I never grew up having lentils before. It’s not something very common at our house or even at our hometown. But one thing I can tell you is that I always have soft spots for beans and legumes. My mom often cooked soup with beans and I don’t know if that’s the reason why I love them so much or what ! It’s not until I was in college and had some exposure with Indian foods and lentils have since included in my favorite food to eat. This chicken with red lentils (or known as masoor dal) is a very delicious one-pot dish that will satisfy your hunger for sure. It’s pretty complete nutrition-wise. If you look at the list of ingredients, they are pretty long list, but don’t let those scare you. They are pretty easy to find and most of them in powder kind, so, not much grinding and processing required. I love all the different spices in this one-pot dish. Such a robust flavor and satisfying dish.
CHICKEN WITH RED LENTILS
Ingredients
- 2 lbs of skinless boneless chicken thighs/ breasts or combination of both if you prefer (cut into large chunks)
- 1 â…” cup red lentils/masoor dal (washed and drained)
- 1 small onion (peeled and thinly sliced)
- 2 cloves garlic (peeled and finely chopped)
- 3 Roma tomatoes (diced)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 4 cups of water
- 4 Tbsp of grape seeds oil or oil of your choice
Spices:
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground turmeric powder
- 2 tsp of salt
- Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ tsp store-bought good quality garam masala
- 3 bay leaves
- 5 cloves
- 5 cardamom pods
- 2- inch stick of cinnamon
- 4 dried red chilis
Instructions
- Preheat a large non-stick pan or pot over high heat. Add in the oil. Then add in the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, and red chilis and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add in the chicken pieces in a single layer and brown both sides. Do not overcrowd the pan. Do this in batches if necessary. Remove the browned chicken into a platter (the chicken is not cooked at this point). Using the same oil put in the onions and garlic and stir fry until the onions are soft. Add in the lentils and turmeric powder along with 4 cups of water. Bring it back to boil and then lower the heat to let it simmer for about 30 minutes
- While waiting for the lentils rub 1/2 tsp of salt, pinch of pepper, 1/2 tsp of the garam masala and lemon juice onto the chicken and set aside. Once the lentils is cooked put the chicken in along with all the juice. Cover the pot and let it simmer for the next 30 minutes with stirring once or twice in between. 5 minutes before the end of cooking, uncover and add in the diced tomatoes and cayenne pepper. Turn off the heat and sprinkle the rest of the garam masala and stir to mix everything. Have a taste and add more salt if needed
