Chicken dal, also called Dal Murgh, is a delicious curry that you'll want to make again and again. This fusion recipe combines tender chicken with soft, creamy moong dal and everyday spices. The chicken is cooked first with onions, tomatoes and basic spices, then simmered with soaked dal until it turns into a rich, creamy and mildly spiced curry.
Chicken Dal Recipe
One day I visited one of my close friends place. We had such a great time and for lunch she made ghee rice and dal curry. I was surprised to see that combo, she told me that her mum always makes dal curry with ghee rice. When i tasted it, it was delicious. So yummy.
I took the inspiration from that and decided to make ghee rice and dal, at that moment I thought why not add chicken to dal. When I tried, I loved the flavour and it went so well with ghee rice. More over my lil one loved it to the core.
About Chicken Dal
When I first tried this recipe at my friend's house, I thought it was a bit of an unusual combination. Because dal is used for making everyday dishes like sambar, kootu, rasam or other lentil based recipes.
Mixing chicken with dal felt different at first and I wasn't sure how it would taste. But once I tried it, I realized how creamy dal goes well with juicy chicken to create a rich and comforting curry.
This chicken dal version is a simple and easy to make curry. The tender chicken is cooked with moong dal, onion, tomato, chilli and every day spices. The lentils cook soft and creamy while the chicken stays juicy, which makes a perfect protein packed dish for everyday meals.
Another popular dal-meat based dish to try is Dalcha. It is a flavourful curry made with mutton or chicken and often served with parotta, naan, biryani or pulao during festivals and special occasions.
This is a wholesome curry because it brings together protein rich chicken and lentil in one tasty dish. Serve it hot with plain rice, idli, dosai, chapati or ghee rice for a satisfying and filling meal.
Similar Recipes
Ingredients
- Chicken : Use bone-in chicken for the best flavour. The chicken stays soft, juicy and absorbs all the spices beautifully.
- Yellow moong dal / Pasi paruppu : Yellow moong dal is one of the lentils that cooks fast and becomes soft and creamy. It also helps to create a thick and smooth curry.
- Green chilli : Green chilli adds the essential spicy flavour without overpowering the dish.
- Curry leaves : Curry leaves release a fragrant aroma when boiled with chicken and other spices.
- Tomato : Tomato adds a tangy taste and forms the base of the curry. Turmeric powder : Turmeric powder adds bright yellow color to the dal.
- Coriander leaves : Coriander leaves are added at the end for the fresh aroma.
- Water : Water helps to cook the chicken, dal and helps to blend all the flavours together in a rich curry.
- Tempering : A flavourful tempering is made by sizzling onion, cumin seeds, and ginger garlic paste in ghee. This adds the final aromatic touch to the curry and enhances the taste.
Step by Step pictures
1)Wash and soak moong dal in water for 30 minutes.
2)take chicken in a cooking pot. Add in curry leaves.
3)Add in green chillies, tomatoes and cover with water.
4)Add in turmeric powder.
5)Season with salt. Now cook this for 20 to 30 minutes until chicken is completely cooked.
6)Once chicken is cooked, add in the strained moong dal. Now cook this on low heat for 12 to 15 minutes until the dal is cooked.
7)Now the chicken is dal is completely cooked. Set this aside.
8)Heat oil or ghee in a pan. Add in sliced onions. Saute until light golden brown.
9)Add in cumin seeds and let them fry till golden brown.
10)Add in ginger garlic paste and saute for few more minutes.
11)Now the onions and ginger garlic is golden brown.
12)Pour this into the curry and mix well.
13)Your chicken dal is ready to serve. Add coriander leaves.
14)Mix well and enjoy.
15)Serve hot with rice.
Expert Tips
Soak the dal : Soak the moong dal for at least 15 to 30 minutes before cooking. This helps them to cook faster and make a creamy curry.
Cook dal separately ( optional ) : You can cook the moong dal separately and then add it to the curry.
Cook chicken first : Instead of boiling the chicken with onion and tomato, lightly saute them in oil and cook. This adds more flavour and makes the curry taste richer.
Storage : Store the leftover chicken dal curry in an airtight container in the fridge for about 2 to 3 days. Reheat them gently before serving.
Serving : Serve this creamy and mildly spiced chicken dal with steamed rice, roti, chapati, jeera rice or even with dosai for a flavourful meal. Drizzle some ghee before serving for extra flavour.
FAQ
Yes, you can replace moong dal with masoor dal, toor dal or channa dal if preferred.
Absolutely ! Vegetables like potato, carrot, or drumstick can be added to make the curry more tasty and filling.
Lentils naturally absorb water while cooking. So, if your curry is too thick, simply add a little water and mix until it reaches the desired consistency.
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Chicken Dal Recipe (Chicken Lentil Curry Recipe, Daal Murgh)
Equipment
Ingredients
To Cook with Chicken
- 250 grams Bone in Chicken
- 2 no Green Chilli slit
- 2 sprig Curry leaves
- 1 medium Tomato chopped
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt to taste
- ½ cup Split Yellow Moong Dal
- 3 cups Water
For Tempering
- 2 tablespoon Ghee
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 large Onion peeled and sliced thinly
- 1 tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste
For Garnishing
- ¼ cup Coriander leaves finely chopped
Instructions
- Wash and soak moong dal for 30 mins in water, this reduces the cooking time.
- Take chicken, green chilli, tomato, curry leaves, salt, turmeric and water in a sauce pan. Bring it to a boil, simmer the pan, cover it and let it cook for 25 to 30 mins till the chicken is cooked.
- Now add in the strained moong dal and continue cooking for 15 mins on low heat till dal is cooked completely. Taste and adjust salt.
- Now make tempering. Heat ghee and add in cumin seeds and let them splatter, add in sliced onions and cook till golden. Add in ginger garlic paste and mix well. Spoon this over the dal and add coriander leaves. Mix well. Serve with ghee rice.
Karen Pinto
Wow this recipe seems so simple yet delicious n perfect for a simple rainy day meal with hot hot dal chicken n some rotis.... Awesome.. Can't wait to eat it... Can't thank u enuf Aarthi for the wonderful recipes u share with us.
Omar
Hey Aarthi, the receipt is really simple I got what I was looking for but, have just one question, can't I saute the Onions, zeera and gingergarlic paste first and then cook the chicken and finish it with Dhal and coriander leaves... just a thought!!!
Anindita Pattnaik
Tried the recipe and liked it. Pretty healthy and protein rich dish. Nice option for feeding the kids. Both my kids enjoyed it.