This recipe was served to me by my lovely friend & neighbor Pam, when I visited her a few weeks ago (before lockdown – if I’d known I would have appreciated it all the more!). She and her husband have been on the lookout recently for super delicious yet healthy recipes. This Chicken & Red Lentil Curry ticked all the boxes. It has so many beautiful flavours as it has a real myriad of spices and the smell is divine. The original recipe came from a low cholesterol cook book. I will make sure I find it and post a link to it. I have altered the recipe slightly (type of lentil, a couple of the spices used etc.)
Chicken & red lentil curry for one
This is a great cook for one dish. You do need to marinade the chicken for at least a couple of hours so a little forward planning is required. Aside from that everything else that goes in the dish is done in one pan so it’s nice and easy.
How to make chicken lentil curry
This curry is pretty easy to make. Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl and then pour over the chicken (and leave for at least 2 hours). Then in a large pan cook the remaining ingredients and then leave to simmer for 45 minutes so the lentils are nice and tender. The chicken breast is cooked under the grill (broiler) but could easily be baked in the oven instead.
There are a lot of ingredients in this recipe – but most of them are spices so its not a huge amount of prep. Plus all the flavours come together so well that it’s so worth it – it’s absolutely delicious!
Is this curry spicy?
Most of the heat in this curry comes from the curry paste. The added spices in the marinade aren’t particularly hot. If you don’t like spicy food then use mild curry paste instead. Alternatively if you are a spice lover then use a hot paste.
What to serve with chicken & red lentil curry?
A side of rice goes really well with this curry. However, you could easily eat this on it’s on as it’s got a good portion of carbs cooked right in from the lentils.
If you were making a variety of curries to share at a table then this would be great for that too – slice the chicken into strips before placing on top.
If you skip the rice then this recipe comes in at 550 calories and 15g of fat so it’s pretty sin free!
Are you are a fan of curries? You should also check out this healthy chicken korma or this leftover turkey and sprout curry (works great for leftover chicken and other veg too!)
Products that work great for this recipe
Beeswax Food Wraps
Indian Karahi Curry Bowls
T-fal Nonstick Pan
Chicken & Red Lentil Curry
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
Description
An aromatic and flavoursome chicken & red lentil curry. Absolutely delicious and healthy to boot with only 550 calories. Yum!
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast (around 125g)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 red onion, diced (around 50 g)
- 1 tbsp medium curry paste
- 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes (200 g)
- 300ml veg stock
- 100g lentils
- 40g spinach
Yogurt Dressing
- 2 tbsp low fat natural yogurt
- 1/2 small cucumber (around 30 g) – diced
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- small handful mint leaves, finely chopped
Marinade
- 1/2 lemon, juice
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 tsp ginger paste
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp cardamom pods, crushed
- 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
1. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together. Using a sharp knife (or a serrated one) cut diagonal lines into the surface of each breast – just a few mm thick. This helps the flavour to infuse into the chicken breast more. Coat the chicken with the marinade in a bowl and cover and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
2. In a large pan heat the oil over a medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the curry paste and cook for a further minute.
3. Add the tomatoes and stock and bring to the boil. Add the lentils and reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 45 minutes.
4. Meanwhile make the yogurt dressing by combining all the ingredients together in a bowl.
4. After the lentils have been cooking for 30 minutes heat the grill (broiler) and cook the chicken breast for 7 minutes on each side on a baking tray or rack until cooked through.
5. When the lentils have cooked and the water has been nearly all absorbed add the spinach leaves and cook for a couple more minutes, stirring often to wilt and mix through.
6. Serve the lentils with the chicken breast placed on top and the yogurt dressing drizzled over.
Notes
- You can alternatively bake the chicken breast in the oven for 15 minutes at 200C/400F
- You can crush whole cardamom pods and crush with a large knife or rolling pin – you just want to release the flavour into the marinade
- Most of the heat in this curry comes from the curry paste. If you aren’t a fan of spice then use a mild paste – or alternatively use a hot paste if you are a spice lover!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Hob / Grill
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 550
- Fat: 15g
- Carbohydrates: 51g
- Protein: 52g
Keywords: dinner, curry, indian, lentils, chicken breast, spices, spinach
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