One Pot Chicken Drumsticks with Beluga Lentils – juicy chicken drumsticks with black Beluga Lentils, fire roasted tomatoes and zucchini, and lots of leeks and garlic.
I don’t even know how to start talking about this dish because I’m not sure I can capture all of the deliciousness that is happening in this pot. But I’ll try and do my best. A couple days ago, during my stroll through my local grocery store I came across these black Beluga lentils and, well you know me, I had to buy them and had to come up with a recipe for them immediately.
I just knew I wanted a delicious stew like dish with chicken drumsticks and fire roasted tomatoes. If you don’t cook much with lentils, they come in different colors, red, green, yellow and black.
What Are Beluga Lentils?
Black Beluga lentils are said to resemble Beluga caviar because they tend to glisten when they are cooked. They’re typically grown in the cooler parts of Canada or the US. But black or any other color they taste pretty much the same, so if you cannot find Beluga lentils, any lentils you have, you can use them in this dish.
What’s So Great About Lentils?
Lentils are a complex little carb that are chock full of fiber, magnesium, and folate. If you’re unfamiliar with these little morsels then allow me to introduce the two of you. They are a great addition to soups, stews, and rice dishes.
Ingredients
- Olive oil – We want a nice mild tasting oil to brown our ingredients in.
- Chicken – Drumsticks with the skin on. Feel free to use chicken breast or thighs if you’d prefer.
- Spices – Red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, and seasoning salt.
- Veggies – Leeks and zucchini, both sliced up nice and thin.
- Garlic – Use as much or little as you like.
- Lentils – I used black beluga lentils today but any color will do!
- Herbs – Fresh thyme. If dried is all you have on hand just keep in mind that 1 tablespoon fresh equals 1 teaspoon dried.
- Wine – Sauvignon blanc is what I used today because I wanted something a bit drier with lots of flavor.
- Broth – Low sodium chicken broth so that we can control the salt content of our dish.
- Tomatoes – 1 entire can of fire roasted tomatoes.
- Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
- Optional – I like to add sriracha to this dish to introduce a bit of heat!
Can I Use Chicken Breast?
You definitely can use either chicken breast or chicken thighs for this recipe, just keep in mind that switching up the protein from a bone in cut to a boneless piece will alter the cooking time. Just keep an eye on your dish to prevent any burning!
How To Make Chicken Drumsticks with Beluga Lentils
- Prep your pot: In a large Dutch Oven or casserole dish that can go from stove top to oven, heat 3 tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat.
- Brown the chicken: Season the chicken drumsticks with the seasoning salt and red chili flakes, then add the drumsticks to the Dutch oven and brown on all sides, should take about 5 minutes. The chicken won’t be cooked through, but we will finish cooking it in the oven. Transfer the chicken drumsticks from the Dutch oven to a plate and set aside.
- Saute the sauteables: Turn the heat down to medium and add the leeks and garlic. Stir around a bit and cook for about 3 minutes or until the leeks soften and become translucent. Stir in the smoked paprika, then add the beluga lentils, fire roasted tomatoes and white wine.
- Create the sauce: Add the chicken broth, Sriracha sauce, stir everything together and taste for seasoning. Adjust with salt and pepper as necessary.
- Preheat your oven: To 375 F degrees.
- Finish the dish: Cook the lentils for about 10 minutes, they will not be cooked through. Add the zucchini to the pot, stir then place the chicken on top of everything. Place the Dutch oven in the oven and cook for about 1 hour or until the lentils are cooked through. Garnish with fresh thyme and serve immediately.
Do I Have To Use Chicken?
You don’t have to use chicken if you have another protein you’d like to use up instead! I think this recipe goes really nicely with some stewing beef instead.
Don’t Want To Use Wine?
You don’t have to use wine if you’d prefer not to! Chicken broth will substitute 1 for 1 just as easily.
What Else Can I Use In This One Pot Meal?
Another great thing about this recipe, besides it being one pot and delicious, is the fact that it’s quite versatile. Although I give you a basic recipe here, feel free to add what you’d like to bulk it up a bit!
VEGGIES
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Asparagus
- Peas
- Mushrooms
STARCHES
You don’t just have just use lentils, you can use some other starches if you’d like!
- Rice, long grain like Basmati to prevent stickiness
- Couscous
- Orzo (cooks way faster than lentils)
Pressure Cooker Option
You can cook this in an Instant Pot on high pressure for 15 minutes. You can brown your chicken and saute your veggies before hand right in the pressure cooker as well, talk about a one pot meal!
Storing Leftovers
FRIDGE
FREEZER
More Must Try One Pot Recipes:
- Spanish Chicken and Rice
- Spicy Pork Ragu with Orzo
- Hamburger Helper Lasagna
- Greek Chicken Orzo
- One Pot Cheesy Taco Orzo
- Chicken Florentine Gnocchi
- Chicken Piccata Pasta
- Cheesy Chicken Pasta
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One Pot Chicken Drumsticks with Beluga Lentils
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 8 chicken drumsticks skin on
- 1/2 tsp seasoning salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
- 1 cup leeks cleaned and sliced (about 2 large leeks)
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 cup beluga lentils
- 1 cup white wine I used Sauvignon Blanc
- 14 oz fire roasted tomatoes 1 can
- 2 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1 tbsp Sriracha sauce (optional)
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper or to taste
- 1 large zucchini cut in half then sliced
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme for garnish
Instructions
- In a large Dutch Oven or casserole dish that can go from stove top to oven, heat 3 tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat.
- Season the chicken drumsticks with the seasoning salt and red chili flakes, then add the drumsticks to the Dutch oven and brown on all sides, should take about 5 minutes. The chicken won’t be cooked through, but we will finish cooking it in the oven. Transfer the chicken drumsticks from the Dutch oven to a plate and set aside.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the leeks and garlic. Stir around a bit and cook for about 3 minutes or until the leeks soften and become translucent.
- Stir in the smoked paprika, then add the beluga lentils, fire roasted tomatoes and white wine.
- Add the chicken broth, Sriracha sauce, stir everything together and taste for seasoning. Adjust with salt and pepper as necessary.
- Preheat your oven to 375 F degrees.
- Cook the lentils for about 10 minutes, they will not be cooked through. Add the zucchini to the pot, stir then place the chicken on top of everything.
- Place the Dutch oven in the oven and cook for about 1 hour or until the lentils are cooked through.
- Garnish with fresh thyme and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
- You can use chicken breast in this recipe if you prefer.
- You could use stewing beef for this recipe as well
- You can cook this in an Instant Pot on high pressure for 15 minutes.
- If you cannot find black Beluga lentils, any lentils will do.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
This is excellent !!
Great recipe! I made the following changes: Didn’t have fire toasted tomatoes, so used 2 regular cans of diced. Used onions instead of leeks. My wife and I love garlic, so we doubled the amount. Also used regular lentils.
I just made this for dinner and it is delicious! I used chicken thighs and they are so tender. The lentils are seasoned perfectly. I’m so glad I made this
Fabulous with the black lentils, first time I had used them! As I couldn’t find the sriracha sauce, I just looked up the ingredients and winged it! Was very tasteful and comfort food on a cold winters’ night..thank you! It is now in my favourite recipes folder which my husband is pleased about!