This post is also available in:
Deutsch
This vegan butter chicken is a heartwarming meal that promises to delight everyone! It's a delicious and flavorful twist on a classic favorite. This dish boasts a rich, creamy tomato sauce infused with aromatic spices that perfectly complement tender chunks of vegan chicken. The recipe is ready to be served within 2 hours and uses a handful of ingredients.
This recipe is perfect to make with my vegan chicken; if you’re not familiar with it, I highly recommend checking it out. Alternatively, you can also use this delicious vegan shredded chicken. If you like recipes inspired by Indian cuisine, you should also try these vegan lentils with spinach or this vegan curried chickpeas dish—both are delightful.
Jump to:
⭐ Why I love this recipe
I love making this recipe because it's always a big hit! The sauce of this vegan butter chicken is rich, creamy, and aromatic. It has a mild tanginess from the tomatoes, a hint of sweetness, and a fragrant spice profile that makes it super comforting.
I love this recipe also because it can be prepared in advance. Once ready, it can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days without any problems, and then simply reheated for a few minutes before serving. So, it's not only delicious but also super convenient!
🧾 Ingredients
To make this vegan butter chicken, you need 2 hours of time and a handful of ingredients. These are the key ingredients for this recipe:
- Vegan chicken: I use my vegan chicken because it's delicious and simple to make, but you can also use store-bought vegan chicken.
- Garam masala: It's the key to the success of this recipe. It's a blend of black peppercorns, cumin seeds, cinnamon, green and black cardamom, cloves, bay leaves, mace, fennel seeds, and coriander seeds that makes the sauce super aromatic and delicious.
- Vegan butter: I use a high-quality vegan butter. I recommend using vegan butter that contains at least 1% fermented almond or cashew cream in the ingredient list, as this will give the butter a flavor very similar to traditional butter and make the sauce even more delicious.
- Dried fenugreek leaves: They're also called kasoori methi. They add a slightly bitter and mildly sweet flavor with a nutty undertone to the sauce, making it super tasty. You can buy them at any specialty store that sells Indian cooking ingredients.
- Tomato puree: I use canned crushed tomatoes because they're convenient to use, good, and make the sauce tasty.
- Vegan cream: I use Oatly's vegan cream (it's my favorite). Use a neutral-tasting vegan cream so that the flavors of the spices stand out.
Substitutes
These are the ingredients that can be substituted without compromising the taste of the recipe:
- Vegan chicken: You can use the same amount of tempeh, fried tofu or canned chickpeas.
- Garam masala: If you can't find it at the supermarket, you can also make it yourself by mixing various spices. Follow this garam masala recipe from the foodblog Swasthi's Recipes.
🥄 Equipment
To make this recipe, I use a large bowl to mix the vegan chicken with the marinade ingredients, a baking tray to then bake the vegan chicken for a few minutes, and finally a large skillet to make the sauce.
🥣 How to make
Here are step-by-step instructions, accompanied by helpful images for each step, to guide you through the recipe as clearly as possible. The exact quantities are in the recipe-card below.
Step 1: Combine vegan chicken, yogurt, spices, ginger-garlic paste, and lemon juice in a large bowl, ensuring everything is evenly coated. Season with salt, cover, and marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight to enhance the flavors.
Step 2: Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Arrange the marinated vegan chicken pieces on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, ensuring they're spaced apart. Bake for 15 minutes until golden and slightly crispy, then remove from the oven and set aside.
Step 3: To make the sauce, heat oil and vegan butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add dried fenugreek leaves, green chili, and ginger-garlic paste, cooking for about 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in the tomato puree and simmer for 5 minutes. Next, add the spices and sugar, seasoning with salt, and let it cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes with the lid on. Once done, add the cream, stir, and taste for seasoning.
Step 4: Finally, add the vegan chicken, stir until well combined, top with coriander and serve with basmati rice or naan.
👨🏻🍳 Expert tip
There are those who prefer their sauce perfectly smooth by blending it. If you're among them, after adding the vegan cream to the sauce, transfer it to a blender and blend until it's completely smooth. Pour it back into the pan, then add the vegan chicken.
💭 Top tip
This recipe is perfect for preparing in advance. When I have dinner guests, I make it 1-2 days ahead and store it in the refrigerator. In the evening, I take it out, put it in a large pan, and heat it for a few minutes before serving. The quality of the recipe doesn't suffer; it's absolutely delicious even this way.
❄️ Storage
You can store this vegan butter chicken in the fridge for 2-3 days. Just keep it in an airtight container, and when you're ready to enjoy, reheat it in a pan until hot.
For longer storage, place it in an air-tight container and store it in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
📔 FAQ
Yes, You can make it 1-2 days in advance and store it in the fridge.
You can serve it with roasted vegetables, rice and naan.
Yes, you can store in in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating it.
🎥 Video
📖 Recipe
Vegan Butter Chicken
Ingredients
Marinade
- 350 g vegan chicken
- 100 g soy yogurt unsweetened
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder or sweet paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
- ½ lemon juiced
Sauce
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
- 2 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
- 1 green chilli finely chopped
- 250 g tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder or sweet paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 150 ml vegan cream I use Oatly vegan cream
Instructions
- For the marinade, combine vegan chicken, yogurt, spices, ginger-garlic paste, and lemon juice in a large bowl, ensuring everything is evenly coated. Season with salt, cover, and marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight to enhance the flavors.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Arrange the marinated vegan chicken pieces on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, ensuring they're spaced apart. Bake for 15 minutes until golden and slightly crispy, then remove from the oven and set aside.
- To make the sauce, heat oil and vegan butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add dried fenugreek leaves, green chili, and ginger-garlic paste, cooking for about 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in the tomato puree and simmer for 5 minutes. Next, add the spices and sugar, seasoning with salt, and let it cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes with the lid on. Once done, add the cream, stir, and taste for seasoning.
- Finally, add the vegan chicken, stir until well combined, top with coriander and serve with basmati rice or naan.
Comments
No Comments