Tikka Masala vs. Butter Chicken: What's the Difference?

Almost every week, somebody at Inder'n in Kastrup asks the same question: tikka masala vs butter chicken — what's actually the difference? They look similar. They smell similar. They cost the same on our menu (119 kr each). And both are made with marinated chicken in a creamy, tomato-based sauce.

But once you know what to look for, telling them apart is easy. They come from different places, use different spices, and feel different in the mouth. Here is the short answer, and then the longer one.

The short answer

Butter chicken is milder, sweeter and silkier — built around butter, cream and a smooth tomato sauce. Tikka masala is tangier and slightly spicier — built around a more textured tomato-onion sauce with more chili, ginger and garam masala. Both use chicken marinated in yoghurt and grilled in a tandoor before it meets the sauce.

If you like creamy and gentle, choose butter chicken. If you like punchy and warm, choose tikka masala.

Butter chicken: the Delhi original

Butter chicken — murgh makhani in Hindi — was invented in the late 1940s at Moti Mahal in Delhi. The story goes that the cooks did not want to throw out leftover tandoori chicken, so they tossed it in a sauce of butter, cream and tomatoes. The result became one of the most ordered Indian dishes in the world.

The sauce is the giveaway. It is silky and smooth, with a sweet edge from the tomatoes, a noticeable richness from butter and cream, and only gentle warmth from spices like fenugreek (kasuri methi), cumin and a touch of garam masala. It is rounded, not sharp.

At Inder'n we make our butter chicken slow — the sauce is reduced until it clings to the spoon, and we finish it with kasuri methi and a swirl of cream. It is the dish we recommend to anyone who is new to Indian food, and it is the favourite of most kids who order from us in Kastrup and Tårnby.

Chicken tikka masala: the British-Indian classic

Tikka masala has a more contested origin. The most famous version of the story comes from Glasgow in the 1970s, when a British-Indian cook is said to have mixed grilled chicken tikka with a tomato-and-cream sauce because a customer asked for something less dry. Whether that exact story is true or not, tikka masala became the dish that introduced most of Britain — and later Northern Europe — to Indian cooking.

The sauce is more textured than butter chicken. Onions, garlic and ginger are cooked down with tomato until it forms a base, then chili, cumin, coriander and garam masala are stirred in. Cream comes at the end, but in smaller amounts. The result is a sauce with more bite, a brighter red colour, and a tangy backbone.

The chicken itself is also different. The pieces are marinated longer in yoghurt with chili and garam masala, then grilled in our tandoor at very high heat so they get a slight char. Those charred edges are part of the flavour — they lift the whole dish.

How the cooking actually differs

From the kitchen side, here is what changes between the two dishes:

• Marinade: butter chicken uses a milder yoghurt marinade. Tikka masala leans on a sharper, spicier marinade with more chili and garam masala.
• Sauce base: butter chicken is cream- and butter-led. Tikka masala is tomato- and onion-led, with cream added in smaller amounts.
• Spice profile: butter chicken finishes with kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and a soft sweetness. Tikka masala finishes with fresh ginger, chili and a heavier hit of garam masala.
• Texture: butter chicken sauce is smooth and silky. Tikka masala sauce is slightly chunkier and brighter in colour.
• Heat level: butter chicken is mild. Tikka masala is medium — still approachable, but with more warmth.

Which one should you order?

If you are new to Indian food, ordering for kids, or want comfort food on a Tuesday night — go with butter chicken. It is the dish that almost nobody dislikes.

If you want a bit more flavour and don't mind a gentle kick, go with chicken tikka masala. The grilled, charred edges of the chicken combined with the tangier sauce make it the more interesting dish if you eat Indian food often.

Honestly? On a busy weekend at Inder'n, plenty of customers in Kastrup order both — one of each, with garlic naan and basmati rice — and split between two people. That is the most reliable way to settle the debate at the table.

How we make both at Inder'n in Kastrup

We are a family-run Indian takeaway at Sirgræsvej 4, 2770 Kastrup, on Amager — a short drive from Copenhagen Airport (CPH), Tårnby and most of Amager. We grill our chicken fresh in the tandoor, and we make the sauces from scratch every day. There are no shortcuts and no shared base sauce — butter chicken and tikka masala start from different pans, with different spice mixes, exactly as they should.

Both dishes are 119 kr on our menu. We recommend pairing either with garlic naan and basmati rice. Inder'n is open daily 16:00–20:30, and we deliver to Kastrup, Tårnby, the rest of Amager and several Copenhagen Airport hotels.

You can order online at indern.dk/bestil or call us on +45 50 29 13 71. Most orders are ready in 15–20 minutes.