vegan butter chik’un

vegan butter chickun_hot for food

This is a quick and easy vegan butter chik’un recipe that tastes like the real thing. Promise! There’s a wonderful world of meat-free substitutes available these days, and I’m here to use them to my full advantage. There’s a ton of spices packed into this dish, and your tastebuds will thank me for it. Serve this on a bed of fresh basmati rice with some fresh cilantro on top for an impressive date night meal! 

You can watch the latest episode of RECIPE?! from YouTube to find out what happened. Or if you’re in a pinch for time, scroll down for the full recipe and get cooking! 

vegan butter chicken recipe
vegan butter chickun_hot for food
4.75 from 4 votes
Print Recipe

vegan butter chik’un

This easy butter chik’un recipe tastes authentic and it’s totally vegan! 

Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Keyword basmati rice, vegan butter chicken
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 2
Author Lauren Toyota

Ingredients

  • 1/2 C basmati rice
  • 1 C water
  • 2 tbsp vegan butter
  • 2 vegan chicken breasts
  • 2 tbsp + 1 tsp coconut oil
  • 1/2 finely chopped white onion
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 can full fat coconut milk
  • 1/2 C canned crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tsp sea salt

Instructions

  1. Bring basmati rice, water, and 1 tablespoon of vegan butter to a boil. Reduce to low/simmer, and cover with a lid. Once all the water is absorbed, fluff the rice with a fork, remove from heat and leave covered until ready to serve the butter chik’un.

  2. In a pan, heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil over medium heat and add frozen vegan chicken breasts. Brown for 3 to 4 minutes a side and cut into small chunks. Remove chicken from the pan and aside.

  3. Keep the same pan over medium heat, and add another 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and finely chopped onion. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add all the spices to the onions and sauté until softened and fragrant, for about another 5 minutes. At this point, you might need to add one more teaspoon of coconut oil if the mixture looks dry and is sticking. Add minced garlic and stir frequently for 1 minute.

  4. Add coconut milk and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer. Add crushed tomatoes and sea salt and simmer for 15 minutes.

  5. Stir in 1 tablespoon of vegan butter and add chunks of vegan chicken back into the pan. Reduce heat to low and stir occasionally for another 3 minutes. Serve immediately over rice and top with fresh cilantro leaves if desired.

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28 thoughts on “vegan butter chik’un”

  1. I found my new favourite site ever, these all look so delicious! Can not wait to start cooking them, its so hard to try and find recipes for a vegan / veg diet that actually looks mega appetising! Thank you!

  2. Mc Jefferson Agloro

    I literally don’t have garam masala. I am ditching it for now, because this looks delicious, and I can’t resist from preparing it.

  3. I finally found some faux chicken at my local grocer. I am super excited to try this recipe out after I make the buffalo cauliflower sliders. 🙂

  4. I just made this for the first time and it is so freaking delicious!! I am working on learning how to cook more Indian food and I can tell this will be a new go-to recipe for me 🙂

  5. I totally forgot to put in the salt but it turned out delicious anyways 😀 And I added in a little bit of flour for it to thicken up even more.

  6. Didn’t have any vegan butter but whatevs, it didn’t even need it cause the coconut milk plus the little coconut oil in the recipe made it fatty enough. Tho I would reccomend trusting your gut (and tongue) over the cooking time for the onions, at least, if you diced them up like I did. And don’t worry if you don’t have any basmati or jasmine rice to go with it, I just used my regular Japanese rice with a little less water than usual to make it "dry" and added butter and salt. It worked out fine! Ir you could serve it with naan, right?

  7. Michelle Miyazato

    Made it for the second time and just as good without any "meat" in it, sauce is just that flavorful. Definite new go-to besides pasta and mabo dofu.

  8. I just made this for my husband and friends and they LOVED it! We usually all go out for Indian, and this really impressed them, thanks Lauren & John!

  9. Lauren, you should honestly do more Indian recipes on your channel! Or any ethnic style foods like a Spanish Paella or a Chinese fried rice….. oh man, the options are endless and I cook every thing you guys make. Love you!!!!

    1. A paella would be AMAZING! Also, I agree, more Indian-inspired recipes for the win! My partner is obsessed with Indian food and this is an easy way for us to have the same meal without any takeout.

  10. Oh my f***ing god.. THIS WAS AMAZING!!! I love the Trader Joe’s vegan tikka masala and this was just as good. There are no words to describe how amazing this was.

  11. Great recipe. Instead of vegan chicken, I used tofu and lots of veggies. The sauce is delicious! Definitely a keeper and very versatile. Thanks Lauren!

  12. This is an awesome recipe! I fried up some tofu and chickpeas instead of a chicken replacement (because that was what I had) and it was so good! I am planning to make it in a few days, and am going to use a chicken replacement, extra onion, chickpeas, bell peppers, less oils/butter, and a lower fat coconut milk (I know it’s way better with the full fat stuff, but I am trying to lose weight, so this is my attempt at still having butter chicken). I’m also trying to expand it to be 4 portions (we will see how that goes… haha).

    My partner, who is not plant based or vegan, really enjoyed it and took the lead on the recipe! He said it was easy to follow and a good recipe!

  13. Michelle Miyazato

    Not my first time making these but always a fave whenever I crave a coconut curry! Swapped processed vegan chicken for jackfruit (marinated in vegan chicken stock) and added sliced pasilla peppers, sliced frozen bell peppers, sliced onions, and diced garlic. Pro tip: boil or steam your canned jackfruit to soften, shred it, and marinate for 30 min at least before sauteing w/ oil. And steam or boil your veggies (I reccomend sliced) so that they’re tender for the curry since this recipe is so quick.

  14. I made this recipe last night using jackfruit in place of the chicken breasts because that’s what I had. It turned out pretty damn good. The spices were perfect and my dinner guest loved it. I will try and make this again your way.

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