next question. Cashew paste is a common way to make the sauce thick and silky, and some kitchens use almonds. Neither is visible once the sauce is blended, so ask directly. In the UK, ground peanut has turned up in ground almond and spice products, and a takeaway was prosecuted after using peanut powder in place of almond in a curry. If you have a peanut allergy, name peanuts specifically, not just "nuts".

Some Punjabi-style marinades include mustard oil. Fenugreek isn't a regulated allergen, but it's a legume, and some people who react to peanuts or other legumes also react to it. The sauce usually has no wheat, but naan is slapped onto the walls of the same tandoor the chicken cooks in, so ask if you're coeliac (celiac).

On the menu

Menus in India and abroad mostly just write "butter chicken". A single portion is usually meant to be shared with bread and rice.

Last checked 1 November 2026. Spotted something wrong? Email support@inventum.com.au.