This Vegan Chicken Supreme is a meat-free version of chicken supreme which is a retro French meal. Our easy, quick and budget-friendly recipe substitutes chicken for butter beans [lima beans], which are cooked in a deliciously rich, creamy white sauce. It's perfect for mid-week meals, served along with rice or mashed potatoes, or for lunch ladled on toast.
For a vegan biscuits and gravy meal you can omit the beans and use the creamy sauce as a vegan white gravy. We do not have an American biscuits recipe but we do have an easy Buttermilk Scones recipe which are a nice alternative.
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💚 Why You'll Love This Vegan Chicken Supreme
- A comforting, creamy retro French classic made dairy-free, meat-free, plant-based & vegan. It's also easy to prepare for gluten-free diets.
- Butter beans make a nice protein-rich stand-in for chicken, soaking up the rich, savoury white sauce beautifully.
- It's quick, frugal, and made mainly with pantry ingredients so is perfect for weeknights or unexpected guests.
- Versatile enough to serve with mash, toast, rice, pasta or it can even be turned into a creamy pie filling.
- This can be an oil-free dish by using vegetable stock instead of oil.
Origins of retro chicken supreme
If you would like to find out about the origins of chicken supreme then click the '📜 ' toggle below.
📜 Origins of Chicken Supreme
The word "supreme" in cookery terms refers to a French cooking method in which food, usually chicken, is cooked in a creamy sauce known as '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 made with chicken stock and cream.
Recipes for supreme sauce were originally found in the 1938 Larousse Gastronomique, a French cookbook featuring haute cuisine recipes which were served in very expensive restaurants. Haute or grande cuisine, which dates back to the 16th Century, is where the supreme sauce was developed. This style of dining is the opposite of French Nouvelle Cuisine, which emerged in the 1960s and 70s. Haute cuisine features many rich, fancy complicated dishes prepared with plenty of butter and cream, while Nouvelle Cuisine favours lighter, simpler recipes made with fresh, seasonal ingredients.
Chicken or turkey supreme was a popular retro British dinner party dish in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, where stressed out housewives often exerted themselves in the kitchen to serve it to their guests!
As the French chicken supreme name derives from the supreme sauce, technically any ingredient added to the supreme sauce becomes a supreme dish. Instead of butter beans you can use any bean or vegetable you like or even use the sauce, without the beans, as a white sauce for a lasagna.
🥣 Ingredients
- Butter beans (or lima beans): Their creamy texture and mild flavour make them a brilliant stand-in for chicken, especially in retro dishes.
- Shallots and garlic: Classic ingredients that add sweetness and savouriness to the white sauce.
- Plain flour: Helps thicken the sauce to a lovely velvety texture but you can swap for GF flour if needed or spelt flour.
- Plant-based milk and cream: These can be purchased as long-life pantry staples and they help creates that classic "supreme" sauce richness. You can use your favourite soya, oat or cashew-based varieties.
- White miso paste: Our secret ingredient which adds a boost to the savoury umami flavours.
- Vinegar: Just a splash to balance the richness and brighten the flavours and provide a subtle tanginess.
How to prepare
This Butter bean Supreme recipe makes good use of store-cupboard ingredients, which is especially handy if fresh vegetables are in short supply. It's a useful recipe to have "up your sleeve," so to speak, for those days when payday is still a few days away and you need something quick, tasty, and wholesome prepared mainly with pantry staples although we do use a few fresh ingredients such as garlic and onion. Though, technically fresh garlic and onion can be replaced with the dried varieties, jarred paste, or frozen.
This recipe is also great for those times when unexpected guests turn up expecting to be fed! 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 as its quick and pairs well with many sides, or can be used as a stand-alone ladled over hot toast.
Step 1: First, cook the shallots [or replace with ordinary onions] and garlic in olive oil.
Step 2: Next stir through the flour.
Step 3: Slowly add the vegetable stock, 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]
Step 4: Next add the butterbeans.
Step 5: Bring the sauce to a gentle boil and cook for 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
Step 6: Stir through the white miso paste, white wine vinegar, and plant-based cream.
Step 7: Add salt and pepper to taste, and then garnish with paprika and chopped fresh chives.
Serving suggestion: Enjoy with a side of rice, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes or pasta. A garnish of chopped chives and a sprinkle of paprika is a nice touch.
🔄 Ingredient Substitutions
- Butter beans → Cannellini, haricot (navy), chickpeas, or cooked broad beans.
- Shallots → Use a medium onion, spring onions, frozen, dried or jarred equivalents.
- White miso paste → Dijon mustard, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, or chickpea miso.
- Plain flour → Gluten-free flour blend, spelt flour or cornflour (use less and whisk well).
- White wine vinegar → Apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
- Plant-based cream → Cashew cream, unsweetened yoghurt, or canned coconut milk (the creamy part).
- Vegan chicken pieces → Swap the beans for your favourite meat-free chunks if preferred or go with mushrooms.
- Oil → Use vegetable stock or broth instead.
***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 Chicken Supreme (butter beans in a creamy sauce)
Equipment
- Non-stick pan or skillett
- mixing spoon
- kitchen knife
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil [or ½ cup vegetable stock]
- 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 [use a vegan chicken flavour stock if available such as OXO meat free chicken stock cubes]
- 150 millilitres plant-based milk [we use either soya or oat milk but any milk will do]
- 2 cans butter beans [ 2 x 400g [14oz ] cans, drained]
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar [or apple cider vinegar]
- 1 teaspoon white miso paste [or jarred mustard which is also known as prepared mustard]
- 3 tablespoons plant-based cream [such as Alpro soya single cream or Oatley cream, alternatively use the equivalent amount of cashew cream]
Garnish, optional
- ½ teaspoon paprika [use more as preferred]
- 10 grams chives [or parsley, chopped, use extra as required, or replace with spring onions]
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil, (or use vegetable stock if you're on a no-oil diet), in your pan over a medium heat.1 tablespoon olive oil
- Turn the heat to low and sauté the shallots for 8 minutes, stirring frequently.2 shallots
- Next add the garlic, mix and cook for 3 minutes. Add a little splash of vegetable stock if necessary to avoid the onions & garlic sticking to the pan.4 cloves garlic
- Add the flour and stir it through the onions and garlic.2 tablespoons plain flour
- Slowly add the vegetable stock, mixing well after each addition to prevent lumps.300 millilitres vegetable stock
- Add the plant-based milk and stir well.150 millilitres plant-based milk
- Next add the butte rbeans.2 cans butter beans
- Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook over a low heat for about 5 minutes being careful not to fast boil the sauce. The sauce will thicken up. Stir frequently to ensure the sauce is not sticking.
- The sauce may look split and this can happen depending on the brand and type of plant-based milk used, and the heat as it cooks, but don't worry as when the plant-based cream is added and the sauce is off the heat it will come together fine.
- Remove the pan from the heat and 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. Tip: Mix the miso through the plant-based cream before adding both to the pan as this can help ensure the miso has been incorporated.1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon white miso paste, 3 tablespoons plant-based cream
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Optional: sprinkle paprika over the finished butterbeans and sauce and scatter over some chopped chives or parsley. A little extra paprika and chives added to each portion is also a nice addition. A side of rice or cous cous and/or salad, and crusty rolls, are nice accompainments.½ teaspoon paprika, 10 grams chives
Notes
- Nutritional data is for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary.
- Leftover butter beans 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 plant-based cream or milk or vegetable stock if required.
- The creamy white sauce can also be prepared without the beans and mixed with vegan cheese or nutritional yeast flakes to create a vegan cheese sauce that is tasty mixed with cooked macaroni pasta for a quick mac and cheese, or poured over cauliflower for an easy cauliflower cheese. You can double up the sauce recipe and if you would like a thinner sauce stir through extra milk.
- Shallots can be replaced with ordinary onion.
- Use a vegan chicken flavour stock if available, such as OXO meat-free chicken stock cubes which can be found in most supermarkets including Asda and Tesco [UK].
- Vegan white gravy and biscuits recipe: The sauce recipe can be prepared minus the beans, 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. You can double up the recipe to create more sauce.
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
Yes, butterbean supreme is easily prepared as gluten-free by replacing the flour with gluten-free plain flour, using a gluten-free vegetable stock, and checking that your white wine vinegar is gluten-free as well as the white miso paste as some are prepared with barley which contains gluten.
Yes, they are the same type of bean.
You could serve pasta, thick noodles especially tagliatelle, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, mashed turnip [rutabaga], roast tomatoes, peas and sweet corn, corn-on-the-cobs, steamed vegetables, roast vegetables, roast potatoes, fries, chips, or potato wedges, salad, quinoa, barley, brown or green lentils, spinach, steamed kale, garlic bread, baguette, crusty bread, Irish soda bread, pickled vegetables, vegan meat-loaf, etc.
A few ideas:
* 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 jalapeños from a jar.
* Mushrooms are a nice addition simply cook sliced or diced mushrooms along with the shallots and garlic.
As a supreme sauce is a French sauce the addition of shallots for the butter bean supreme was intentional. However, if preferred the shallots can be substituted for ordinary onions or whatever onion you prefer, including shop-bought frozen diced onion.
The white miso adds flavour to the sauce, however, if you need to replace it, you can try the following alternatives: chickpea miso, soy sauce [1-2 teaspoons], nutritional yeast flakes [a few tablespoons], or Dijon mustard [start with a teaspoon] or mustard powder [about a half teaspoon to start]. Add small amounts at first and taste so that you do not accidentally add too much.
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 stock.
If you would like to prepare the 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 vegetables, 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, etc.
Also, this 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. You can adjust the consistency of the sauce such as if you would like a thinner sauce stir through some more plant-based milk. Also if you would like more sauce you can double the recipe.
Another idea is to add nutritional yeast flakes to the finished white sauce or vegan grated cheese to create a vegan cheese sauce that can be stirred through cooked macaroni for a quick mac and cheese, or pour the cheese sauce over cooked cauliflower for a quick cauliflower cheese.
Yes, you can use other beans 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.
Yes, if you prefer to use vegan chicken alternatives, you can use those instead.
More traditional chicken recipes - made vegan
These recipes are vegan adaptations of traditional chicken recipes. 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 old-school Chinese take-out curry.
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. For even more plant-based dinner ideas have a rummage through our Vegan Dinner Recipes family collection.
Comments
Prepared our Vegan Chicken Supreme? We would love to know how you got on with the recipe so it would be wonderful if you could drop us a comment below. All feedback is very much appreciated. Thanks so much. Jacq x
Beth says
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 says
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 says
Yum! Looks so delicious, the creamy sauce makes everything better.
Jacq says
The creamy butterbeans certainly are comfort food!
Liz says
My family used to think vegan food was boring but this recipe TOTALLY proved them wrong! haha such a creative recipe idea!
Jacq says
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 says
What a great idea! I'm going to try this this coming weekend!
Jacq says
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 says
This is such an easy, comforting meal for my family! I love how hearty and satisfying it is. Delicious and full of flavor!
Jacq says
Thanks! So glad your family enjoyed. I agree the creamy beans are so comforting and tasty 🙂