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Calories · Indian

Calories in butter chicken with rice

A typical restaurant serving of butter chicken with rice (one serving of butter chicken with one cup of rice, about 469 g) is about 790 calories, usually 600–1,100.

Restaurant portions vary; this is a typical estimate, not a label. Also called murgh makhani, butter chicken, chicken makhani with rice.

~790
Butter chicken with rice

The usual range

Drawn on one 0–2,000 scale shared by every dish page, so plates compare at a glance.

Protein, carbs and fat

  • Protein43 g
  • Carbs58 g
  • Fat43 g

One serving

Serving
one serving of butter chicken with one cup of rice
Weight
~469 g
Per 100 g
~168

The dish

About butter chicken with rice

Butter chicken is marinated chicken in a mild tomato sauce enriched with cream and butter. The chicken is lean enough; the cream and butter in the sauce drive most of the total, and rice or naan adds the rest. Built from its parts: yogurt-marinated chicken thigh in a tomato, cream and ghee sauce with a cup of rice — from USDA values.

Ways it comes

One dish, a few numbers

Butter chicken with rice · rough numbers

  • Curry only, no rice~580

What moves the number

Why one plate is 600 and another 1,100

  • Heavy cream in the sauce
  • Butter or ghee (restaurants often add more)
  • The rice, or naan on the side

Ordering lighter

If you want a lighter plate

  • Leave some sauce behind
  • Keep to one cup of rice and skip the naan
  • Add a lentil or vegetable side to share

Side by side

Next to other Indian dishes

Indian · typical restaurant servingAll about Indian food →

  • Samosa~310one large restaurant samosa · usually 200–400
  • Dal~350one restaurant bowl, about a cup · usually 250–600
  • Chicken korma~440one restaurant curry, no rice · usually 400–900
  • Lamb rogan josh~520one restaurant curry, no rice · usually 400–900
  • Tandoori chicken~540half a tandoori chicken, meat off the bone · usually 250–800
  • Naan~550one whole 10-inch restaurant naan · usually 260–750
  • Chicken vindaloo~670one restaurant curry, no rice · usually 450–1,000
  • Chicken biryani~730one takeaway or restaurant portion · usually 500–1,100
  • Butter chicken with rice~790one serving of butter chicken with one cup of rice · usually 600–1,100
  • Chicken tikka masala~800one curry with about 200 g of plain rice · usually 600–1,300

In PlateDiary

A rough number for the dishes you save — only if you want one.

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How these numbers were made

Method and sources

Last reviewed

Restaurant portions and cooking vary, so these are typical estimates for one serving, built from the sources below. Treat it as a rough number: your plate may land anywhere in the range.

If you manage a health condition, ask a doctor or registered dietitian.

AI helped draft this page; every number was checked against the sources.

  1. USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) — Chicken, thigh, meat only, cooked, braised, FDC 172853
  2. USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) — Yogurt, plain, whole milk, FDC 171284
  3. USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) — Butter, clarified (ghee), FDC 171314
  4. USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) — Tomato puree, canned, FDC 170546
  5. USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) — Cream, heavy whipping, FDC 170859
  6. USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) — Sugars, granulated, FDC 169655
  7. USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) — Ginger root, raw, FDC 169231
  8. USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) — Garlic, raw, FDC 169230
  9. USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) — Rice, white, long-grain, cooked, FDC 168878
  10. Gram weights: RecipeTin Eats — Butter chicken (serves 3–4), one quarter

Questions

Questions people ask.

How many calories are in butter chicken with rice?

A typical restaurant serving of butter chicken with rice (one serving of butter chicken with one cup of rice, about 469 g) is about 790 calories, usually 600–1,100. The number depends mostly on the portion and how it is cooked.

How many calories are in butter chicken without rice?

About 580 for the curry alone; the cup of rice brings it to about 790.

Where do the calories in butter chicken come from?

Mostly the cream and butter in the sauce. The chicken is fairly lean, and rice or naan adds the rest.

What changes the calories in butter chicken with rice?

Heavy cream in the sauce. Butter or ghee (restaurants often add more).

How can I order butter chicken with rice lighter?

Leave some sauce behind. Keep to one cup of rice and skip the naan.

Can PlateDiary show calories for the dishes I eat out?

Yes, if you want it to: calories in PlateDiary are off unless you turn them on. Switch them on and each dish you save from a photo of the table gets one rough “~” number you can accept or change.