Vegan Chicken Tikka Masala
This vegan chicken masala was a first for me. I was inspired to create this recipe because my friend and part-time assistant told me it was her favorite Indian dish. Tika Masala is traditionally chunks of chicken marinated in spices and yogurt and served in a masala spice sauce of tomatoes and coriander. Today I used vegan chicken strips from Beyond Meat.
As far as the spices go, they may seem exotic, but I often use them in many of my vegan recipes. Spices are your best friend friend when you're vegan. The Beyond Meat vegan chicken worked really well especially when you consider it withstood the broiling and boiling. As a matter of fact, I don't think anyone would be able to distinguish between the vegan chicken and the animal based one.
Hope you enjoy this vegan chicken tikka masala recipe as much as I did. Wishing you a peaceful and compassionate week. Don't miss any of Ordinary Vegan's free recipes by signing up here.
- 1 12 ounce package of Beyond Chicken Strips, strips cut in half
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 teaspoons ginger, finely chopped
- 1½ cups of plain almond or soy yogurt
- 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 6 cardamom pods, crushed
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 teaspoons ginger finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups of light coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons maple syrup
- ¾ cup fresh chopped cilantro
- 2 cups cooked steamed rice for serving
- Combine 2 garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons ginger, 2 teaspoons turmeric, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground cumin and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in yogurt. Add the vegan chicken and turn to coat. Cover and chill 4 hours or more.
- Heat oil in a large heavy non-stick pot over medium heat. Add onion, tomato paste, cardomom and red pepper flakes and cook, until the tomato paste has darkened and onion is soft, about 4-5 minutes. Stirring frequently.
- Add 2 teaspoons turmeric, ginger, 2 teaspoon of ground coriander and 1 teaspoon ground cumin. Cook another 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and saute another minute.
- Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until sauce thickens.
- Add coconut milk, maple syrup, red wine vinegar and chopped cilantro. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
- Add chicken to sauce and simmer for another 5-8 minutes.
- Serve with rice and fresh cilantro.
Hi. What is the chicken made from and is it nutritious? Thank you.
Hi Mary – Yes it is – Beyond Meat is made from plant-based protein and much healthier than animal protein. I have had the opportunity to meet the founders and team and they are passionate about their vision to provide healthier alternatives to consumers. You can read more about Beyond Meat here
If I use tofu instead of Beyond Chicken, do you have any recommendation for the best firmness? Looks delicious, btw.
Hi Wednesday – I would use extra firm. Thanks for stopping by and being part of our community.
Hi! I was wondering, what is the quantity of tomato paste used? It just says “1/4”, but not what it’s a fourth of 🙂
Thanks for the heads up Molly – it is 1/4 cup tomato paste
This looks really great, I’m going to use a different brand of chicken strips because for some reason I just don’t like the beyond meat brand, even though I’ve tried it many times. My fiancé and I Like our food on the hotter side. suggestions to make this a bit spicier?
As I live in UK, cant get Beyond Meat, so I tried something called ‘vegan pieces’ from my local shop, unfortunately it ended up tasting very bland. Like I was eating chopped up cardboard is the only way I could describe it.
So sorry to hear Una – You could replace the vegan chicken with tofu. I think it could work equally as well. If you are allergic to soy use chickpeas and serve it over a nice bed of rice that has been seasoned with lemon, chiles and ginger. Thanks for being part of our healthy community!
The tomatoes added to the stew aren’t listed in the ingredients, only in the instructions. I added three medium vine tomatoes diced and it turned out ok. Also the maple syrup is listed in the ingredients but not the instructions. Other suggested additions are 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoons of black pepper to the yogurt marinade. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala powder to the stew to add an umami to pull back the growing tartness. I also added a teaspoon of red wine vinegar to the stew to balance the palette and specifically to pull away the bitter of the tomato paste. Double the garlic and ginger for the stew. With those additions it came out great although without it leaves a lot to be desired.
Hi Rin – what wonderful suggestions. I especially like the addition of the vinegar for balance. It needed that – I will add. The tomatoes were listed as 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes. I fixed the maple syrup. Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to help create an even better version.
When do you add the garlic and ginger to the stew? There are no chilis listed in the ingredients.
Hi Peter – I am sorry and thanks for the heads up. I fixed it. Hope you enjoy it.
Nancy
Why isn’t the chill time of the chicken included in the prep time?
Hi Steve – sorry about that – I believe it says cover and chill for at least 4 hours but it could also be overnight. Thanks so much for being part of our healthy community!
How do you have a chicken tikka masala recipe with no masala?
Good question – I didn’t have any Garam masala but used all the spices (cumin / allspice flavors) to make up for not having the Garam masala. Hope that helps. Thanks for stopping by and being part of our healthy community.