Paneer Butter Masala vs Butter Chicken

Both sides computed from the same table, at the serving each is actually eaten in.

Paneer Butter Masala

300

kcal per 1 katori (150 g) · 200 kcal/100 g

More energy-dense

Butter Chicken

206

kcal per 1 katori (150 g) · 137 kcal/100 g

The short answer

Which one is heavier

Per 100 g, paneer butter masala is heavier — 200 kcal against 137 kcal for butter chicken, about 46% more. Per real serving the picture changes: 1 katori of paneer butter masala is 300 kcal, while 1 katori of butter chicken is 206 kcal, because the portions are not the same size. On protein, butter chicken wins with 10.9 g per 100 g.

SOURCE·ICMR–NIN dietary guidance for Indians + weighed portions·1 katori entered at 150 g·REVIEWED JUL 2026

Side by side

	Paneer Butter Masala	Butter Chicken
Serving assumed	1 katori · 150 g	1 katori · 150 g
Calories per serving	300	206
Calories per 100 g	200	137
Protein per 100 g	8.5 g	10.9 g
Carbs per 100 g	8.0 g	3.7 g
Fat per 100 g	15.5 g	8.7 g
Fibre per 100 g	1.4 g	1.0 g
Walking to burn one serving	70 min	48 min

SOURCE·IFCT 2017 + published recipe weights·REVIEWED JUL 2026

How two dishes are made comparable

Both columns start from the same source — the per-100 g rows for paneer butter masala and butter chicken in the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. Neither side is taken from a different database to win an argument.
Each dish keeps its own serving weight: 1 katori at 150 g, 1 katori at 150 g. Forcing both onto a shared 100 g is what makes most food comparisons useless.
Both rows are then scaled the same way and printed side by side, so the per-gram ranking and the per-plate ranking can visibly disagree — which, on Indian food, they routinely do.

Paneer Butter Ma   200 kcal/100 g × 150 g ÷ 100 = 300 kcal
Butter Chicken     137 kcal/100 g × 150 g ÷ 100 = 206 kcal

The full method, and where it is weakest →

How to read this

Per-100 g comparisons flatter whatever is eaten in small portions. Paneer Butter Masala is denser per gram, but people do not eat by the gram — paneer butter masala arrives as 1 katori and butter chicken as 1 katori, and that is where the real difference shows up.

Butter Chicken carries more protein, which matters more than the calorie gap if you are trying to stay full. Both figures assume home cooking with a measured amount of oil; a restaurant plate of either can run 30 to 60% higher.

Questions

Which has more calories, paneer butter masala or butter chicken?

Which has more protein, paneer butter masala or butter chicken?

Butter Chicken — 10.9 g per 100 g against 8.5 g. Per real serving that becomes 16.4 g in 1 katori against 12.8 g in 1 katori.

Why do the two comparisons disagree?

Because a per-100 g comparison flatters whatever is eaten in small portions. 1 katori of paneer butter masala weighs 150 g and 1 katori of butter chicken weighs 150 g, so the per-gram ranking and the per-plate ranking are answering different questions. The serving row is the one that decides what you ate.

Nutrient values are averages for the stated preparation, based on the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR–NIN) and standard recipe analysis. Energy is reconciled against the macronutrients with Atwater factors on every build. General information only — not medical or nutrition advice. Home-cooked Indian food varies enormously with oil, ghee and portion size; every value here is an average for a stated serving, with the assumption shown.

SOURCE·IFCT 2017 + published recipe weights·REVIEWED JUL 2026

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Paneer Butter Masala vs Butter Chicken