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4.8 from 27 votes

Murghi aur Masoor Dal (Bombay-style Chicken Dal)

Murghi aur Masoor Dal is a cozy and comforting chicken dal dish hailing from Bombay. It features red lentils and chicken pieces stewed together in a fragrant mixture of onions, garlic, ginger, and spices.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 15 mins
Total Time
1 hr 25 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 517 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 250 grams (1 ⅓ cups) red lentils picked over, washed and drained
  • 75 grams (½ cup) finely chopped onion
  • ½ to 1 fresh, hot green chili, finely sliced
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon peeled and minced ginger divided
  • 6 cups water
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 ½ kilograms (3 pounds) bone-in chicken pieces skinned
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or other neutral oil
  • 4 cloves garlic minced or crushed
  • ¼ to ¾ teaspoon Indian red chili powder (you can substitute cayenne)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon garam masala
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro optional

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Combine the lentils, onions, green chili, cumin, turmeric, ½ teaspoon minced ginger and the water in a large, heavy pan. Bring to a simmer, cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar, and cook on low heat for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are very tender.
  2. Stir in the salt and add the chicken pieces. Bring to a boil and cover. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 25 to 35 minutes or until the chicken is tender.
  3. Heat the oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the remaining ½ teaspoon minced ginger and the garlic. Fry until the garlic starts to barely brown. Stir in the ground chili powder, then immediately pour this mixture into the pan with the chicken and lentils.
  4. Stir in the lemon juice, sugar, and garam masala. Stir to combine and cook on medium heat uncovered for about 15 more minutes until the mixture reduces and thickens a bit. It will continue to thicken more as it sits.
  5. Sprinkle the cilantro over the top just before serving, if desired.

Notes

  • This chicken dal is not as thick as some other chicken curries. It's a bit more like a stew in it's consistency with a lentil-thickened broth and large bone-in chicken pieces. You may cook it longer uncovered it you want to reduce it even further.
  • Chicken dal is often served with basmati rice on the side, but I also love it with warm naan. Crusty bread would also be a delicious accompaniment.
  • This recipe uses kosher salt (aka cooking salt, kitchen salt, coarse salt outside of the US). If you are using table salt, definitely scale down the salt as that is a saltier type of salt! The type of salt will make a big difference in how salty your food tastes, so keep that in mind.
  • Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking

Nutrition Information

Calories 517kcal (26%) Carbohydrates 29g (10%) Protein 54g (108%) Fat 21g (32%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 1g Cholesterol 167mg (56%) Sodium 895mg (37%) Potassium 521mg (15%) Fiber 13g (52%) Sugar 2g (4%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 517

% Daily Value*

Calories 517kcal 26%
Carbohydrates 29g 10%
Protein 54g 108%
Fat 21g 32%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 167mg 56%
Sodium 895mg 37%
Potassium 521mg 11%
Fiber 13g 52%
Sugar 2g 4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.