One-pot comfort · Weeknight

Dal Chicken Recipe (Chicken with Chana Dal)

Soaked dal. Tender chicken. Garlic tarka.

Farwa ZeeshanRecipe by Farwa ZeeshanTested in the NineFoods home kitchen

Dal chicken is a comforting one-pot curry where chana dal turns creamy around tender chicken. The common failure is hard dal or overcooked chicken. The fix is soaking the dal and cooking it half way before the chicken goes in.

Prep15m
Cook50m
Servings5
kcal / serving430
LevelEasy
Jump to the method

The 3 laws of dal chicken

Why this recipe works

Soak dal

Dry dal

Soaking evens the cooking.

Dal first

All together

Dal needs a head start on chicken.

Tarka

Flat finish

A garlic tarka lifts the dish.

Shopping and prep list

Ingredients

Servings
Tap items as you gather them · 0 of 0 ready

Dal and chicken

Tarka

The NineFoods dal gauge

Is the dal ready for the chicken?

Press a grain of dal between your fingers after 20 minutes.

Tap a stage to see what to do.

Method · 4 stages

Step by step

1

Par-cook dal

Simmer · 20 min
  1. Boil dal with turmeric and 3 cups water.
  2. Use the gauge above.
Look for: dal soft outside.
20:00
2

Masala and chicken

Medium · 12 min
  1. Fry onion golden, add ginger garlic, chicken, tomatoes and spices.
  2. Bhuno until oil separates.
Look for: oil separating.
12:00
3

Combine

Low, covered · 15 min
  1. Add the dal with its water and 1 cup more.
  2. Simmer until creamy and chicken is done.
Look for: creamy dal, tender chicken.
15:00
4

Tarka

High · 2 min
  1. Fry cumin, garlic and chillies in ghee.
  2. Pour on top.
Look for: golden garlic.
02:00

Chef's troubleshooter

What went wrong? Pick the symptom

Why

Not soaked.

Fix next time

Soak 1 hour and cook longer.

Why

Added too early.

Fix next time

Add chicken after the dal is half cooked.

Why

No tarka.

Fix next time

Finish with a ghee tarka.

Why

Dal absorbs water.

Fix next time

Add hot water before serving.

Swap smart

Ingredient roles and substitutes

IngredientJob in the dishSwap with
Chana dalCreamy bodyMasoor dal, no par-cooking
ChickenProteinMutton, cook tender first
Ghee tarkaAromaOil tarka
TomatoesTangLemon juice at the end

After the meal

Serve, store, reheat

Serve with

Rice, roti or naan.

Store

Fridge 3 days; the dal thickens a lot. Freezer 2 months.

Reheat

Loosen with hot water and add a quick garlic tarka to refresh.

How we tested this recipe

Tested in a home kitchen, not a studio

Farwa Zeeshan

Recipe developed and tested by Farwa Zeeshan, who cooks and tests every NineFoods recipe on a regular home stove.

  • Cooked from start to finish with the exact quantities above for 5 servings, using both the metric and US cup measures.
  • Every one of the 4 stages was timed at the stove; heat levels and the 'look for' cues are what we saw in the pan.
  • The doneness check (is the dal ready for the chicken) and the troubleshooter come from batches that went wrong, and how we fixed them.
  • Reheating and storage advice was checked on leftovers, not guessed.

Read our full testing process

Keep cooking

Related recipes and guides

All Pakistani recipes10 Essential Pakistani Spices and How to Use ThemHow to Make Garam Masala at HomeHow to Make Ginger Garlic Paste

Quick answers

Dal Chicken FAQ

Which dal goes with chicken?

Chana dal is the classic choice; masoor dal is quicker.

Can I cook it in a pressure cooker?

Yes, 2 whistles with soaked dal and chicken together.

Why is my dal still hard?

It was not soaked or needs more time.

Is dal chicken good for meal prep?

Yes, it keeps 3 days and tastes better the next day.