Chicken Dhansak

A white plate with chicken curry over a bed of rice

5 from 2 votes

Chicken Dhansak, a mild curry recipe made with chicken breast and split red lentils. The sauce is beautifully spiced and rich, making this dish ideal for a family dinner, as kids and grown ups can enjoy it. It's quick and easy to make with simple ingredients, and on the table in well under 45 minutes.

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Parsi

Servings: people

Calories: 469kcal

Author: Daniela Apostol

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon ginger puree
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
400 ml tomato passata
400 ml chicken stock/broth
½ cup split red lentils
salt and pepper to taste
coriander or parsley to garnish
lemon juice to taste

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Heat up the oil in a large pan set over a low to medium heat.
Peel and chop the onion and garlic.
Fry the onion until golden, then add the garlic and ginger together with the garam masala, cumin, turmeric and ground coriander.
Give everything a good stir, and leave to cook for 1 minute.
Add the chicken cut into chunks, and mix to coat the chicken well.
Leave it to cook for 2-3 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink.
Add the tomato passata, stock and lentils, and leave everything to cook on a medium heat until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and rich.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with fresh coriander or parsley.
To serve, you can drizzle over some lemon juice if you wish.

Video

Notes

To see the measurements in cups and ounces, please click on the US CUSTOMARY link.
The amount of ingredients listed can be adjusted depending on the number of servings you need, just click on the number next to SERVINGS.

Chicken is my first choice when it comes to a good curry, as it cooked quickly, but the dish can also be made with beef or lamb. Because they require a longer cooking time, more broth will have to be added while cooking.

So start with 2 cups of broth, and add more as needed until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick and creamy.

Some recipes use canned pineapples for this dish, although I chose to leave it out, you can add about one cup of pineapples towards the end of the cooking time.

Other recipes mention the use of lemon juice to be drizzled over the curry for a more tangy touch - again, that's up to personal choice.>

Nutrition