Typing "chicken curry near me" usually means one thing: you want chicken in a rich, spiced sauce, and you want it soon. Curry Up Now serves three different chicken curries across 10 locations in six states, and the differences between them matter more than most menus let on. Here's what each one actually is, how they compare, and how to find the nearest kitchen serving them.
Curry Up Now serves three chicken curries: chicken tikka masala, butter chicken (ghee makhni), and kadhai chicken. All three are halal, available as a bowl, a burrito, or a 16oz family-style entree, and served at 10 locations across California, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama, with pickup, delivery, dine-in, and catering at every one.
Curry is a broad term for chicken (or another protein) simmered in a spiced sauce, and it covers a wide range of dishes rather than one fixed recipe. A curry house in Delhi, a takeaway in London, and a fast-casual counter in California can all serve something they'd call chicken curry, and the sauce, the spice blend, and the texture can differ quite a bit between them. Curry Up Now puts three distinct chicken curries on the menu rather than one generic version, so the first decision isn't whether to order chicken curry, it's which one.
Marinated, grilled chicken tikka folded into a tangy, spiced tomato-cream sauce, finished with garam masala and fenugreek. It's the tangier, more assertively spiced of the three.
Tandoori chicken simmered in a rich tomato-butter sauce with cream and warming spices. It's milder and sweeter than tikka masala, closer to comfort food than a fiery curry.
Boneless chicken thigh cooked with onions, bell peppers, and crushed coriander in a rustic, drier wok-style curry. Medium spiced, and the most savory of the three rather than creamy.
All three are halal, and each one builds on the same idea: real Indian curry technique, served in formats built for a fast-casual counter instead of a sit-down table.
The table below breaks down how the three compare, so you can pick the right one before you order.
Curry Up Now's Chicken Curries ComparedDishSauce StyleSpice LevelBest ForChicken Tikka MasalaTangy tomato-creamMediumWanting the classic curry-house flavorButter ChickenButtery, sweet tomato-creamMildSpice-shy eaters and comfort food cravingsKadhai ChickenDrier, wok-style with peppersMediumWanting something savory instead of creamy
For a deeper side-by-side on the two creamy options, see Butter Chicken vs Chicken Tikka Masala: The Difference and Where to Get Them.
The three curries have different backstories, and knowing them helps explain why they taste the way they do.
Chicken tikka masala is widely considered an Anglo-Indian creation rather than a traditional Indian dish. The popular origin story places its invention in Britain, often Glasgow, where a cook is said to have added a tomato-and-spice gravy to grilled chicken tikka for diners who wanted sauce with their meat. Whether or not that exact story holds up, tikka masala went on to become one of the most ordered curries in the UK and then the world, built from real Indian technique even if the dish itself came together abroad.
Butter chicken, or murgh makhani, traces back to the Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi in the mid-twentieth century, where cooks simmered leftover tandoori chicken in a gravy of tomatoes, butter, and cream to keep it from drying out. That practical fix became one of India's most recognized dishes, unambiguously Indian in a way tikka masala's story is not.
Kadhai chicken takes its name from the kadhai, a wide, curved wok used across North Indian kitchens. Instead of a long-simmered creamy gravy, the chicken is cooked quickly with onions, bell peppers, and crushed coriander seed, giving it a drier, more rustic texture than either tikka masala or butter chicken. It's the curry for someone who wants the spice profile of Indian cooking without the cream.
Every chicken curry on the menu is available three ways, which matters as much as which curry you pick:
Curry Up Now runs 10 restaurants across six states, with a Bowling Green, Kentucky location on the way:
Every one of those kitchens serves the full chicken curry lineup, with dine-in, pickup, and delivery available, plus catering for groups. The full address, hours, and ordering link for every city is on the locations page, and the complete chicken curry lineup, along with every other dish, is on the menu page. Searching "chicken curry near me" on your phone will usually surface whichever location is closest, but checking the locations page directly confirms current hours before you drive over.
Yes. Every protein at every Curry Up Now location is halal certified, and that's been true since the brand started as a single food truck in 2009. The chicken in the tikka masala, butter chicken, and kadhai chicken is halal across the board, with no separate halal menu to track down. More on sourcing and ingredients is on the about page. For anyone keeping halal and ordering for a mixed group, that consistency matters: there's no need to double-check which protein is safe to order, because the chicken curry, the lamb, and every other meat on the menu are halal by default at every location.
Spice tolerance is the most common hesitation when ordering a curry for the first time, so here's the honest read on each one. Butter chicken is the safest choice for someone who wants flavor without heat, since the cream and butter mellow the spice considerably. Chicken tikka masala sits a step up, with a tangier edge from the tomato and a bit more warmth from the garam masala, but it's still built to be approachable rather than fiery. Kadhai chicken is the one with the most character for a spice-curious eater, since the drier cooking style lets the crushed coriander and the char from the wok come through more directly than in either creamy option. None of the three are meant to be punishing, which is part of why they've become the three most ordered curries on the menu. If you're ordering for a table that includes both heat-seekers and spice-shy guests, pairing butter chicken and kadhai chicken side by side usually covers both ends without anyone sitting out.
Yes. All three chicken curries are on the catering menu, and they travel well in trays for offices, weddings, and parties from 10 to 500 guests. A catering order can mix a creamy curry like butter chicken with a drier option like kadhai chicken, plus vegan and gluten-free dishes for the rest of the table, all from one kitchen. Start a request on the catering page, or call the catering line at (650) 239-6625.
"I love Pani Puri and it's great here. Butter chicken was divine. Service was quick and place is clean."
Whitney C., Elk Grove, CA
"I've been twice to curry up now, and it's definitely become a staple now! The chicken tikka masala or butter chicken burrito are delicious, and I always chose the cauliflower rice. Great for lunch and dinner and the food is wonderful!"
Lauran K., Berkeley, CA
A few pairings that work with any of the three curries:
If you're still comparing dishes before you decide, the guide to finding good Indian food near you and the tikka masala burrito breakdown cover the rest of the menu in the same level of detail.
Three: chicken tikka masala, butter chicken (also called ghee makhni), and kadhai chicken. All three are chicken simmered in a spiced, tomato-based curry sauce, and all three are available as a bowl, a burrito, or a 16oz family-style entree.
Yes. Every protein at every Curry Up Now location is halal, including the chicken in the tikka masala, butter chicken, and kadhai chicken. There is no separate halal menu because the whole menu is halal.
Butter chicken is milder, sweeter, and creamier. Chicken tikka masala is tangier and a bit more assertively spiced. Both start from the same marinated, grilled chicken tikka and a tomato-cream base.
Kadhai chicken is medium spiced. It's cooked with onions, bell peppers, and crushed coriander in a rustic, drier style than the creamy tikka masala or butter chicken sauces, so it reads as more savory than hot.
Yes. Every chicken curry on the menu comes as a bowl with rice and dal, a burrito wrapped in a flour tortilla, or a 16oz family-style entree for sharing at home.
Curry Up Now runs 10 locations across California, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama, with a Bowling Green, Kentucky location coming soon. The locations page has hours, addresses, and ordering links for each one.
The chicken tikka masala and butter chicken entrees are both gluten-free on their own. The burrito format uses a flour tortilla, so choose the bowl or the 16oz entree if gluten is a concern.
Yes. All three chicken curries are available on the catering menu for offices, weddings, and parties from 10 to 500 guests, alongside halal, vegan, and gluten-free options for the rest of the table.
Butter naan or basmati rice to soak up the sauce, a mango lassi to cool things down, and a side of samosa chaat or sexy fries if you're sharing. Most of the menu is built to pair with a curry.
Chicken tikka masala is one specific type of curry. Curry is a broad category of spiced sauce dishes, and tikka masala, butter chicken, and kadhai chicken are all curries within that category, each with its own sauce and spice profile.
"Chicken curry near me" has three honest answers at Curry Up Now: tikka masala if you want the classic tangy curry-house flavor, butter chicken if you want it mild and buttery, or kadhai chicken if you want something drier and more savory. All three are halal, all three come as a bowl, burrito, or family-style entree, and all three are on the menu at every one of the 10 locations. None of them require guesswork about ingredients or sourcing, since the halal standard and the three formats are the same whether you're ordering in San Francisco or Flower Mound. Find the closest one on the locations page, or browse the full lineup on the menu page before you order.
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