Learn to make the best ever Indian restaurant style Vegan Butter Chicken! Marinated and crisped Tofu in a creamy, decadent Indian butter curry sauce, the most delicious you’ll ever taste! (gluten-free with nut-free and soy-free options)

I have many butter chicken recipes on the blog already. There’s my Instant Pot butter chicken, which uses soy curls. There’s my super quick butter chickpeas that takes just 10 minutes to put together, and it’s almost a dump-and-done recipe. I also have lots of fusion butter chicken recipes! But, I didn’t have a restaurant-style butter chicken that is decadent, complex spiced, smoky, mind-glowingly delicious, smooth and creamy, like the sort you’d get at an Indian restaurant, so I created this one for you! This vegan butter chicken with is perfect to serve for any party, dinner, holiday, thanksgiving, family get together and will please anyone and everyone!

Make this at your next dinner party to impress your guests!

What is Butter Chicken?

there are several stories associated with butter chicken. One of them has this restaurant wanting to use up their leftover tandoori chicken (marinated and grilled chicken) so they made this creamy smooth tomato sauce and simmered the day old dryish chicken. The butter chicken sauce is translation from Makhani sauce which means – like makkhan – like butter, so smooth like butter :). The sauce hence usually gets strained to move fibrous ness to get a silky smooth sauce.

There are also variations of the sauce based on region, chef, recipe. Some sauces have onion, some don’t, spices may vary slightly, some are creamier and some lighter and so on. This version is adapted from my luscious makhani sauce for my Indian whole roasted cauliflower.

Protein: We are using tofu as the chicken substitute, and we tear it into these organic shapes to help the tofu absorb the marinade and also crisp up just like chicken on the stovetop. It even gets that firm, chicken-like texture. If you don’t want to use tofu, you can use vegan chicken substitute of choice, such as soy curls, chickpea tofu, or just add some beans or roasted veggies to the sauce. 

There’s a ton of flavor in the sauce, and since this is a restaurant-style version, there are a few more steps and a few more spices than a homestyle version. If you don’t have all of the spices, missing a spice here and there is still going to give you a fantastic result.

The keys to that authentic butter chicken flavor

• Using the right spices for both the marinade and the sauce (dried fenugreek leaves and Kashmiri chili powder.  I use both of these spices pretty frequently in my Indian recipes, so if you don’t have them, do get them and try more of my vegan Indian recipes! )
• marinade the tofu in a flavorful spice and yogurt mix and crisp it up to make the tandoori tofu.
• Cook the aromatics and add several layers of flavors by adding the same spices at different points in the recipe( during sautéing, making spiced oil, using as garnish etc)
• Add extra creamy and smooth texture by blending well and using both cashews and coconut milk.
• use canned tomato purée to reduce the extra step of straining the sauce
• Add some crunch garnish to cut through the thick creamy sauce. Chopped green chili, fresh ginger, cilantro

Why You’ll Love Vegan Butter Chicken

• same textures and flavors, no animals harmed! Plant-based protein in a creamy, tomatoey, buttery curry sauce.
• easy to make in 1 pan on the stovetop
• restaurant-style flavor without the price tag
• naturally gluten-free and easily made soy-free and nut-free
• same spices are used in various steps, they make the recipe look long but it’s few steps and 1 pan.

Continue reading: Restaurant-Style Butter Chicken (1 pan!)

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