Butter chicken vs tikka masala: how the two curries differ

Butter chicken vs tikka masala comes down to the sauce: butter chicken is a smooth, mild tomato and butter sauce finished with cream, while chicken tikka masala is a spicier, onion-heavy sauce with more savory depth. Both start with grilled chicken, and both are creamy orange curries that are easy to confuse on a menu.

What is butter chicken?

Butter chicken, also called murgh makhani, is a North Indian curry of tandoor-cooked chicken in a sauce of tomato, butter, cream and mild spices. The name means “buttery chicken,” and the sauce is silky, gently sweet and only lightly spiced.

The dish is most often linked to Delhi in the mid-1900s, where cooks are said to have simmered leftover tandoori chicken in a tomato and butter gravy. Several families claim the original recipe, so the exact inventor is disputed. It is widely served at Punjabi restaurants and dhabas across India and the United States.

What is chicken tikka masala?

Chicken tikka masala is a curry of marinated, grilled chicken pieces in a spiced tomato and onion sauce, usually finished with cream. It has a deeper, more savory taste than butter chicken, with noticeable cumin, coriander and chili.

Its origin is also contested. Some accounts place it in Britain, with a well-known claim from Glasgow, while others point to South Asian kitchens. What is not disputed is that it is now among the most ordered curries in restaurants outside India, and that it is built on chicken tikka, boneless chicken marinated in yogurt and spices.

Butter chicken vs tikka masala: what is the difference?

The main difference is the sauce base and spice level: butter chicken leans on tomato, butter and cream, while tikka masala adds fried onion and a stronger spice blend. Butter chicken is smoother and sweeter, and tikka masala is more robust.

Neither dish has a single fixed recipe, so a restaurant version of one can resemble the other. Color is a poor guide, because both are orange. Taste a spoonful and look for the onion savoriness that marks tikka masala.

How are the two curries made?

Both curries are made in two stages: the chicken is marinated and cooked at high heat, then simmered briefly in the sauce. The difference lies in how the sauce is built.

1. Marinate boneless chicken in yogurt, ginger, garlic and spices for at least a few hours.
2. Grill, broil or bake the chicken at high heat until charred in spots. A tandoor does this in restaurants.
3. For butter chicken, cook tomatoes with butter and spices, blend until smooth, then add cream and dried fenugreek leaves.
4. For tikka masala, soften onions first, add ginger, garlic and spices, then tomato, and finish with cream.
5. Simmer the chicken in the sauce for a few minutes so it absorbs the flavor.

The grilled chicken is what gives both dishes their faintly smoky edge, so skipping the high-heat step makes either curry taste flat.

What do you eat with each curry?

Both curries are eaten with flatbread or rice, and the sauce suits either one. Naan and plain rice are the most common pairings, with roti or paratha as a more everyday choice.

• Naan for scooping up the sauce, especially garlic or butter naan.
• Basmati rice, plain or with cumin, to soak up extra gravy.
• Paratha, the layered flatbread, for a heartier meal.
• Raita and sliced onion on the side to balance the richness.

Butter chicken pairs well with a spiced side such as pickle or onion, since the sauce is sweet. Tikka masala is already savory and works with plain rice and cooling raita.

What other curries are mistaken for these two?

Several creamy orange curries look similar, and menus sometimes use the names loosely. Knowing the relatives helps you read a menu.

• Chicken makhani is simply another name for butter chicken.
• Chicken korma is a milder curry built on yogurt, nuts and onion, usually paler in color.
• Paneer butter masala is the vegetarian cousin of butter chicken, made with cubes of paneer cheese instead of chicken.
• Chicken curry in a Punjabi dhaba is typically an onion and tomato gravy with a rustic, less creamy finish.

If a menu simply says “chicken curry,” ask which style it is. At a dhaba, that term usually points to a home-style gravy with onion, tomato, ginger and garlic rather than the cream-finished restaurant sauces above.

Can you tell them apart by taste?

You can tell them apart by tasting for sweetness and savoriness: butter chicken tastes rounder and sweeter, while tikka masala tastes sharper and more savory. Butter chicken carries a clear dairy richness, and fenugreek gives it a faintly bitter, herbal finish.

Tikka masala usually shows more cumin and coriander, and the onion base gives it a thicker body. Heat is not a reliable clue, because each kitchen sets its own chili level. Texture helps more: the smoothest, most velvety sauce is more likely to be butter chicken.

Which curry should you choose?

Choose butter chicken for a mild, creamy, smooth sauce and tikka masala for more spice and savory depth. If you are new to Indian food or cooking for someone who dislikes heat, butter chicken is the usual starting point.

If you enjoy bolder flavors and a hint of char, tikka masala is the better fit. Many kitchens will adjust the heat on request, so say how spicy you want it when you order. Menus sometimes list the heat as mild, medium or hot.

Is butter chicken on the 5911 Dhaba menu?

5911 Dhaba is a Punjabi dhaba in Carthage, Missouri, open 24 hours according to Google Maps. A search listing mentions butter chicken for the restaurant, but no full menu was found, so butter chicken is not confirmed on a full menu. Chicken tikka masala is not among the dishes recorded for it either.

The other dishes named in directory listings are chicken curry, paratha, chicken saag and saag paneer. No prices are published anywhere that this guide could find. See the menu page for what is recorded, and call (417) 514-0466 to ask what is cooked today. The hours and location page has the address near I-44. This site is an independent guide and does not take orders.

Common questions

This page is part of the independent guide to 5911 Dhaba, which has the address, hours and menu.

This article is general information from an independent guide, not from 5911 Dhaba itself. For the store’s current details see hours and location.