Easy Chicken Haleem (30 mins Instant Pot Recipe)

Name: Easy Chicken Haleem (30 mins Instant Pot Recipe)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup ghee; 2 cups onions (sliced); 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste; 400 gm chicken thighs (boneless); 1/2 cup cracked wheat; 1/2 cup split channa dal; 1/4 cup urad dal (black gram split); 1/4 cup masoor dal (red lentils); 1/4 cup toor dal (pigeon peas); 1 tbsp cumin powder; 1 tbsp coriander powder; 1 tbsp garam masala; 2 tsp pepper powder; 2 tsp ginger powder; 2 tsp turmeric powder; 2 tsp chili powder; 1/2 lime (juice); 1 tsp salt; 1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves; 1 inch ginger slices; 2 tsp ghee; 1/4 cup fried onions; Rice/Roti

A comforting wholesome recipe filled with chicken, cracked wheat, lentils and spices. The mixture is cooked in the instant pot for 30 minutes, blended and served with fried onions on top. Perfect with rice.

Can I start by saying this recipe is a breeze in the instant pot! If you don’t have one you can use a pressure cooker as well. I have made this same recipe in a stock pot and it is delicious but the preparation time will change. Having said this, I would recommend all of you to try out this recipe as it is an absolute winner!

Now let us discuss Haleem a little before we start cooking, the dish is made all through the year but more specifically during occasions like Ramadan and Eid. The dish is said to originate in Middle East, the Arab countries to be specific but I must admit some of the tastiest recipes I’ve personally eaten are from Pakistan and India. The preparation is similar but the ingredients vary slightly. The recipe I have shared here today is one that I have made over the years and it is a take on one of the best Haleem recipes I ate, made by a dear friend of mine, Sabeen.

What Ingredients do you need to make this Easy Chicken Haleem Recipe?

I have made this recipe with Chicken thighs but you can use mutton/lamb/beef to make it. Ideally you want boneless meat. I used bone in thighs but it was more work to shred the meat later. The cooking time will increase by 15 mins with red meat. We need cracked wheat which is the whole wheat grain that has been ground into a coarse mixture. The other name for cracked wheat is Bulgur wheat.

The recipe calls for a variety of lentils which is another reason of why it is wholesome and nutritious. I have used a mixture of split channa, black gram split (urad dal), pigeon peas, masoor dal (red lentils). Many recipes use different variations of lentils but these are the ones I’ve used. The recipe also uses cracked wheat and this not only adds texture but a delicious nutty flavor. You can mix up the lentils but make sure to follow the quantities and understand that these lentils are the best choice in my opinion.

As for the spices, you can buy the ready made Haleem spice mix from the supermarket but I like using a mixture of my own spices. I have used cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, chili powder, garam masala, pepper powder, cinnamon powder, cardamom powder and ginger powder. I have also used whole onions and garlic ginger paste.

One of the main ingredients here is ghee, it is an ingredient needed for flavor hence don’t skip it. You will need stock or water to cook the chicken and the lentils. I have used chicken stock here, make sure to use a stock with no salt as it shouldn’t make the Haleem too salty. If you don’t have stock you can use water but I would recommend using stock cube if you don’t have homemade stock. Once the Haleem is ready garnish the meat with fried onions, fresh coriander leaves and ginger slices. Serve it with rice or roti.

What equipment do you need to make this Easy Chicken Haleem?

I have made this recipe in my Instant pot which is why it was ready in 30 mins. You can use a pressure cooker or crock pot to make this. I wouldn’t recommend using a regular stock pot as you will need to soak the dal for a couple of hours and the cooking time will increase. Once the mixture is cooked it needs to be blended. I have used a food processor but if you have a hand blender it will be easier to blend. I have used a spatula to mix the mixture.

How to make this Easy Chicken Haleem?

We start by switching on the instant pot and setting it to the saute setting, add the ghee and let it melt as it heats up. Add the onions, ginger garlic paste and fry with the chicken thighs until the onions have a little color on them and the chicken also has a little color on the outside. Add the all the spices and stir together. Add the lentils, cracked wheat and stir well. Pour in the chicken stock and stir around. Add the instant pot lid on the top and turn the setting to pressure cook, set the timer to 20 minutes and let it do its thing. In this time the whistle will blow a couple of times.

Once the 20 mins mark is up, release the steam with the button on top of the lid. After all the steam is released, gently open the lid. Stir the mixture around and if you used boneless meat, transfer the mixture to a food processor and blend for combined. If you used meat with bones, make sure to shred the meat before blending. I don’t like blending everything, I blend 3/4th of the mixture and leave 1/4 of the mixture whole. Stir everything together once blended and taste, season at this point and add a little lime juice as well. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves, fried onions and ginger. Serve with rice and roti.

Smoking the Haleem – if you want to smoke the haleem, burn two pieces of coal on direct fire. Use a pair of tongs to ensure it is burning evenly by turning the pieces around. Once the pieces are hot you will see the color of the coal change from black to ash grey and below that the color will be deep red. This means it is extremely HOT. Place the hot pieces of coal on a large piece of foil and add a spoon of ghee on it, smoke will start coming out, place the foil into the instant pot and cover it. Make sure to seal the lid to ensure the smoke doesn’t escape. Let this smoke for 10 minutes minimum. This is how we smoke food at home. Check out my Lamb kebab recipe to see how I smoked that too.

How to store this Easy Chicken Haleem?

The leftovers can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to one week. I have frozen the leftovers for a month and it was actually delicious. Just make sure the Haleem has cooled down completely before you store it in the container.

Now that we have covered how to make this Easy Chicken Haleem, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more fun recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking. Ramadan Mubarak Ninjas!