Calories in Butter Chicken
A restaurant serving of butter chicken (about 300 g) has roughly 550-580 calories, or around 190 calories per 100 g. The tomato gravy is enriched with butter and cream, which is where most of the calories come from — the chicken itself is comparatively lean. Rice or naan on the side typically adds another 250-400 calories to the meal.
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Butter Chicken Nutrition Facts (per 100 g)
| Calories | 190 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 12 g |
| Carbohydrates | 6 g |
| Fat | 13 g |
| Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Sodium | 500 mg |
Typical reference values. Real dishes vary with ingredients, oil, portion size, and cooking method. Source: USDA-style reference values, pending dietitian verification.
Butter Chicken Calories by Serving Size
| Serving | Weight | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cup (200 g) | 200 g | ~380 kcal |
| 1 restaurant serving (300 g) | 300 g | ~570 kcal |
| Half serving (150 g) | 150 g | ~290 kcal |
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Quick Answer
A restaurant serving of butter chicken, about 300 g, has roughly 550-580 calories, or around 570 for a standard portion. A 200 g cup comes to about 380 calories and a half serving of 150 g about 290. Per 100 g, butter chicken averages roughly 190 calories.
The chicken is the lean part. Most of the calories sit in the sauce, which carries about 13 g of fat per 100 g from butter and cream, and rice or naan alongside adds another 250-400 to the meal.
Why Butter Chicken Calories Vary
Butter chicken is defined by a sauce that is deliberately enriched, and how far that enrichment goes is a kitchen decision:
- Butter finished into the sauce at the end, which is the dish itself rather than an optional extra
- Heavy cream versus single cream, yogurt or cashew paste as the thickener
- Sugar or honey added to balance the tomato
- Cashew or almond paste used for body in some restaurant recipes
- Chicken thigh versus breast, and whether the pieces are grilled first
- The sauce-to-chicken ratio in your serving, which the ladle decides rather than the recipe
- Naan, rice or roti alongside, at another 250-400 calories
Two servings that look identical can differ substantially depending on how much cream went into the pan and how much sauce came out on the ladle, which is why the portion is worth setting yourself rather than assuming a standard one.
Can Butter Chicken Fit a Calorie Deficit?
Butter chicken is rich by design, and it is also a solid protein source at about 12 g per 100 g — a 300 g serving provides roughly 35 g. Both things are true at once. Where it tends to overshoot:
- The bread, which often carries more calories than the curry it is mopping up
- Second ladles of sauce after the chicken has gone
- A restaurant serving at about 570 calories sitting alongside rice, naan and a starter
- Ordering it as one of several shared dishes and losing track of how much you had
A 200 g cup at around 380 calories with a measured portion of rice is a normal dinner. The dish is not the problem; the sauce-and-bread combination eaten without a portion in mind usually is.
How to Make Butter Chicken Lower in Calories
A lighter butter chicken still tastes like butter chicken if you change the right things:
- Use yogurt or light cream in place of heavy cream at home
- Cut the finishing butter rather than the spices
- Use chicken breast, grilled first, so the protein share of the dish rises
- Serve the chicken with less sauce and leave more of it in the pan
- Take one roti instead of a garlic naan
- Fill half the plate with salad or a dry vegetable dish before the curry goes on
Each of these works on the fat in the sauce, where the calories are, rather than on the chicken, where the protein is.
How to Track Butter Chicken in SlimAI
- Open SlimAI and start the meal entry.
- Photograph the plate, or say "butter chicken with garlic naan" using voice logging.
- Free text works identically, and the food database has butter chicken if you would rather start from a reference and adjust.
- Review the estimate carefully. A photo sees the sauce but not how much cream and butter went into it, and on this dish that is the whole difference.
- Edit the ingredients to reflect a home version or a restaurant one, and set the serving in grams or cups.
- Log the naan or rice separately, then save.
For a jarred sauce or a ready meal, the barcode scan or the printed nutrition label removes the guesswork entirely. For a restaurant plate, correcting the portion after the AI estimate is the honest step.
FAQ
Still Wondering About SlimAI
Why is butter chicken higher in calories than other chicken curries?
Why is butter chicken higher in calories than other chicken curries?The signature sauce is finished with butter and heavy cream, which adds concentrated fat calories that leaner tomato- or yogurt-based curries do not have. The same weight of chicken karahi or tandoori chicken typically runs lower.
Can butter chicken fit a weight-management plan?
Can butter chicken fit a weight-management plan?Yes, in controlled portions — a one-cup serving at about 380 calories with a small portion of rice can fit a calorie-deficit routine. Lighter home versions using yogurt or light cream instead of heavy cream cut the count further.
How much protein is in butter chicken?
How much protein is in butter chicken?About 12 g per 100 g, so a 300 g restaurant serving provides roughly 35 g of protein. It is a solid protein source; the consideration is the fat content of the sauce rather than the chicken.
How do I log butter chicken in SlimAI?
How do I log butter chicken in SlimAI?Scan your plate with SlimAI's photo logging, say "butter chicken with garlic naan" by voice, or search "butter chicken" and set the portion. Log the naan or rice as separate items to capture the full meal.
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