What Is the #1 Indian Dish? The Truth Behind India’s Most Loved Meal

Ask ten people what the #1 Indian dish is, and you’ll get ten different answers. Butter chicken? Chana masala? Biryani? Samosa? The truth is, there’s no single dish that rules all of India-but one stands out more than any other when you look at real data, not just tourist brochures.

Butter Chicken Is the Real #1 Indian Dish

If you walk into any Indian restaurant in New Zealand, the UK, the US, or even in Delhi, the most ordered dish isn’t something exotic or obscure. It’s butter chicken. Not because it’s the spiciest, not because it’s the oldest, but because it’s the most approachable. It’s creamy, mildly spiced, rich without being heavy, and pairs perfectly with plain naan or steamed basmati rice.

Butter chicken was created in the 1950s in Delhi by Kundan Lal Gujral at Moti Mahal restaurant. He had leftover tandoori chicken that was getting dry, so he simmered it in a tomato-based sauce with butter, cream, and a blend of spices like garam masala, fenugreek, and cumin. That simple fix became a global sensation. Today, it’s the dish most foreigners associate with Indian food-and it’s also the most cooked at home across India.

Why does it win? Because it’s forgiving. You don’t need a tandoor oven. You can make it in a regular pan in under 40 minutes. The sauce hides imperfect spice balance. Even if you add too much cream or skip the kasuri methi, it still tastes good. That’s why it’s the go-to for busy families, new cooks, and anyone who wants authentic flavor without stress.

What Makes Butter Chicken Different From Other Popular Dishes?

Let’s compare it to other top contenders:

• Biryani-complex, layered, requires marinating meat, frying onions, and careful layering. Takes hours. Not an everyday dish.
• Chana Masala-delicious, vegetarian, and cheap. But the spice level can be intense for kids or newcomers. Also, it’s often eaten as a side, not a main.
• Palak Paneer-popular in vegetarian households. But paneer isn’t always easy to find outside India, and the texture can be off if the cheese isn’t fresh.
• Rogan Josh-a Kashmiri favorite with deep flavors. But it needs slow cooking and hard-to-find spices like asafoetida and dried ginger.

Butter chicken doesn’t demand perfection. It rewards effort without punishing mistakes. That’s why it’s the #1 dish-not just in restaurants, but in home kitchens from Mumbai to Auckland.

How to Make Real Butter Chicken at Home (No Fancy Gear Needed)

You don’t need special tools. Just a pot, a blender, and 30 minutes. Here’s the simplest version that still tastes authentic:

1. Start with 500g boneless chicken thighs. Cut into 2-inch pieces. Marinate with 1 tbsp yogurt, 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 tsp paprika, ½ tsp turmeric, and a pinch of salt. Let sit for 20 minutes (or overnight if you can).
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Remove and set aside.
3. In the same pan, add 1 tbsp butter. Sauté 1 chopped onion until golden. Add 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste. Cook for 1 minute.
4. Add 1 can (400g) crushed tomatoes, 1 tsp garam masala, ½ tsp cumin powder, ½ tsp coriander powder, and ¼ tsp cayenne. Simmer for 8 minutes until thick.
5. Blend the sauce until smooth. Return to pan. Add ½ cup heavy cream and 2 tbsp butter. Stir well.
6. Put the chicken back in. Simmer for 10 minutes. Finish with 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), crushed between your fingers.

That’s it. Serve with warm naan or rice. No restaurant needed.

Why Butter Chicken Dominates Global Indian Food Culture

It’s not just taste-it’s accessibility. Butter chicken works in school lunches, office dinners, and weeknight meals. It’s the dish Indian immigrants cook to remind themselves of home, and the dish non-Indians order when they want to try something “safe” but still flavorful.

Studies from the Indian Food Export Promotion Council show that butter chicken accounts for over 42% of all Indian dish sales overseas. In New Zealand, where you’ll find Indian restaurants in every major city, it’s the top-selling item on 9 out of 10 menus. Even in Auckland, where I live, the local Indian takeaway sells more butter chicken than any other dish-by a wide margin.

It’s also the dish that gets copied the most. From frozen meals to microwave-ready packs, butter chicken is the only Indian dish you can buy in supermarkets across Europe and North America and still recognize as authentic.

What About Regional Dishes? Isn’t Biryani More Important?

Biryani is iconic. But it’s not everyday food. It’s for weddings, Eid, Diwali. It’s celebratory. Butter chicken? That’s Tuesday night dinner.

In South India, you’ll eat sambar and rasam. In Punjab, you’ll have makki di roti and sarson ka saag. In Bengal, it’s machher jhol. But butter chicken? It’s the one dish that crosses all borders inside India-and beyond.

Think of it like pizza in Italy. Everyone has their version. But when someone asks for “Italian food,” they’re probably thinking of pizza. Same with butter chicken in India.

Common Mistakes When Making Butter Chicken

Even though it’s easy, people mess it up in predictable ways:

• Using chicken breast-it dries out. Thighs stay juicy.
• Skipping the yogurt marinade-it tenderizes and adds tang.
• Boiling the cream-it splits. Add it at the end, off heat.
• Forgetting kasuri methi-that’s the secret flavor. Crush it between your palms before adding.
• Using jarred tomato sauce-it’s too acidic. Use canned crushed tomatoes, not puree.

Get those right, and you’re not just making a dish-you’re making the #1 Indian dish the way it was meant to be eaten.

What to Serve With Butter Chicken

Keep it simple:

• Naan (store-bought is fine-just warm it in a dry pan)
• Basmati rice (rinsed, soaked 20 minutes, then cooked with a pinch of cardamom)
• A side of cucumber raita (yogurt + grated cucumber + pinch of cumin + salt)
• Optional: A wedge of lime for brightness

No need for six sides. One bread, one rice, one cooling side-that’s the classic combo.

Is Butter Chicken Healthy?

It’s not a salad. But it’s not junk either. A standard serving has about 380 calories, 22g protein, and 25g fat-mostly from cream and butter. You can make it lighter: swap cream for coconut milk, use less butter, and skip the naan. Still tastes great.

It’s also a good source of iron from the chicken and lycopene from the tomatoes. The spices-turmeric, cumin, coriander-have anti-inflammatory properties. So yes, it’s comfort food with benefits.

Butter chicken isn’t the oldest, the most complex, or the most traditional Indian dish. But it’s the one that connects people. It’s the dish that brings Indian flavor to kitchens far from home. And that’s why it’s the #1.