Rotisserie chicken dhansak (chicken and lentil curry)
A Parsi-style curry of red lentils, squash and tomatoes simmered until silky, with chicken stirred through and a sweet-sour finish of lemon and brown sugar.
- 50 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $3.23 a serving
- 670 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1½ cups basmati rice
- ¾ cup split red lentils
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups frozen butternut squash
- 2½ cups chicken broth
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
- ½ lemon, juiced
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 2¼ cups water
- 1½ tsp salt, divided
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp brown sugar
Each serving has about 670 calories, 35 g protein, 100 g carbs and 16 g fat, and costs about $3.23 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No basmati rice? Jasmine rice or long-grain white rice works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No diced tomatoes? Crushed tomatoes work.
- No chicken broth? Vegetable broth or bone broth works.
- No lemons? Limes work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the rice until the water runs mostly clear, then bring it in a with the water and ½ teaspoon of the salt.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
once, cover, turn the heat to low and cook 15 minutes.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Leave it covered off the heat.
the lentils in a strainer until the water runs clear.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 8 minutes, now and then, until .
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium heatTimer: 8 min
Add the garlic, ginger, garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne and 1 minute, until the spices .
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Bloom. Blooming means warming spices in hot oil for a few seconds before the other ingredients go in. The heat wakes up their flavor, so the whole dish tastes fuller.
How you’ll know: They smell strong and toasty within 30 seconds; a dark color or bitter smell means they went too far.
Medium heat
in the lentils, tomatoes, squash, broth and remaining 1 teaspoon salt, turn the heat to high and .
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Turn the heat to low and 20 minutes with the , now and then, until the lentils have and the squash is soft.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Lid ajar. Lid ajar means resting the lid on the pot slightly off-center, leaving a small gap. Some steam escapes, so the sauce thickens and doesn’t boil over, while most of the heat stays in.
How you’ll know: A thin wisp of steam drifts out of the gap, and the pot bubbles gently without spilling.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Low heatTimer: 20 min
Dolly’s tip: Stir from the bottom every few minutes. Red lentils love to stick as they thicken.Mash some of the squash against the side of the pot, then in the chicken and 5 minutes, until it’s hot.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 5 min
Food safety: Rotisserie chicken, deli meat, canned tuna and cooked shrimp are already cooked. Keep them cold until you use them, and heat them until steaming hot if the recipe warms them.
in the lemon juice and brown sugar, taste for salt, and serve over the rice with cilantro.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Dolly’s tip: The little bit of sugar and lemon is the sweet-sour balance that makes it dhansak. Add more lemon if it tastes flat.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
More dinners like this
Easy chicken curry
45 min
Instant Pot chicken tikka masala
55 min
Slow cooker chicken korma
280 min
Chicken saag
45 min
High-protein dinners ›Cozy comfort food ›What to make with canned tomatoes and rice ›