Chicken and Red Lentil Curry

This chicken and red lentil curry is a one-pot dish made with tender red lentils, juicy chicken thighs, a mild aromatic curry blend and the luscious coconut milk. It is the perfect high-flavor, low-effort addition to your weekly menu.

If you like chicken curry recipes, you may also like our unique chicken liver curry dish.

And if you are looking for more recipes with lentils, try our pasta with lentils or aromatic lentil soup.

Recipe highlights

• This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free.
• This recipe is a one-pot dish and easy to make.
• You can make it vegan by skipping the meat

Ingredients

• Red lentils: For this recipe I used split red lentils (dal). I always sort and wash any legumes or grains to the rid of any dust and debris.
• Chicken thighs: Chicken thighs are juicier, and they are harder to overcook. You can also use chicken breasts.
• Onion:  I used yellow onion. You can also use shallots.
• Garlic:  Fresh garlic adds such a great flavor and aroma.
• Ginger: about one teaspoon of finely diced ginger. You can also use ginger powder.
• Curry: I used 1 teaspoon of mild curry powder. You can also use homemade curry.
• Olive Oil: For cooking onions, garlic and ginger. You can use any other mild oil of your choice.  Coconut oil is another great option for this recipe.
• Filtered water: 3 cups of water for 1 cup of lentils to cook the lentils or whatever the package instructions of your lentils suggests.
• Full fat coconut milk: I used canned full fat coconut milk. Coconut milk is amazing in this recipe, it makes it so much creamier.
• Lemon juice: I always add lemon juice to any recipe that has lentils. They just go so well together, and lemon of course adds that tangy sour taste that lentils miss.
• Salt and pepper: adjust to taste.
• Fresh cilantro: Add some chopped fresh cilantro for serving.

How to make it

1. Peel and dice the onion. Mince garlic and ginger. Cut the thicken thigh into bite size pieces.
2. Sort and rinse split red lentils.
3. In a large deep skillet or dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add chopped onions and chicken pieces. Cook over medium heat, until the onions soften and chicken gets fully cooked. Remove the chicken and onions in a separate plate.
4. Add minced garlic, ginger and curry powder to the same skillet. Cook for about 2 minutes or until aromatic.
5. Add rinsed lentils and water. Bring it to a boil and simmer covered for about 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender, stirring the curry occasionally. Most of the water should be absorbed by this time. But if you have too much of water you can drain it.

Important tip: Add the salt only after the lentils are tender and fully cooked. Adding the salt at the beginning will result in longer cooking time and can make the lentils too firm.

Once the lentils are tender, add coconut milk, salt and pepper to taste. Return the cooked chicken and onions. Stir and simmer on low for another 5 minutes. Take of the heat and add some lemon juice.

How to store and reheat

• After the curry cools down, transfer it to an airtight container and store in the fridge for about 3-4 days.
• To reheat, simply add curry to the saucepan, and bring to simmer over low heat. Or reheat it in the microwave.

Serving

• Serve this curry over Basmati rice or any other rice of your choice.
• I also tried it with quinoa, and it tasted as great.  
• And of course, with some Indian Naan bread.

Variations and substitutions

• If you are looking to make vegan curry, use tofu instead of chicken or just omit chicken.
• If you like spicy curry add some cayenne pepper to bring up the heat.
• Use chicken broth instead of water for rich flavor.

📖 Recipe