Try our savory Chicken Oats Haleem—a hearty blend of tender chicken, oats, and aromatic spices. A delicious twist on a classic favorite.
In this Post:
- Why you’ll love this recipe
- Ingredients you need
- How to make Chicken Oats Haleem?
- Tips for Recipe
- What to serve with Chicken Oats Haleem?
- More Pakistani Curry Recipes
Haleem is a classic one-dish meal, a pot of meat and grains porridge or stew, that is hot and spicy!
Traditionally, Haleem is made with beef and a variety of lentils. But to make the process and preparation quicker, we love this chicken oats haleem!
Why you’ll love this recipe
Chicken Oats Haleem is the perfect meal, especially as the weather cools down. It is:
- Nutrient Rich – with oats and lentils
- Comfort Food for cooler weather
- Perfect for a crowd
- Freezer friendly meal for convenience
Recipes you’ll love
If you’re looking for more traditionally Pakistani recipes, here are some of our favorites:
Ingredients & Notes
- Oats – You can use any oats you like. We prefer using Irish or steel-cut oats since it better resemble the texture of wheat in a traditional Haleem. You can also use rolled oats, which will cook faster than Irish or steel-cut oats.
- Mixed dal – This combination of lentils is typically available in South Asian markets. Typically it is made of equal parts 4 types of lentils: split chickpeas (Chana Dal), split pigeon peas (Toor Dal), petite yellow lentils (Moong Dal), and red lentils (Masoor dal).
- Urad dal – or Split Black Gram – This dal typically holds its shape longer and adds to the texture of haleem.
- Chicken Breast – boneless, skinless – we recommend using chicken breast for this recipe since we’re cooking it for a long time. The longer cooking time allows for a more flavorful haleem.
- Ginger – Garlic Paste – This is a popular addition to many Pakistani and Indian dishes. It is made with equal parts of crushed ginger and crushed garlic. If you opt to make your own, you can make a big batch of ginger-garlic paste ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for about two weeks.
- Fried Onions – You could make this independently, but most Indian / Pakistani stores have packaged fried onions. Try to find a brand that doesn’t use flour to coat the fried onions for best results, like the Nawabi brand on Amazon.
- Ground spices – coriander, cumin, turmeric, red chili, garam masala –
- Tomato – you can use either canned, crushed tomatoes or fresh chopped tomatoes for this recipe.
- Garnish – cilantro, green chili, red onion, ginger, lemon –
How to make Chicken Oats Haleem?
Prepare Oats and Lentils
In a large bowl, add the oats and lentils (daal). Wash, then soak for at least 1 hour. You can speed up the process by adding hot water and then soaking for 30 minutes.
In a large pot, add the soaked wheat and daal. Add enough water to cover the grains, and cook for 5-7 minutes on medium-high heat. Then cook on low heat, uncovered, till oats and daal (lentils) are tender.
Once tender, remove from heat.
To blend, transfer the mixture to a large blender or immersion blender until the lentils and grains are thoroughly combined and no longer whole.
Prepare Meat Mixture
Add oil, ginger, and garlic paste in a pot and saute for a couple of minutes.
Add fried red onion and mix. Add the powdered spices, turmeric, red chili, cumin, coriander, and garam masala, and saute for a few minutes. Add the crushed/chopped tomato and mix well.
Cut the chicken into 2 to 3 pieces, add in the chicken pieces, and cook for a couple of minutes if needed. Add ¼ cup of water and let the chicken cook covered till tender.
Once the chicken is cooked, remove the chicken pieces and, using a fork, shred the chicken.
Mix the Meat and Oats
Then, add the chicken and its gravy to the oats and lentil mixture. Mix well. Keep stirring till all is well incorporated. If it is too thick, you can add a cup of water.
Cook on very low heat for 30 minutes to a couple of hours. The longer it cooks, the better the flavors will meld together. Keep stirring frequently to ensure it does not stick to the bottom.
Once ready to serve, garnish with cilantro, julienne ginger, sliced green chili, lemon wedges, and fried red onion.
Recipe Tips
Haleem is the perfect freezer-friendly meal, especially because it is easy to make in large portions.
Completely cool the Haleem, and Store Haleem in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
What to serve with Chicken Haleem?
Haleem is great on its own as a complete meal. If you’re serving it at a dinner party, you can pair it with a traditional appetizer – anything that is fried or even a kabab. Here are some of our favorites:
- Chicken or Beef Samosas
- Chicken Shami Kabab: Chicken and Lentil Patties
- Potato chops: Indian Style Meat and Potato Croquettes
- Keema Paratha: Pakistani Stuffed Meat Pockets
Recipes you’ll love
If you’re looking for more Pakistani curry recipes, here are some of our favorites:
- Easy Chicken Keema Curry
- Karhai Gosht
- Chicken Ka Salan: Pakistani Chicken Curry Recipe
- Palak Chicken: Chicken and Spinach Curry
If you give this recipe a try, we’d love to see it! Tag us on Instagram @thespicemess
Chicken Oats Haleem
Ingredients
Oats and Lentils
- 1 cup Oats
- 1/2 cup Mixed dal
- ¼ cup Urad dal, washed
Chicken Stew
- 1-2 Chicken breast boneless, skinless
- 2- 3 tablespoons Ginger garlic paste
- ½ cup Fried red onion
- 1 tablespoon Coriander powder
- 1 tablespoon Cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 -1 ½ teaspoon Red chili powder adjust to your preference
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- ½ cup Tomato, chopped or crushed
- Salt as per taste
- ¾ cup oil
Garnish
- Cilantro chopped
- Thinly sliced Green chili
- Red onion
- Julien ginger
- Lemon
Instructions
Prepare Oats and Lentils
- In a large bowl, add the oats and lentils (daal). Wash, then soak for at least 1 hour. You can speed up the process by adding hot water and then soaking for 30 minutes.
- In a large pot, add the soaked wheat and daal. Add enough water to cover the grains, and cook for 5-7 minutes on medium-high heat. Then cook on low heat, uncovered, till oats and daal (lentils) are tender.
- Once tender, remove from heat.
- To blend, transfer the mixture to a large blender or immersion blender until the lentils and grains are thoroughly combined and no longer whole.
Prepare Meat Mixture
- Add oil, ginger, and garlic paste in a pot and saute for a couple of minutes.
- Add fried red onion and mix. Add the powdered spices, turmeric, red chili, cumin, coriander, and garam masala, and saute for a few minutes. Add the crushed/chopped tomato and mix well.
- Cut the chicken into 2 to 3 pieces, add in the chicken pieces, and cook for a couple of minutes if needed. Add ¼ cup of water and let the chicken cook covered till tender.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove the chicken pieces and, using a fork, shred the chicken.
Mix the Meat and Oats
- Then, add the chicken and its gravy to the oats and lentil mixture. Mix well. Keep stirring till all is well incorporated. If it is too thick, you can add a cup of water.
- Cook on very low heat for 30 minutes to a couple of hours. The longer it cooks, the better the flavors will meld together. Keep stirring frequently to ensure it does not stick to the bottom.
- Once ready to serve, garnish with cilantro, julienne ginger, sliced green chili, lemon wedges, and fried red onion.
- Haleem can be served as a stand-alone dish with naan or pita on the side.