TNB Exclusive Interview:

SHICKEN, a Taste of Home With Authentic Indian Cuisine

Image: SHICKEN

In the landscape of culinary innovation, where tradition meets modernity and sustainability intertwines with flavor, there emerges a beacon of taste, culture, and ethical dining: SHICKEN. Born from the passion and vision of a dynamic duo, Parm and Satvinder Bains, SHICKEN represents more than just a plant-based food brand; it embodies a journey of family heritage, culinary excellence, and global expansion.

As we delve into the realms of SHICKEN’s narrative, we uncover a tale that begins in the heart of a family kitchen during the tumultuous days of lockdown in 2020. Parm and Satvinder, driven by a desire to share their love for plant-based Indian cuisine with the world, embarked on a culinary odyssey rooted in tradition and steeped in innovation. Drawing inspiration from Satvinder’s grandmother’s timeless recipes, they crafted a range of mouthwatering dishes that not only tantalize the taste buds but also challenge the notion that plant-based fare lacks depth and satisfaction.

The journey of SHICKEN is one marked by milestones of success and recognition. From captivating the discerning palates of the UK, Iceland, Sweden, and France, to being hailed as the first and only ethnic Asian-founded brand to grace the shelves of mainstream retailers across the United States, SHICKEN has carved a niche for itself as a pioneer in the realm of plant-based gastronomy. With its recent launch in 410 Sprouts Farmers Market stores nationwide, SHICKEN has cemented its status as a trailblazer in the ever-evolving landscape of food innovation.

We had the pleasure of speaking with the founders, Parm and Satvinder Bains, about their compelling journey from their family kitchen to the supermarket shelves, showcasing innovation and diversity as they bring their culture and heritage to the masses.

Image: SHICKEN

TNB: What inspired you and your family to start SHICKEN?

The inspiration behind SHICKEN is very simple. I’ve always been a keen cook, and even at a young age, I remember helping my mum and granny in the kitchen, cooking food for our whole family. As an Indian immigrant family that came over to the UK in the 70s, our house was always busy with family, extended family, and friends. We all used to gather around the dinner table on the weekend for traditional, home-cooked North Indian food. Food was the one thing that brought everyone together. Decades later, this tradition continued with my own family and children, cooking authentic vegetarian and plant-based foods to bring the family together for a great meal around the dinner table. SHICKEN was born to share my generational plant-based home-cooked food with my family and families across the UK and now across the US.

TNB: Why was there an emphasis on making your products plant-based? 

I’ve been a vegetarian for over 30 years. Five years ago, due to health reasons, I started transitioning to a plant-based diet. As an Indian, our cuisine traditionally is largely vegetarian and vegan, so making that switch to home cultural cuisine was easier than I thought.  The real challenge was stopping dairy products.

TNB: How do you maintain the authenticity of the traditional curry flavors while ensuring they appeal to a global audience? 

When cooking any traditional curry, you need time to build the flavors, sauté onions, ginger, and garlic while building the flavors of the spices and building the heat and aromatic flavors slowly. Moving out of my home kitchen, where I started SHICKEN, we still follow the same principles of building the flavors of a great curry and we never sacrifice flavor. The global appetite for great curry has increased massively since I was a young girl – so much so that the national dish of the UK was the Tikka Masala curry for decades. Global audiences appreciate authentic traditional flavors from India.

TNB: Which of the products are your personal favorites, and which do you recommend for a first-time buyer of your product?

My personal favorite is our SHICKEN Tikka Kebabs. These versatile kebab skewers can be eaten on their own. Simply pop them onto a grill or BBQ or add them to a salad, pita bread, or naan bread wrap. The possibilities are endless. Our unique SHICKEN plant-based breast pieces are coated in a dry tandoori spice rub and then smothered with our Tikka marinade. They deliver a real depth of flavor that will most definitely have you coming back for more.

TNB: What challenges have you faced during this journey of getting your product in retailers throughout the US and worldwide?

As a UK-born company and brand, the export market is a challenging one but a very exciting one as well. With any food business, the biggest challenge for our domestic and international markets is finding the correct buyer and managing to present our products to the buying teams of retailers and food service operators. The US market has been a learning curve – understanding the distribution structure, which varies by state, FDA approval for plant-based foods, and finally, how business in the food industry is done in the US compared to the UK. These early direct lessons will only strengthen our position to grow in the US in the coming years.

TNB: How has the investment from VegCapital impacted the growth and development of SHICKEN? 

The SHICKEN and VegCapital partnership has been great. We are both aligned with removing animal proteins from the food system in the UK and globally. With any startup business, funding is the greatest challenge for sustained growth. SHICKEN has been fortunate enough to secure several rounds of funding from a single investor who saw the potential of our quality products from the very beginning. The investment raised to date has enabled us to build our own state-of-the-art dedicated plant-based manufacturing site in the UK so that we can control and maintain the quality of our products – plus protect our product IP.

TNB: How important is sustainability to your brand, especially given that your products come in recyclable packaging? 

Our mission at SHICKEN is all about reducing the impact we, as consumers, have on our planet and animal welfare. Every product we currently produce is packed in recyclable packaging. We use natural and sustainable ingredients, locally sourced wherever possible. The greatest impact that any consumer globally can make on the protection of our planet is to reduce the amount of animal protein they consume. SHICKEN is positioned to provide consumers with choices and options to help them reduce their meat consumption with an extremely high-quality product that replicates the texture, bite, and flavor of chicken protein.

TNB: Can you talk about the process of creating your best-selling flavors, such as Tikka Masala and Jalfrezi? 

The process of making any great curry is the same. It starts with sautéed onions until they are golden brown, frying off lots of garlic and ginger, which are staple favorites in any Indian household. Adding tomatoes depends on the dish, but they add a great sweetness to any curry. Finally, cooking with a medley of whole spices, grounding them, and adding them to the single-pot cooking curry. The final stage of any good curry is adding vegetables with most Indian families, but you can add our SHICKEN pieces to elevate the curry to a higher level.

TNB: As a female entrepreneur in the food industry, what advice would you give to other women entrepreneurs who want to start their own brand?

The single piece of advice I would give anyone looking to start their own business is don’t be afraid of failure. So many people don’t follow their dreams because they’re afraid of failing. In my life, failure has been a huge learning tool. I say to my children: don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and don’t be afraid to fail. It’s the best learning tool, and they will come out the other end with a host of knowledge and experience.

TNB: What’s next for the future of SHICKEN?

The future for SHICKEN is bright with plans to continue our double-digit growth in our domestic market – and more importantly, our global expansion by entering new markets, gaining new customers, and sharing our home-cooked SHICKEN meals and kebabs with families around the world.