This vegan butter bean chicken supreme recipe is based on the French retro recipe for chicken supreme. Butterbeans are added to a creamy flavour-packed white sauce. This meal is perfect for an easy budget-friendly mid-week dinner as it is quick and easy to prepare, wholesome, and totally delicious!
Looking for a vegan white gravy and biscuits recipe? The creamy white vegan sauce recipe can be prepared separately and used as a vegan home-made white gravy to pour over American biscuits, or for a biscuit alternative bake a batch of these Buttermilk Scones.
Butter beans, also known as lima beans, are cooked within a creamy savoury white sauce and garnished with paprika and chives. Serve with rice, mashed potatoes, or thick noodles for a delicious, satisfying meat-free meal which is perfect for brunch, lunch or dinner, or enjoy as a tasty vegan side-dish.
The origins of Chicken Supreme
The term "supreme" in culinary context often refers to a French cooking method in which a food, usually chicken, is cooked in a creamy sauce which is called a ''supreme sauce''. The word "suprême" in French cuisine means "highest" or "ultimate".
A French Supreme Sauce, also known as Sauce Suprême, is a traditional white sauce which is made with chicken stock and cream.
Recipes for supreme sauce were originally discovered within the French cookbook the 1938 Larousse Gastronomique. This cookbook features French haute cuisine recipes which were served in very expensive restaurants.
Haute or grande cuisine goes all the way back to the 16th Century so the supreme sauce was developed sometime along the way! This type of dining is opposite of the French Novella Cuisine which arose in the 1960s-70s.
Haute cuisine values rich, elaborate dishes, prepared with butter and cream, while Novella cuisine appreciates lighter dishes prepared with fresh, seasonal ingredients.
The supreme sauce used for chicken supreme is prepared with a Velouté Sauce which is one of the traditional French mother sauces.
What is a mother sauce?
In French cuisine, the concept of "mother sauces" refers to a set of fundamental sauces that serve as the foundation for many other sauces. These sauces are considered the building blocks of French cuisine and are used as a base to create a wide range of derivative sauces. The concept of mother sauces was codified by the French chef Auguste Escoffier in the early 20th century.
There are five classic mother sauces in French cuisine, which are:
- Béchamel Sauce: A creamy white sauce made from a roux (a mixture of butter and flour) and milk. It forms the base for dishes like macaroni and cheese or creamy soups.
- Velouté Sauce: A light sauce made from a roux and a light stock, typically chicken, veal, or fish. It serves as the base for sauces used with poultry, fish, or vegetable dishes.
- Espagnole Sauce: Also known as brown sauce, it is a rich and flavorful sauce made from a dark roux and a brown stock. It is used as a base for various meat-based sauces and gravies.
- Tomato Sauce: A sauce made from tomatoes, onions, and other seasonings. It serves as the base for tomato-based sauces, such as marinara or pizza sauce.
- Hollandaise Sauce: A rich and buttery emulsion sauce made from egg yolks, butter, and lemon juice. It is typically served with eggs Benedict or steamed vegetables.
As for the "supreme sauce," it is a derivative sauce based on the velouté sauce. The supreme sauce is essentially a velouté sauce enriched with cream and chicken stock reduction. It is known for its luxurious and velvety texture, with a rich and subtle flavor.
The supreme sauce is often used in French cuisine to accompany poultry dishes, including chicken or turkey. However, a supreme sauce can be even more delicious on plant-based and vegan recipes.
Vegan butter bean chicken Supreme
As the French chicken supreme name derives from the supreme sauce technically any ingredient added to the supreme sauce becomes a supreme dish! Hence our vegan butterbean supreme recipe!
The delicious combination of creamy meaty butter beans and an even more creamy savoury sauce, with a hint of tanginess thanks to the white wine vinegar, and a garnish of smoked paprika and a scatter of chopped chives, this butterbean supreme will have you impatient for dinner to be ready! The aromas of this vegan dinner cooking are so good!
Budget-friendly vegan dinner
This butterbean supreme recipe makes perfect use of store-cupboard ingredients which is especially handy if fresh veggies are in short supply. So this recipe is a handy one to have up-you-sleeve so to speak, for those days when pay day is still a few days away, and you need something quick, tasty and wholesome.
Vegan recipes for those unexpected guests!
Unexpected guests turned up expecting to be fed? Or perhaps one of your guests is vegan, vegetarian, plant-based or has allergies and your are at a loss as to what to cook, then butter bean supreme is a great recipe to feed a hungry crowd as its quick and pairs well with many sides. Check out the FAQ section for some vegan side dish ideas.
How to prepare butterbean supreme
This easy butter bean recipe can be ready in about 35 minutes as its simply a case of cooking the shallots or onions, and garlic, before adding the flour, vegetable broth and plant-based milk to create a creamy white sauce.
The butter beans are added near the end and the sauce is enriched with plant-based cream transforming the sauce into a supreme sauce. If your having rice as an accompaniment this can be cooked and ready by the time the butter bean supreme is cooked.
First, cook the shallots [or replace with ordinary onions] and garlic.
Then stir through the flour.
Slowly add the vegetable broth, stirring to avoid lumps, followed with the plant-based milk.
[As a French supreme sauce is traditionally prepared with chicken stock, use a vegan chicken flavour stock or broth if available]
Next in the pan are the butter beans. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil and cook for 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
Stir through the white miso paste, white wine vinegar and plant cream.
Add salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle paprika powder and chopped fresh chives over the finished dish.
Enjoy with a simply side of rice, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes or pasta.
Recipe notes and FAQ's
Storage
Leftover butter bean supreme can be stored within the refrigerator in a covered container, for up to 3 days.
Or freeze for 2-3 months.
Reheating
Reheat leftover butter bean supreme by placing into a non-stick pan and bringing to a gentle boil. Stir and reheat for a few minutes until piping hot, and if necessary add a little plant-based cream, plant-based milk or vegetable broth to loosen up the sauce if it has gone very thick during storage.
Lots of tasty vegan side dishes can be served with butter bean supreme. The most obvious side is rice and if you are not too confident cooking rice then do have a look at our vegan red beans and rice recipe as this provides an easy method for cooking rice, as well as a few tips for preparing the best rice which are included with the recipe FAQ section.
A few more vegan sides include pasta, thick noodles especially tagliatelle, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, mashed turnip [rutabaga], roast tomatoes, peas and sweet corn, corn-on-the-cobs, steamed veggies, roast veggies, roast potatoes, fries, chips or potato wedges, fresh crisp salad, quinoa, barley, brown or green lentils, fresh spinach, steamed kale, garlic bread, baguette, crusty bread, pickled vegetables, the list goes on and on!
A few ideas:
* Your favourite fresh or dried herbs can be added to the cooking sauce or sprinkled over the finished dish. Such as chopped parsley, tarragon, rosemary, thyme, sage, or dill. If herbs are added while cooking, then remove any hard herb stocks or leaves before serving.
*Peas and sweetcorn are particular favourites especially with younger family members. Frozen, fresh or tinned peas and sweetcorn can be added along with the butter beans. And will give the overall protein content a boost.
* For a spicy white sauce add some chilli or red pepper flakes over the finished dish or add some drops of hot sauce or a few jalapenos from a jar.
* Mushrooms are a tasty addition simply cook sliced or diced mushrooms along with the shallots and garlic.
Shallots are related to onions and garlic as they all belong to the same family -Allium.
Shallots have a mild and sweet flavour that tastes a little like garlic. You'll likely see shallots beside the onions in supermarkets and grocery stores and they are smaller and thinner than ordinary onions.
Shallots can be eaten raw in salad dressings, and vinaigrettes or cooked in sauces, stir-fries, pies, gratins, soups, and stews, etc.
Yes, if preferred the shallots can be substituted for ordinary onions or whatever onion you prefer, including shop-bought frozen diced onion!
As a supreme sauce is a French sauce the inclusion of shallots for the butter bean supreme was intentional as shallots are closely related to French cooking.
However, use any onion you have to hand in your kitchen, including dried onion powder or granules, or onion paste or puree.
Yes, butterbean supreme is easily prepared as gluten-free by replacing the flour with gluten-free plain flour, using a gluten-free vegetable broth, and checking that your white miso paste is also gluten-free as some are prepared with barley which contains gluten.
White miso paste is a traditional Japanese condiment made from fermented soybeans, rice or barley, salt, and a koji culture (a type of fungus). It has a smooth texture and a slightly sweet and savory flavor. White miso paste is milder and less salty compared to darker miso varieties like red or brown miso. If your in the UK, Asda supermarkets stock small jars of white miso paste and one jar will enhance many a dish!
White miso paste can be used as an ingredient in vegan white sauces, adding a depth of flavor and umami. However, the flavour profile of miso paste is distinct, so if you need to replace it, you can try the following alternatives:
Chickpea Miso: Made from fermented chickpeas, chickpea miso can be used as a gluten-free substitute for white miso.
Soy Sauce or Tamari: While not an exact replacement, you can use soy sauce or tamari to add umami flavour to a vegan white sauce. Try adding 1-2 teaspoons and keep in mind that soy sauce is salty so you may need to add less salt to season the sauce.
Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast can add a cheesy, savory flavour to sauces. It won't replicate the flavour of miso exactly, but it will add a lovely cheesy flavour to the sauce. Add a few tablespoons at first.
Dijon Mustard: Adding a touch of Dijon mustard can provide tanginess and depth to your sauce, although it won't offer the same umami flavor as miso, start with 1 teaspoon and adjust to your tastes. Alternatively add a half teaspoon of mustard powder.
Yes, preparing the white sauce ahead of time is a wonderful time saver. Simply prepare the sauce either with the butterbeans or without the butterbeans, and then store within the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
We recommended 1-2 days in case you may have leftovers and then you can enjoy those the next day.
Gently reheat the sauce when you need it and if the butterbeans were not initially included add these to the sauce and they will heat through as the sauce reheats.
If you prefer a thicker sauce, you can add an extra tablespoon of flour. Alternatively, if you want a thinner sauce, you can add a bit more plant-based milk or broth to achieve the desired consistency.
Of course. If you would like to prepare the creamy white sauce as a stand-alone recipe then that is perfectly fine. The vegan white sauce is very versatile and can be used for a variety of recipes and meals.
The white sauce can be poured over mashed potatoes, mashed veggies, champ, vegan sausages, roast or steamed vegetables, grains such as rice, quinoa, couscous, barley, faro, etc., vegan meatloaf, vegan haggis, vegan meat and potato pie, vegan Teviotdale pie, and lots more dishes!
Also, this delicious easy vegan white sauce can be used to prepare a vegan version of the US traditional biscuits and white gravy. Pour the white sauce over vegan American biscuits or use this vegan buttermilk scone recipe as a British biscuit alternative!
Another idea is to add nutritional yeast flakes to the finished white sauce or vegan grated or shredded cheese to create a vegan cheese sauce that can be stirred through cooked macaroni for a quick mac and cheese, or pour the sauce over cooked cauliflower for a quick cauliflower cheese.
Yes, you can try using other beans or legumes such as cannellini beans, haricot [navy] beans, white kidney beans, or chickpeas as a substitute for butterbeans in this recipe. Also, cooked broad beans are a nice alternative.
Absolutely! If you prefer the convenience of shop-bought vegan chicken alternatives, you can use store-bought options instead of canned butterbeans or cooking dried butterbeans from scratch at home.
More tasty vegan traditional chicken recipes
These recipes are vegan adaptations of traditional chicken dishes that have been given a plant-based make-over! One of our family favourites is this Vegan 'chicken' Noodle Soup that is especially good for soothing sick family members, and we all love this Old-School Vegan 'chicken' Curry which is similar to take-out curry, and for lunch we frequently enjoy this Vegan Coronation 'chicken' Sandwich which is packed with chickpeas and kidney beans, and whenever we need vegan comfort food fast we always want this Vegan 'chicken' Stew and Dumplings. So good!
For another vegan French recipe check out our delicious version of an Easy and Quick Ratatouille. And for even more plant-based dinner ideas have a rummage through our Vegan Dinner Recipes family collection.
Many people ask the question - What is ''vegan chicken''?
Simply put vegan chicken or plant-based chicken alternatives are simply those vegan chicken pieces, chunks or nuggets, vegan chicken fillets, vegan chicken burgers, vegan Quorn, etc., that are usually sold in most supermarkets or grocery stores, or at least they stock one or two options.
However, many vegans, vegetarians, plant-based eaters, flexitarians and those on other diets but who prefer not to eat meat, as well as those with allergies, simply do not like shop-bought vegan chicken.
So for any recipe that calls for vegan chicken pieces, these can be simply substituted for plant-based ingredients such as chickpeas, butterbeans, any pulse, mushrooms, tofu, seitan, tempeh, Textured vegetable protein [TVP], soy curls, Jackfruit, and even cauliflower!
***please note: for US measurements click the 'US customary button' within the recipe and the measurements will switch to tablespoons, cups, and ounces.***
Recipe
Vegan Butter bean 'Chicken' Supreme
Equipment
- Non-stick skillet or stove-top casserole pan or deep frying pan or similar
- mixing spoon, or hand whisk to stir the sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or ½ cup veggie stock [broth]
- 2 shallots alternatively use 1 medium onion, fine diced
- 4 cloves garlic fine chopped or minced
- 2 tablespoons plain flour or all-purpose flour or gluten-free plain flour
- 300 millilitres vegetable stock [broth] [use a vegan chicken flavour stock if available such as OXO meat free chicken stock cubes]
- 150 millilitres plant-based milk [soya or oat are good choices for a sauce]
- 2 cans butter beans 400g [14oz ]cans, drained
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon white miso paste [see recipe FAQ's for substitution information]
- 3 tablespoons vegan pouring cream [such as Alpro soya single cream or Oatley cream, alternatively use the equivalent amount of cashew or oat cream]
Garnish, optional
- ½ teaspoon paprika possibly a little more if liked
- 10 grams chives or parsley, chopped, use extra as required, or replace with spring onions [scallions]
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil or veggie stock in your pan over a medium heat for a few minutes.Turn the heat to low.Sauté the shallots for 8 minutes, stirring frequently.1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 shallots
- Add the garlic and mix.Cook for 3 minutes.Add a little splash of veggie stock if necessary to avoid sticking to the pan.4 cloves garlic
- Tip in the flour and stir through the onions and garlic.2 tablespoons plain flour
- Slowly add the veggie stock, mixing well after each addition to prevent lumps.300 millilitres vegetable stock [broth]
- Add the plant-based milk and stir well.150 millilitres plant-based milk
- Next add the butter beans.2 cans butter beans
- Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook over a low heat for about 5 minutes. (don't fast boil!)The sauce will thicken up.Give it a stir a few times to make sure the sauce is not sticking.
- The sauce may look split and this can happen depending on the brand and type of plant milk used but don't worry as when the plant cream is added and the sauce is off the heat it will come together fine.
- Remove the pan from the heat.Mix in the white miso, plant-based cream, and white wine vinegar into the sauce.Ensure the miso has been mixed thoroughly as clumps of miso can taste a bit strong.1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon white miso paste, 3 tablespoons vegan pouring cream
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Optional: sprinkle paprika over the dish and scatter over some chopped chives or parsley.A little extra paprika and chives added to each portion is also a tasty addition.½ teaspoon paprika, 10 grams chives
Notes
- Nutritional data is for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary.
- Leftover butterbeans supreme can be stored in the fridge in a covered container for up to 3 days.
- Or frozen for 2-3 months.
- Reheat by bringing to a gentle boil and reheating for a few minutes until piping hot throughout, stir frequently and add extra vegan cream, milk or vegetable broth if required.
- The creamy white sauce can also be prepared without the beans and mixed with vegan cheese or nutritional yeast flakes to create the best vegan cheese sauce that is amazing mixed with macaroni for a quick mac and cheese, or poured over cauliflower for an easy cauliflower cheese.
- Shallots can be replaced with ordinary onion, or a teaspoon of dried onion powder or 1-2 teaspoons of onion puree or paste.
- Use a vegan chicken flavour stock or broth if available, such as OXO meat-free chicken stock cubes which can be found in Asda or Tesco [UK].
- Looking for a vegan white gravy and biscuits recipe? The creamy white vegan sauce recipe can be prepared separately and used as a vegan home-made white gravy to pour over American biscuits, or for a biscuit alternative bake a batch of these Buttermilk Scones.
Nutrition
Thank you for trying out our Vegan Butterbean 'chicken' Supreme!
If you tried this recipe, please let us know in the comments below how it turned out for you, or if you made any modifications.
If you share your creations on social media, don't forget to tag us (@traditionalplantbasedcooking) and use the hashtag #traditionalplantbasedcooking, so we can see your delicious dishes!
Lastly, if you found this recipe helpful, please share it with your friends and family, so they can enjoy it too.
As always, Thank you, and happy cooking!
Love, Jacq x
Beth
We used to not like vegan recipes but we’ve tried so many that it changed our minds! My son and daughter loved this recipe, and it was so delicious! I can’t wait to make this again!
Jacq
Vegan recipes have certainly evolved into the most amazing inventive creations. I just love it. So glad you all enjoyed the butterbean supreme I had so much fun creating this dish 🙂
Biana
Yum! Looks so delicious, the creamy sauce makes everything better.
Jacq
The creamy butterbeans certainly are comfort food!
Liz
My family used to think vegan food was boring but this recipe TOTALLY proved them wrong! haha such a creative recipe idea!
Jacq
Thanks! Vegan food is anything but boring. It always amazes me how creative vegan food can actually be. So happy your family enjoyed the butterbean supreme!!! 🙂
Keri
What a great idea! I'm going to try this this coming weekend!
Jacq
Hope you enjoy the creamy butterbeans at the weekend! Going to be this dish myself as I just love the aromas that appear after the white wine vinegar is added. YUM!!!
Jamie
This is such an easy, comforting meal for my family! I love how hearty and satisfying it is. Delicious and full of flavor!
Jacq
Thanks! So glad your family enjoyed. I agree the creamy beans are so comforting and tasty 🙂