Vegetarian Indian Butter Chicken

Day 259.

Yum, vegetarian Indian butter chicken is on the menu today. I adore Indian food. And Butter Chicken is one of those classic Indian restaurant favorites that I regularly try to emulate at home.

You’ll find butter chicken at nearly every Indian restaurant you visit. Butter chickpeas? Not so much.

The closest you’ll likely find is chana masala, which, while similar is more akin to tikka masala and not quite as creamy. Try this mild Indian favorite with chickpeas in lieu of chicken.

Until now, I haven’t perfected the delicious sauce yet, but I keep trying. This another attempt, this time based on a recipe from Sanjeev Kapoor.

It’s rich and creamy and absolutely full of flavor. I love it. The combination of spices is definitely reminiscent of what I’ve had in restaurants. And the tomato, ginger and garlic combined with the creamy yogurt is what makes that Indian butter sauce so fantastic.

I hope you love this dish as much as I do. You can also find it in my cookbook, The Super Easy Vegetarian Slow Cooker Cookbook, along with 115+ vegetarian slow cooker recipes. Yum! A few of my favorites are Samosa Bites, Banoffee Cups, Taco Soup, Basmati Breafkast Cereal, White Pizza Dip and Dal Makhani.

As for Vegetarian Indian Butter Chicken (or butter chickpeas as I like to call it now, don’t let the huge list of ingredients scare you off. You can make this dish in three ways: on the stove-top, in your slow cooker or in the instant pot.

So, gathering all of your spices is probably the toughest part of whipping this recipe up! If you opt for the slow cooker or instant pot, once you’ve got your mise en place going, you’re nearly done!

Vegetarian Indian Butter Chicken

Ingredients

4 cups cubed “chicken” substitute or chickpeas

1 teaspoon mild Indian chili powder or paprika

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

MARINADE

1 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream

1 teaspoon mild Indian chili powder or paprika

2 tablespoons garlic paste

2 tablespoons ginger paste

1/2 teaspoon ground garam masala

2 tablespoons mustard oil or olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

SAUCE

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 cardamom pods

4 cloves

6 peppercorns

1-inch piece cinnamon stick

1 tablespoon garlic paste

1 tablespoon ginger paste

5 small green chilies, chopped, or to taste

2 cups tomato puree

1 tablespoon mild Indian chili powder or paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground garam masala

2 tablespoons mild honey

1 cup cream cayenne pepper, to taste

chopped fresh cilantro (coriander), for garnish

Method

Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix ingredients for the marinade.

Combine chicken and marinade, stirring to coat.

Let marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Broil the “chicken” for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until edges are blackened. 

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, and cinnamon and sauté for a couple of minutes.

Add garlic and ginger pastes and chopped green chilies, and cook, stirring, for one minute more.

Add tomato puree, chili powder, garam masala powder, salt to taste and one cup of water.

Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add honey and cream.

Simmer 10 minutes more or until the sauce has thickened again.

Adjust seasoning, adding more salt to taste and cayenne pepper for additional heat. Remove whole spices.

Add cooked “chicken” pieces and simmer just to heat through (If you’re serving later, store sauce and chicken separately instead).

Serve hot, sprinkled with chopped cilantro and served with flatbread or rice.

Slow Cooker Method

Broil your “chicken,” if desired.

Place it and the remaining ingredients in your slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8 hours.

Top with cilantro. Serve with naan bread or rice.

Instant Pot Method

Broil your “chicken,” if desired.

Place it and the remaining, EXCEPT YOGURT, ingredients in the instant pot and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.

Allow pressure to naturally release.

Stir in yogurt, top with cilantro, and serve with naan bread or rice.

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