Both start with chicken cooked in the tandoor, which is why they look so alike. Butter chicken is the milder, sweeter, smoother one. Chicken tikka masala brings onion, bell pepper and a bit of heat. Here is how to pick.
Same start, different finish. Both dishes begin with chicken cooked in the tandoor, so the meat carries the same smoky, charred edge. The sauce is where they part company. Butter chicken goes into a creamy tomato gravy and is marked mild on our menu. Chicken tikka masala goes into ground spices, onions, tomatoes, cream and bell pepper, and is marked medium hot. If you want the gentler, sweeter, smoother plate, order butter chicken. If you want more spice and more texture, order tikka masala.
This is the part people miss when they compare the two on a menu. Neither dish begins in a pan. The chicken goes into the tandoor first, and that is the reason the two curries look so similar when they arrive at the table.
For butter chicken, the chicken is marinated overnight in yoghurt and spices, skewered, and cooked through in the tandoor. Only then is it folded into a gravy that has been cooked down slowly. Tikka masala takes tandoori chicken and cooks it along with ground spices, onions, tomatoes, cream and bell pepper, which is what gives that sauce its bite and its texture.
Nothing here is cooked with MSG and nothing arrives frozen. Every dish on the board carries its GF, NF, DF and V codes, so you can order without a conversation about ingredients. If you want to read more about the house version, we have a full page on butter chicken in Newcastle.
Three things decide it: heat, sweetness and texture.
The most famous North Indian dish, made with tender chicken and a creamy tomato gravy. Marked mild, (GF) (NF) and MSG free. Smooth sauce, no chilli heat to speak of, a little sweetness from the tomato and cream.
Tandoori chicken cooked along with ground spices, onions, tomatoes, cream and bell pepper. Marked medium hot, (GF) (NF) and MSG free. More spice, and the onion and bell pepper give it body the butter chicken does not have.
Both are $11.90 small, $17.90 medium and $19.90 large, so cost is not the deciding factor. Pick on heat and on how smooth you want the sauce.
Start with butter chicken. It is mild, it is the most ordered thing on the board, and it gives you the tandoor flavour without any heat to work around.
Chicken Korma or Mango Chicken are both marked mild and both sit at the same price. Either one is a gentler plate again than the tikka masala. There is more on the rest of the board on our curry in Newcastle page.
Order one of each. They share a tandoor start, so they sit together well, and between mild and medium hot there is something for everyone. Add naan from the tandoor to mop up both sauces.
Order ahead and pick it up on Beaumont Street, or have it delivered free after 5:00pm within 5km.
Butter chicken went out on the first day Raj's Corner opened in 1998 and it is made the same way now. Marinated overnight, cooked in the tandoor, folded into a gravy cooked down slowly.
It has never been beaten on the board. More people order butter chicken than anything else we cook, and it has held that spot the whole time.
It is the one regulars move to when they want more spice without going hot. Read about the house version on our chicken tikka masala in Newcastle page.
Both dishes start with chicken cooked in the tandoor, which is why they look similar, and the difference is the sauce. Butter chicken at Raj's Corner Hamilton is a creamy tomato gravy and is marked mild. Chicken tikka masala is tandoori chicken cooked along with ground spices, onions, tomatoes, cream and bell pepper, and is marked medium hot. Butter chicken is the smoother, sweeter one. Tikka masala has more spice and more texture from the onion and bell pepper.
Butter chicken is milder. On the Raj's Corner Hamilton menu butter chicken is marked mild and chicken tikka masala is marked medium hot. The menu heat scale runs mild, medium hot, hot, and Beef Vindaloo is the only dish marked hot. If both are still too much, Chicken Korma and Mango Chicken are both marked mild and cost the same.
Butter chicken. It is marked mild, it is the most ordered dish at Raj's Corner Hamilton, and it gives you the tandoor cooked chicken without any heat to manage. It is the dish the shop opened with in 1998 and the recipe has not changed since. Once you know you like it, chicken tikka masala is the natural next step up for a bit more spice.
Yes. At Raj's Corner Hamilton both butter chicken and chicken tikka masala are $11.90 for a small, $17.90 for a medium and $19.90 for a large. Choose between them on heat and on the sauce you prefer rather than on price.
Both butter chicken and chicken tikka masala carry the (GF) and (NF) codes on the Raj's Corner Hamilton menu, and neither is cooked with MSG. Every dish on the menu is marked with GF, NF, DF and V codes so you can see what suits you before you order. Tell us at the counter or on (02) 4962 1827 if you have an allergy.
We are on the Hamilton end of Beaumont Street. Order at the counter and the day's curries are cooked fresh that morning and kept hot, so they are ready when you order. Breads are baked to order in the tandoor, and anything on the menu can be cooked fresh to order if you ask. Walk in to the dining room, no bookings needed.
