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    Home » Recipes

    15th March 2022 Dinner

    Home » Recipes

    Chicken Dal Chawal

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    Chicken Dal Chawal is a comforting dish that is a quicker, cheaper alternative to this Dal Chawal recipe made with Lamb. In this recipe, tender Chicken is combined with Dal for a truly delicious meal.

    Chicken Dal Chawal in a dish with rice to the side

    Chicken Dal Chawal

    Dal Chawal is very flavourful and comforting.

    It is served with papad, kachumber salad, and pickles.

    In this recipe, unlike the one made with red meat, the lentils are cooked separately to the Chicken because the Chicken would fall apart if it was cooked with the Dal which can take much longer to cook

    Ingredients

    There is an extensive list of ingredients here which makes this feel like more of a labour of love then it actually is..but I promise it is easy. Dal Chawal was one of the first dishes I learnt how to cook.

    Fat - Oil and Ghee (Or add more Oil)

    Whole Dry Spices - Cumin Seeds, Bay Leaf, Cinnamon Stick, Cloves, Black Peppercorns, Green Cardamoms, Star Anise, Dry Red Chillies, Dagar na Phool, Fenugreek, Mace .

    Rice - Long grain

    Ground Dry Spices - Salt, Turmeric Powder, Coriander Powder, Cumin Powder, Red Chilli Powder, Cardamom Powder, Garam Masala Powder

    Chicken - Bone in

    Veg - Onions, Ginger, Garlic, Green Chillies 

    Dal - Oily Toor Daal

    Plum Tomatoes  - Pureed

    How to make it

    For the Rice

    Add oil and ghee to a pan over medium heat.

    Add cumin seeds, bay leaf and cinnamon stick and once fragrant and spluttering stir in the rice.

    Whole spices in oil in pot

    Cook for 2 minutes.

    Add toor dal and rice.

    Dal and rice in pot

    Add water.

    Bring to a quick boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer.

    Cover and cook for approximately 5 - 15 minutes (this time really depends on the rice you are using), till all the water has evaporated and the rice is cooked through.

    Top with chopped coriander and serve hot.

    For the Dal

    Add Dal to a pot with Salt.

    Cover with enough water to fully cover the Dal.

    You can add whole spices, onions and ginger and garlic at this stage if you like. I did that here but it is not necessary. I often skip this as there are whole spices in the masala. You can always make a separate tadka to pour on the top.

    Dal and spices in a pot.

    Cooked Dal in pot

    Bring to a boil and simmer on low for 40 - 45 minutes.

    Masala

    Heat oil/ghee in a pot over high heat.

    Add whole spices - star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, black and green cardamom, cloves and peppercorns.

    Whole spices in oil in a pot

    Add the chopped onions and a handful of Dagar na pool.

    Onions added to pot

    Turn the heat down to medium/low.

    Once the onions have browned (about 20 minutes over medium/low), add fenugreek, ginger, garlic and green chilli. Cook for a couple of minutes on medium low.

    Browned onions in pot with added spices

    Add pureed tomato, 1.5 tsp cumin powder, 1.5 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp turmeric, red chilli, mace (optional), 1/2 tsp garam masala powder, 1/2 tsp cardamom powder (optional).

    Tomato added to pot

    Ground spices added to pot

    Simmer on low until the oil separates from the tomato. (The best way to do this is by covering and cooking on low for 15 - 20 minutes).

    Add Chicken and cook for an additional 20 minutes on low.

    Add the Dal and turn the heat down.

    Add 1/2 cup water and cook for 15 - 20 more minutes.

    Stir in the masala and cook on high for 4 - 5 minutes.

    Tips for making Chicken Dal Chawal

    Dagar na pool - Can be found in South Asian supermarkets. This is a key ingredient.

    You can skip cardamom powder and mace powder.

    Oily Toor Dal and Toor Dal are 2 different Dals and can't be used interchangeably.

    Using a pressure cooker to cook the Dal, will reduce the time to cook significantly. 20 minutes is enough in the pressure cooker.

    Dal - If you prefer the Dal completely smooth, you can remove the meat from the pot and blend using a stick blender.

    Check the Dal regularly and top up with water to stop it from drying out.

    You can add whole spices, onions and ginger and garlic when boiling the Dal.

    I often skip this as there are whole spices in the masala.

    You can always make a separate tadka to pour on the top to flavour the Dal some more. I have a version of a Dal with tadka here.

    Storage

    Dal Chawal keeps well in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

    It freezes well for up to 2 months.

    For sides, try:

    Papadums

    Achaars/Indian Pickles

    Kachumber Salad

    Onion Raita

    MORE RICE RECIPES:

    Dal Chawal

    Yakhni Pulao

    Chicken Akni, One Pot Chicken and Rice

    Mum’s Biryani

    Indian Lemon Rice

    **if you make and enjoy this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating. Please tag us on instagram. We love to see your creations and your feedback helps us to shape future content! we love to hear from you. Thankyou! x

    Chicken Dal Chawal in a dish with rice to the side
    5 from 1 vote
    Print

    Chicken Dal Chawal

    Chicken Dal Chawal is a comforting dish that is a quicker, cheaper alternative to Dal Chawal recipe made with Lamb. In this recipe, tender Chicken is combined with Dal for a truly delicious meal.

    Course Dinner
    Cuisine Indian, South Asian
    Keyword Bharuchi Dal Chawal, Chicken dal chawal, Dal Chawal
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 1 hour
    Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
    Servings 6
    Author Safira

    Ingredients

    Rice

    • ¼ cup Toor Dal
    • 1 tbsp Oil
    • 1 tbsp Ghee
    • 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
    • 1 Bay Leaf
    • 1 Cinnamon Stick
    • 2.5 cups Rice Long grain, rinsed and soaked for 30 minutes
    • 5 cups Water Boiled
    • 2.5 tsp Salt

    Dal

    • 2 cups Oily Toor Daal
    • Pinch Salt

    Masala

    • 2 tbsp Oil
    • 1 tbsp Ghee
    • 2 Cinnamon Sticks
    • 1 Star Anise
    • 3 Bay Leaves
    • 2 Black Cardamoms
    • 6 Green Cardamom Pods slightly cracked
    • 6 Cloves
    • 6 Black Peppercorns
    • 2 large Onions finely chopped
    • Handful Dagar na Phool
    • 2 tbsp Dry Fenugreek leaves
    • 2 inch Ginger crushed
    • 4 - 8 Garlic Cloves Crushed
    • 2 Green Chillies slit down the middle
    • 250 ml Plum Tomato Tin Pureed
    • 1 ½ Cumin Powder
    • 1 ½ Coriander Powder
    • 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
    • ½ - 1 Red Chilli Powder
    • 1 piece Mace Or 1/4 tsp Ground Mace
    • ½ tsp Garam Masala Powder
    • ½ tsp Cardamom Powder
    • Salt
    • 2 lb Chicken skinless, bone in

    Instructions

    Rice

    1. Add oil and ghee to a pan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf and cinnamon stick and once fragrant and spluttering stir in the rice.

    2. Cook for 2 minutes.

    3. Add toor dal and rice. Add water. Bring to a quick boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer.

    4. Cover and cook for approximately 10 - 15 minutes (this time really depends on the rice you are using), till all the water has evaporated and the rice is cooked through.

    Dal

    1. Add Dal to a pot with Salt. Cover with enough water to fully cover the Dal. Bring to a boil and simmer on low for 40 - 45 minutes.

    Masala

    1. Heat oil/ghee in a pot over high heat. Add whole spices - star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, black and green cardamom, cloves and peppercorns.

    2. Add the chopped onions and a handful of Dagar na pool. Turn the heat down to medium/low. Once the onions have browned (about 20 minutes over medium/low), add fenugreek, ginger, garlic and green chilli. Cook for a couple of minutes on medium low.

    3. Add pureed tomato, 1.5 tsp cumin powder, 1.5 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp turmeric, red chilli, mace (optional), 1/2 tsp garam masala powder, 1/2 tsp cardamom powder (optional).

    4. Simmer on low until the oil separates from the tomato. (The best way to do this is by covering and cooking on low for 15 - 20 minutes).

    5. Add Chicken and cook for an additional 20 minutes on low.

    6. Add the Dal and turn the heat down. Add 1/2 cup water and cook for 15 - 20 more minutes.

    7. Stir in the masala and cook on high for 4 - 5 minutes.

    Recipe Notes

    Tips for making Chicken Dal Chawal

    Dagar na pool - Can be found in South Asian supermarkets. This is a key ingredient.

    You can skip cardamom powder and mace powder.

    Oily Toor Dal and Toor Dal are 2 different Dals and can't be used interchangeably.

    Using a pressure cooker to cook the Dal, will reduce the time to cook significantly. 20 minutes is enough in the pressure cooker.

    Dal - If you prefer the Dal completely smooth, you can remove the meat from the pot and blend using a stick blender.

    Check the Dal regularly and top up with water to stop it from drying out.

    You can add whole spices, onions and ginger and garlic when boiling the Dal.

    I often skip this as there are whole spices in the masala.

    You can always make a separate tadka to pour on the top to flavour the Dal some more. I have a version of a Dal with tadka here.

    Storage

    Dal Chawal keeps well in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

    It freezes well for up to 2 months.

    For sides, try:

    Papadums

    Achaars/Indian Pickles

    Kachumber Salad

    Onion Raita

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    hey...I’m safira! I share accessible Global Recipes as well as Baking recipes for home cooks. One of my passions is to teach home cooks to become more confident in the kitchen and this comes with time and experience.

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