What to Eat with Butter Chicken – Rice, Breads and Raitas

How it works

What to eat with butter chicken? The curry is mild, rich and full of sauce, so it wants something to carry the sauce and something cold. These 36 sides add vegetable dishes, starters, sweets and drinks.

Read the full guide

Naan, raita and another name

Butter chicken is also called murgh makhani, and it is garnished with cilantro (coriander). Naan is brushed with ghee or butter and served warm, and it stands in for a spoon, scooping up sauces and curries. Raita is yogurt mixed with raw or cooked vegetables, and cucumber raita is a common kind. It is served chilled as a cooling side for spicy curries and for pulao rice.

Build the plate

Choose rice or bread, or a little of each, then one cold thing and one dry vegetable dish. The curry brings all the sauce the plate needs, so a second saucy dish is for a crowd.

Warm the plates first. Butter sauce thickens fast on a cold one.
Set the chutneys and pickles out in small bowls, so each person takes a little.

Questions and answers

What sides go with butter chicken?

Basmati rice, butter naan and cucumber raita are enough for a weeknight. Add kachumber salad for crunch, and dal makhani when more people are eating.

What rice goes with butter chicken?

Plain basmati rice lets the sauce lead. Jeera rice adds cumin, peas pulao adds green peas and whole spices, and ghee rice with fried onions is the richest of the four.

What bread goes with butter chicken besides naan?

Tandoori roti, laccha paratha, onion kulcha or puri. Papadum is for snapping and scooping while the rest is on its way.

What vegetables go with butter chicken?

Dry dishes sit well next to the sauce: aloo gobi, jeera aloo, bhindi masala and baingan bharta. Saag paneer and chana masala make a fuller table.

What to do with leftover butter chicken?

It goes inside other things. In Canada and the Caribbean it fills wraps, roti and rolls and tops pizza and poutine. In Australia and New Zealand it is a pie filling.

All 36 sides

Rice 4

Basmati rice Rinse it well and fluff it with a fork before the curry goes on.
Ghee rice with fried onions Scatter the crisp onions on at the last moment.
Jeera rice Fry cumin seeds in ghee until they crackle, then stir in the rice.
Peas pulao Pick out the whole spices before it goes to the table.

Breads 6

Butter naan Brush it with butter or garlic butter and serve it hot, for scooping.
Laccha paratha Crush it lightly in your hands so the flaky layers open.
Onion kulcha Soft and stuffed, torn into pieces at the table.
Papadum Crisp rounds to snap and scoop with while the rice cooks.
Puri Fry them just before dinner so they come out puffed.
Tandoori roti A plain whole wheat round for a rich sauce.

Raitas, chutneys, pickles and garnishes 8

Boondi raita Stir the crisp gram flour pearls in just before serving.
Cucumber raita Chilled yogurt with grated cucumber, a spoonful beside the curry.
Fresh cilantro Chop it and scatter it over the curry as it is served.
Lime pickle Salty, sour and hot, so serve a very small piece.
Mango chutney A sweet spoonful on the edge of the plate.
Mint and cilantro chutney Fresh, green and sharp. A little goes a long way.
Sliced onions with lemon Thin rings, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt.
Tamarind chutney Sweet and sour, drizzled over a samosa or a papadum.

Vegetable, lentil and paneer dishes 8

Aloo gobi Potato and cauliflower cooked dry, a contrast to all the sauce.
Baingan bharta Smoky mashed eggplant, scooped up with roti.
Bhindi masala Okra fried dry with onions and spices.
Chana masala Chickpeas in a tangy tomato sauce, a second pot for a crowd.
Dal makhani Black lentils simmered until creamy, a small bowl each.
Jeera aloo Potatoes fried with cumin until the edges crisp.
Paneer tikka Grill the cubes on skewers with peppers and onions.
Saag paneer Spiced greens with cubes of fresh cheese, for anyone not eating meat.

Starters and salads 3

Kachumber salad Diced cucumber, tomato and onion with lemon, made at the last minute.
Onion pakoras Fry them in small batches and eat them at once.
Samosas Hot and crisp, with the chutneys for dipping.

Something sweet after 4

Carrot halwa Serve it warm with a few chopped nuts on top.
Gulab jamun Warm them in their syrup and serve them in small bowls.
Kheer Rice pudding with cardamom, chilled in small bowls.
Kulfi Dense and cold, on a stick or sliced, after a rich curry.

Drinks 3

Fresh lime soda Lime juice and soda water over ice, sweet or salted.
Mango lassi Thick, cold and sweet beside a spiced plate.
Masala chai Milky and spiced, poured after the meal.