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Indian

One-Pot Chicken Dal Curry

January 19, 2021

I love Indian food, and I find I always gravitate towards it when I am trying to eat healthy. It has so much flavor and you can make curries with so many veggies. I make my end of the week curry all the time and keep the fixings – Naan bread in the freezer, greek yogurt, Major Grey’s Chutney – on hand in case an Indian food craving strikes.

I once saw a lentil and chicken dish on the cover of Cooking Light and I had been dreaming about making it ever since. I had masoor dal lentils from the last time I went to an Indian grocery so I decided to just make traditional dal which I love, and then cook the chicken in that. It turned out to be a perfect match.

This dish is really easy to put together, and it is such healthy comfort food. You feel amazing after you eat it, and it is so full of flavor from the different curry spices plus ginger, garlic and jalepano.

The chicken gets a great flavor boost from the turmeric and paprika, and the thighs are so good in this dish. You could use chicken breasts if you want to but they just fell apart so perfectly.

The real prize is the spiced oil on top, which I made extra spicy.

I used my new tamis to pick through the lentils and realized again what a great tool it is. I wrote about it on my Christmas gift idea post and I have used it ten times already.

You let the lentils soak for 30 min. while you cook the chicken and spices. Then you stir them in with the tomatoes.

Put the chicken back in, cover with the water, and then simmer for 20-30 min. until the lentils are soft. I wish I had a scratch and sniff feature here so you could know how amazing this smelled after simmering away…

When it’s done, stir in the spiced oil…

Garnish with cilantro and pomegranate and serve.

You will love this dish, and you will love how good you feel afterwards. Hope you get to try it soon!

Happy Cooking! xoxo Katie

One-Pot Chicken Dal Curry

Ingredients:

1 cup masoor dal red lentils, picked through for stones

4 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

2 lbs. chicken thighs

1 tsp. tumeric

1 tsp. paprika

salt and pepper

1 onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

one 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon yellow curry powder

2 tablespoon red curry paste

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1 serrano or jalapeno chile, minced (optional)

3 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup pomegranate tendrils (optional)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley

For the spiced oil

1/4 cup coconut oil or sesame oil

1 inch piece fresh ginger, minced

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

Put the lentils in a strainer and rinse them under running water. Add them to a bowl, cover with water and let soak for 30 min. Drain and set aside.

In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle paprika and numeric all over chicken thighs and season with 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. When oil is hot, brown the thighs on both sides, about 3-4 min. per side. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add onions, garlic, and ginger and cook for two minutes. Then add the jalapeño, curry power, curry paste, and stir to combine. Then add the lentils and tomato stir to combine and cook for one minute before nestling the chicken thighs into the pan. Cover with water, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add salt to taste, and top with spiced oil, pomegranate tendrils, and cilantro or parsley. Serve immediately.

Chicken Curry In A Hurry

January 22, 2015

Well aren’t you just a big bowl of sunshine.

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Seriously, it is.

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I love curry so much, and it is ridiculously easy.

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This one uses Rotisserie chicken + coconut milk + curry powder but you can easily use cubed chicken and stir fry veggies. The first time I made it I added the carrots and tomatoes and loved them. The second time I made this I added thawed broccoli florets and I loved them too. So play around with the veggies and add your favorite. If they are raw like the carrots add them early on so they can cook. Or keep it Curry In A Hurry and toss in thawed frozen.

I first saw this recipe on RealSimple, and I loved how fast you could make it. I usually use curry paste + coconut milk, but the powder was heavenly. I love everything about this dish.

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^^See the little specks of firework flavor?

The bed of fluffy Jasmine Rice, Naan Bread, Mango Chutney and Sriracha sauce, though, took it to another new level.  It is just the most comforting dish, it sticks to the ribs, has SO much flavor from the curry and chutney, and when it’s steaming warm in a bowl it just does something really good to my insides that I need on cold days.  

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So make this for yourself and give the kids nuggets if they don’t like the spice. I would make it for you and bring it over but I would probably eat it on the way.

Chicken Curry In A Hurry (printer version here)

Serves 6, prep time 15 minutes (love!), total time 35

Ingredients

1 cup white rice (Jasmine is so yummy)

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1  small yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 large or 2 small sliced carrots

3  teaspoons curry powder

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 can coconut milk

1 teaspoon  kosher salt

1/2  teaspoon  black pepper

1  14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained (optional)

2 cups of frozen broccoli or or peas (optional)

meat from 1 rotisserie chicken, sliced or shredded

1/4  cup  fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

Directions

  1. Cook the rice according to the package directions.
  2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes
  3. Add the thinly sliced carrots, cook for 5 minutes
  4. Sprinkle with the curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute
  5. Add the yogurt and cream and simmer gently for 3 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, and frozen veggies, and tomatoes (if desired). Stir to coat veggies evenly and cook for 3 more minutes.
  6. Divide the rice and chicken among individual bowls, spoon the sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the cilantro.

Serve with Naan Bread, Mango Chutney, Greek Yogurt, and Sriracha Sauce.


Adapted from Chicken Curry in a Hurry recipe found on realsimple.com