#E8A85C
#C8783A
#F0E0C0
#3A2008
Background
Primary Accent
Secondary
Body Text

Butter Chicken Color Palette

#E8A85C · #C8783A · #F0E0C0 · #3A2008

AAA
WCAG Grade
7.3:1
Contrast Ratio
1,060
Saves
2,870
AI Copies
AI Prompt

Use #E8A85C as the background. Use #C8783A as the primary accent. Use #F0E0C0 as secondary. Use #3A2008 as body text/supporting color. Palette mood: Butter Chicken — creamy, rich, indian.

Hex Codes, RGB & CMYK Color Values

Technical breakdown for the Butter Chicken color scheme. Use these values for web design (HEX/RGB), print projects (CMYK), or specialized design software (HSL).

Swatch Design Role HEX RGB CMYK HSL
Background
Luminance: 45.9%
232, 168, 92 0%, 28%, 60%, 9% 33°, 75%, 64%
Primary Accent
Luminance: 26.0%
200, 120, 58 0%, 40%, 71%, 22% 26°, 56%, 51%
Secondary
Luminance: 75.6%
240, 224, 192 0%, 7%, 20%, 6% 40°, 62%, 85%
Body Text
Luminance: 2.0%
58, 32, 8 0%, 45%, 86%, 77% 29°, 76%, 13%

Butter Chicken Tints & Shades

Hover states, borders and elevation need lighter and darker steps of your base colors. Here are computed tints and shades for every color in the Butter Chicken palette — click any swatch to copy its hex.

#E8A85C saturated orange
#C8783A gently saturated orange
#F0E0C0 gently saturated orange
#3A2008 saturated orange

Butter Chicken Palette Contrast Matrix (WCAG 2.1)

Every color tested as text on every other color as background. Body copy needs 4.5:1 (AA), large text and UI components 3:1. AAA requires 7:1.

Text on Background Preview Ratio Grade Safe For
#3A2008 on #F0E0C0
Aa Sample Text
11.60:1 AAA Body text, headings, UI
#F0E0C0 on #3A2008
Aa Sample Text
11.60:1 AAA Body text, headings, UI
#3A2008 on #E8A85C
Aa Sample Text
7.33:1 AAA Body text, headings, UI
#E8A85C on #3A2008
Aa Sample Text
7.33:1 AAA Body text, headings, UI
#3A2008 on #C8783A
Aa Sample Text
4.46:1 Fail Large headings, UI components
#C8783A on #3A2008
Aa Sample Text
4.46:1 Fail Large headings, UI components
#F0E0C0 on #C8783A
Aa Sample Text
2.60:1 Fail Decorative use only
#C8783A on #F0E0C0
Aa Sample Text
2.60:1 Fail Decorative use only
#C8783A on #E8A85C
Aa Sample Text
1.64:1 Fail Decorative use only
#E8A85C on #C8783A
Aa Sample Text
1.64:1 Fail Decorative use only
#F0E0C0 on #E8A85C
Aa Sample Text
1.58:1 Fail Decorative use only
#E8A85C on #F0E0C0
Aa Sample Text
1.58:1 Fail Decorative use only

Butter Chicken Color Psychology & Meaning

Butter chicken is tandoori chicken simmered in a velvety tomato-butter sauce, and this palette is that golden orange with pale cream. It feels rich and indulgent, the color of the most ordered curry in Indian restaurants around the world.

Color Harmony: Analogous Scheme

The Butter Chicken palette is built using a analogous relationship between its hues. This ensures that even with high-contrast accents, the overall scheme feels balanced and intentional.

Hue Wheel

A analogous palette is often preferred by professional designers because it creates a calm, serene atmosphere by using neighboring colors.

History & Design Context

Butter chicken was created in Delhi in the 1950s at Moti Mahal, when leftover tandoori chicken was simmered in a sauce of tomato, butter, and cream. It became the signature dish of Indian cuisine abroad, beloved for its gentle richness.

Best Design Use Cases

Use the golden orange for rich surfaces, the tomato-amber for accents, and the cream for text contrast. The deep brown grounds everything.

Industries This Palette Suits

Indian restaurants, curry brands, comfort food, food delivery, hospitality.

Colors That Pair Well With Butter Chicken

Need a fifth color? These three companions are computed from the palette's own hue positions on the color wheel, so they extend the scheme without breaking its harmony.

cyan-blue

directly opposite #C8783A on the wheel — the strongest accent for CTAs and highlights when you need maximum energy

yellow

30° beside #C8783A — a calm secondary that extends the palette without adding tension

tinted neutral

a ink-black carrying the palette's own hue — perfect for surfaces and dividers

Using Butter Chicken Without Breaking Accessibility

  • Avoid #C8783A for small UI elements on #E8A85C — at 1.6:1 it misses the 3:1 WCAG threshold; darken it with a shade from the ramp below.
  • Set body text in #3A2008 — 7.3:1 against #E8A85C passes WCAG AA (AAA) for long-form reading.
  • Don't use #F0E0C0 behind body text — this light tone works better for surfaces, badges and dividers than for reading areas.

How to Implement the Butter Chicken Color Scheme

To use this Butter Chicken color palette in your web project, you can copy the following CSS variables or Tailwind CSS configuration. These roles ensure your UI maintains accessibility and visual hierarchy.

Option 1: CSS Variables

:root { 
  /* {name} Palette - ihatecolors.com */{'
'}  --color-bg: {colors[0]};{'
'}  --color-primary: {colors[1]};{'
'}  --color-secondary: {colors[2]};{'
'}  --color-text: {colors[3]};{'
'} {'}'}

Web Design Tip

Use #E8A85C for the main background and #C8783A for primary buttons. This creates a high-contrast focal point.

Accessibility Note

The contrast ratio between #3A2008 and #E8A85C is 7.33:1 (AAA). Ensure your body text remains legible.

Butter Chicken Palette — Frequently Asked Questions

What are the hex codes in the Butter Chicken color palette?

The Butter Chicken palette contains #E8A85C, #C8783A, #F0E0C0, #3A2008. Click any swatch on this page to copy its value, or export all four at once as CSS variables, Tailwind config, SCSS or a Figma-ready list.

Is the Butter Chicken color palette accessible (WCAG)?

Yes for its strongest pairings: #3A2008 on #F0E0C0 reaches 11.6:1 (AAA). For body text always keep a 4.5:1 ratio and for large UI elements 3:1 — the full contrast matrix above shows the exact score for every color-on-color combination in this palette.

What colors go well with the Butter Chicken palette?

Beyond its own four colors, #3C8BC8, #BCB449, #181511 extend it naturally: the complementary hue for high-energy accents, an analogous neighbor for calm transitions, and a tinted neutral for surfaces. All three are computed from this palette's hues on the color wheel.

What mood does the Butter Chicken palette create?

Butter Chicken reads as creamy, rich, indian. Gently saturated orange drives the personality, grounded by saturated orange — a combination that works best when the light base gets most of the canvas.

Can I use the Butter Chicken color palette commercially?

Yes. Individual color values can't be copyrighted, so the Butter Chicken palette is free for personal, client and commercial work — websites, branding, apps, print and social content, with no attribution required.

How do I add the Butter Chicken palette to Tailwind or CSS?

Use the export panel on this page: CSS variables, a Tailwind config block, SCSS variables, or a Figma copy list are generated from Butter Chicken's exact values, including the tint and shade ramps shown above.

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