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DELIGHTFUL AND TANGY
[MOCK]® Butter Chicken
22 November, 2025
They say necessity is the mother of invention. This British favourite, 'butter chicken', made from spiced baked chicken in a creamy tomato sauce, gained popularity in post-Independence India. The Jaggi family, who ran the famous Moti Mahal restaurant, shared that the dish was born when late one evening, a large party arrived demanding a curried dish. The innovative Kundan Lal Jaggi looked to refresh day-old dry tandoori chicken by adding it to a simple curry, to bring moisture and a new layer of taste. He created an unctuous tomato-based sauced enriched with warming spices of garam masala (coriander, cumin, bay leaves), a touch of chilli, and finished with a knob of butter. However, the grandson of Mr. Jaggi's former business partner, Kundan Lal Gujral, claims it was his grandfather who invented both butter chicken and it's inspiration dish, tandoori chicken, in the 1930-40s, in pre-partition Pakistan. Out of necessity, Mr. Gujral repurposed the tandoor oven - traditionally used for baking breads - to cook savoury dishes by extending their moisture and life. This is a hotly contested origin story in the courts of India, but we can be grateful to both Mr. Jaggi and Gujral for bringing this warming, satisfying staple to the British palate.
4 Servings
45 minutes
Ingredients
[MOCK]® Chicken Pieces
Marinade
- 300g coconut yoghurt
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger
- 1 tsp tumeric
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Curry
- 2 tbsp plant-based butter
- 250g tomato passata
- 230ml vegan cream
- 1 tbsp sugar
- Salt to taste
Rice
- 300g basmati rice
Garnish
- Fresh coriander
Preparation
Marinate the [MOCK]® Chicken Pieces
Combine all the marinade ingredients, and mix in the [MOCK]® Chicken Pieces. Cover and leave in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours, ideally overnight.
Cook the [MOCK]® Chicken Pieces
Heat the butter in a large pan over medium heat and gently place the pieces in, without removing any marinade off of them. However, do not add the excess marinade that’s left in the bowl. Cook the pieces for 3-4 minutes.
Make the curry
Add the passata, vegan cream, sugar and salt to the pan. Also add the remaining marinade from the pieces into the pan. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
Make the rice
Meanwhile, cook the rice.
Plating
Serve the rice and curry, and garnish with the fresh coriander.
PRODUCT INFORMATION
FROM OUR CHEF RANGE
[MOCK]® Chicken Pieces
Highly versatile plant-based chicken pieces that can replace meat in a variety of dishes.
