Tender chicken in a tangy, sweet and slightly spicy sauce, made lusciously thick and rich with the addition of red lentils.
This is my easy dhansak recipe - ready in 45 minutes, with at least half of that hands-off time.
The kids love the sweet tang of this curry - and you can easily make it chilli-free to suit all tastes.
Working on curry recipes is becoming a bit of a thing during weekends.
I think we've got over 20 curries in our curry section now!
We've had quite a few reader requested curries, and I'm slowly starting to build up a collection of side dishes to serve with that old Friday night favourite.
Is there something you'd like to see in there?
What does dhansak taste like?
Dhansak is quite a mild curry with a lovely thick sauce - make thick by the addition of red lentils. The lentils are cooked for long enough that they start to break down in the sauce, which adds a slight creaminess.
It's also got a tomato flavour, plus a bit of tanginess from pineapple chunks and juice.
Some versions that you get from a takeaway or restaurant can be quite hot. My version is mild, but you can spice it up by adding more hot chilli powder.
What do we need?
- I'm using chicken breast in this curry, but you can replace with chicken thighs if you prefer.
- I'm also using passata. You can replace with tinned chopped tomatoes if you prefer, but there's already quite a lot of texture in the curry from the lentils, chicken, onion and pineapple - so I prefer to use passata, which is smoother.
How to make this curry
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Soften the onion in a pan with oil or ghee for 10 minutes until lightly caramelised.
- Add chicken, spices, garlic and ginger. Stir together to coat the chicken in the spices and cook for 5 minutes, until the chicken is sealed.
- Add tomato puree, lentils, passata, chicken stock juice from the tinned pineapple. Stir together, place the lid on and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add pineapple pieces and heat through for a further 5 minutes.
- Serve with basmati rice and top with freshly chopped coriander.
What to serve it with
You can serve this tasty dhansak curry with:
- Boiled rice - my no-fail method
- Pilau rice from this recipe
- Chapati
- Onion, mint and tomato salad (simply mix together ½ a bunch of finely chopped fresh mint, 10 quartered cherry tomatoes, ¼ finely diced onion and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Saag aloo from this Beef Kofta recipe
More Fantastic Curries
- Slow Cooked Beef Massaman
- Chicken Jalfrezi with homemade pilau rice
- Chicken Madras
- Pork Katsu Curry
- Pulled Lamb Curry
- Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
- Rich and Spicy Beef Rendang
- My Vegetarian Curry
Watch how to make it
Stay updated with new recipes!
Subscribe to the newsletter to hear when I post a new recipe. I’m also on YouTube (new videos every week) and Instagram (behind-the-scenes stories & beautiful food photos).
Chicken Dhansak Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee
- 1 large onion - peeled and finely chopped
- 3 chicken breasts - chopped into large chunks (this is about 525g or 18.5oz)
- 2 tbsp mild curry powder - - replace with medium or hot if you like it hotter
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp hot chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground fenugreek
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 garlic cloves - minced
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tbsp honey
- 100 g (½ cup) red lentils
- 400 ml (1 ⅔ cups) passata
- 480 ml (2 cups) chicken stock
- 435 g (15 oz) tinned pineapple chunks in juice
To serve:
- Basmati rice
- Fresh coriander (cilantro)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large lidded saucepan (or large frying pan that has a lid) over a medium heat.
- Add the onion, and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, until softened and lightly caramelised.
- Add the chicken, curry power, turmeric, garam masala, cumin, coriander, chilli powder, fenugreek, salt, garlic and ginger.
- Stir together to coat the chicken in the spices and cook for 5 minutes, until the chicken is sealed.
- Stir in the tomato puree and honey, then add the lentils, passata, chicken stock and ½ cup (120ml) of the juice from the tinned pineapple.
- Stir everything together, then bring to the boil.
- Turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes until the lentils have softened. TIP: Give the curry a stir every few minutes to stop the lentils from sticking.
- Add the tinned pineapple pieces and heat through for a further 5 minutes. TIP: You can add a splash of water if the curry is looking a little too thick at this stage.
- Serve with basmati rice and top with freshly chopped coriander.
Video
✎ Notes
Make the curry, then quickly cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Reheat in a pan or in the microwave until piping hot throughout. Can I freeze it? Yes, this curry freezes really well. Make the curry, then quickly cool, cover and freeze. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
Reheat in a pan or in the microwave until piping hot throughout. How to scale up and scale down this recipe You can halve or double this recipe using the same ratios of ingredients. Halving the recipe to serve 2 will take the same amount of time to cook as it would to serve 4.
If you double the recipe, it will take 5-10 minutes longer to cook. Nutritional information is per serving NOT including rice
Nutrition
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
Oly Barratt says
Currylicious!
I do add a cheat though, I drop the rice and go for a peshwari nam bread instead 🤗
Jack says
This is a delicious recipe. We made it without the pineapple. It was still sweet, spicy and flavoursome - and the best part is that it only took 45 minutes. Thank you!
Sarah says
We have done a few chicken Dhansak recipes and this is by far the best, has so much flavour , I use kitchen sanctuary for all my recipes now, they are so easy to follow and haven’t been disappointed with a recipe yet!
Sally says
Made this today, delicious, will definitely be making it again
PaulineLambert says
Your chicken dansak recipe is fantastic. Used many curry recipes over the years so glad I came across your site. This recipe tastes really good my family loved it. Now trying out more of your recipes. Also tried sag aloo the two dishes complimented each other . Thank you
Philip Darnbrough says
One of my favourite curries in Indian Restaurants. Decided to try making it myself. First port of call was BBC Good Food which I usually find reliable, but was not that enthused with Dhansak recipe, but liked look of recipe on your very well presented site. Result was really delicious giving my wife & I a meal for two nights. Found your incredibly easy onion, mint & tomato salad was a perfect addition. Apart from rice, served with poppadum's & mango chutney. Will definitely cook again. Congratulations on your clear & easy to follow presentations. Will definitely start to use your site for other meal ideas. Excellent.
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks Philip, so glad you enjoyed the curry 🙂
Harry says
Best curry ever & a synch to make.
Linda Sharp says
I think this may well be one of the most delicious meals I have ever made..thank you so much!
Vicky Collingwood says
Hello, is it possible to change this into a slow cooker recipe? If so how? Thank you
Marie says
After trying several dhansak recipes to get it right, this was by far the best one. Absolutely delicious and will definitely make it again. My two daughters, aged 18 months and 5, absolutely loved it too. I made your pilau rice to go with it and it was a huge success. Thank you very much.
Just a note: I didn't have a tin of pineapple chunks, so I substituted for a tablespoon of red wine vinegar, with a tablespoon of white sugar, and it was delicious. Added this in with the stock and tomatoes.
Many thanks for your recipes I am definitely going to try more. Interested to try slow cooker recipes as we rely on ours for busy work days.
Brittany Curtis says
Really good, a new fave!!!!!