Dal Chicken strikes the ideal balance between nutritious, fibre-rich lentils and the comforting satisfaction of tender chicken. It’s a hearty, flavourful curry that’s both economical and quick to prepare compared with versions made with red meat.
This Dal Chicken is a close cousin of the more commonly known Dal Gosht (which uses red meat), but uses chicken instead. The result is equally delicious, cooks faster and costs less—very welcome during times of tighter budgets.
When I develop recipes, I usually jot notes and measurements in a notebook and take step-by-step photos for the blog and Instagram. This time, though, the Dal Chicken came out perfect on the very first try—something I honestly didn’t expect. Over the years I’d struggled to get the lentils and meat to finish at the same time without the meat becoming overly soft and the lentils remaining undercooked.
My earlier approach was a one-pot method: fry onions and tomatoes into a masala, then add lentils and meat to finish the curry. The problem I kept facing was timing—the lentils often took longer to cook than the meat, so the chicken would fall off the bone and turn mushy, or I’d be left with underdone lentils. I tried many times to perfect the timing but kept failing more often than not.
I had seen recipes where the lentils are cooked separately before joining the masala and meat, but I resisted using two pots. Ultimately, I relented and boiled the chana dal separately. The result was flawless: the lentils were perfectly cooked and the chicken remained tender and well-textured. This two-pot method was the missing piece.
I don’t claim to fully understand why the one-pot technique failed for me—lentil cooking time can vary with factors like soak time, temperature and how old the lentils are. Many cooks successfully use a single pot, and many prefer to cook lentils separately. What matters is the result, and for me the separate cooking method works best.
The method is straightforward: simmer the chana dal until just cooked but still holding its shape, reserving the cooking water. In a separate pot, make the chicken curry as you would normally. When the chicken is partially cooked, add the chana dal and some of the reserved dal water, then simmer until the chicken finishes. Finish with a tadka (tempering) of sliced onions, cumin seeds and dried red chillies fried until golden and fragrant. The tadka elevates the curry—don’t skip it.
When I first served this, my husband asked for details about the tadka because it added such a rich, layered flavour. A well-executed tadka truly transforms this dish.
Tips for Your Dal Chicken
- You can boil the chana dal ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Keep the reserved cooking water too—it adds valuable flavour when you combine the dal with the chicken.
- Lentils absorb a lot of liquid, so be prepared to add back plenty of the reserved dal water while the curry simmers. Even after cooking, lentils continue to soak up moisture, so add water if you plan to serve leftovers later.
- For the best tadka, stay nearby and stir constantly over medium heat. Cooking tadka on high heat risks uneven browning or burning the onions, which will harm the curry’s flavour.
- If you enjoy garlic, slice a few cloves and add them to the tadka a moment before the cumin seeds for a more prominent garlicky note.
- If you’re not serving the curry immediately, wait to add the tadka until just before serving so it remains crisp and aromatic.
Now to the recipe. I didn’t take process photos because I wasn’t expecting such a perfect first attempt, but I’ll add step-by-step images the next time I cook it—likely very soon, since we loved it!
Enjoy, with love x
📋 Recipe
Dal Chicken Recipe – Chicken & Lentil Curry – Daal Murgh
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 3 tablespoon oil
- 2 (220 g) onions chopped
- ½ bulb garlic minced (about 1.5 tbsp)
- 1 medium sized chicken, bone in, curry cut (1 medium chicken = about 700g-1kg)
- 3 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 0.5 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 4 small tomatoes chopped
For the Chana Dal
- 1 cup (190 g) chana dal (split chickpeas) washed and soaked for at least 30 minutes
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the Tadka
- ½ cup oil
- 1 ½ (165 g) medium onions, finely sliced
- 2 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 4 dried red chillies
Instructions
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Start by boiling the chana dal with turmeric and salt in plenty of water over medium-high heat. Cook until the dal is just tender but still holding its shape. Reserve the cooking water.
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In a deep pot, heat oil and add the chopped onions. Fry until translucent and lightly golden.
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Add the minced garlic, spices (turmeric, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder) and the chicken. Fry until the chicken begins to brown.
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Add the chopped tomatoes, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
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Uncover and add the cooked chana dal along with about one cup of the reserved dal water.
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Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes. Check regularly and add more reserved dal water as needed—the lentils soak up liquid, so keep the curry slightly more liquid than you think is necessary.
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Prepare the tadka: heat tadka oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and stir constantly until they turn a light golden color. Add the cumin seeds and dried red chillies, continue frying until the onions reach a deeper golden brown. Remove from heat immediately and pour the hot oil and onions over the Chicken Dal.
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Serve immediately, garnished as you prefer.
Notes
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