Haleem is traditionally made with beef and it tastes best that way. But chicken haleem can be great if you wish to avoid red meat for any reason. This recipe shares all tips from scratch for a Dhaba style delicious and sticky Chicken haleem. I took great pains in testing this recipe. And making it as simple as possible with a number of variations that Haleem has. Like with or without lentils; boneless chicken or chicken with bones; cooking overnight or soaking overnight. Please share a review if you try this recipe. This is also called khichra Chicken Haleem because you are using a number of lentils and grain along with wheat. You might also like my Hyderabadi haleem recipe and Bohra Haleem recipe (only wheat and no lentils). Protip: While grain cooks, simultaneously fry your onions for garnish if using homemade onions. ( Do not discard oil, we’ll use the same oil in chicken and tempering.)
Chicken: I’m using boneless chicken in this recipe. If using bone-in chicken find steps below the method and also in recipe notes. If you want only wheat Haleem without grain here is the Mutton Haleem recipe but you can easily substitute mutton for chicken. Grain: We are using three grains in the recipe that is wheat, barley, and rice. You may substitute barley with oats with similar results. Barley helps make the haleem sticky like traditional haleem. Lentils: I’m using a combo of three lentils, that is yellow lentil, red lentil, and Bengal lentil. You may Bengal lentils alone and substitute other lentils with more Bengal lentils. Spice Mix: Chicken Haleem is a quick thing and many people prefer a ready-made spice mix. So it’s up to you whether you prefer ready-made spice mix or make my homemade haleem masala in advance a store it in the fridge. Chicken stock: You can use either concentrated homemade chicken stock made from the carcass of at least one chicken or simply use chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in the water. Ginger garlic: Try to use fresh ingredients for the best taste. Chili: Remember wheat and grain absorb a lot of spices that’s why haleem requires a lot of spices compared to other curries. You can always add extra spice mix or chilies after tasting in the tempering. Onions: You can see only one onion in the above shot that goes in the haleem. If making your own fried onions, you’d need a lot more like 5-6 more onions. Oil: If frying your own onions, use the same onion-flavored oil for tempering the chicken haleem.
Protip: Take a taste test for Haleem. Adjust if needed. To adjust you may add more spices, haleem masala in tempering.
📖 Recipe
