Quick & Easy Chicken Jalfrezi Recipe
Chicken Jalfrezi is a spicy, semi -dry, tomato-based curry with tender chicken, peppers, onions, and bold Indian spices. Serve with naan or cumin rice for a quick and easy meal.
Ingredients
- 550 g chicken thighs boneless & skinless (cut into 1.5 inch pieces)
- 5 tablespon cooking oil divided
- 180 g onion chopped (small dice)
- 3-4 indian green chillies slit, adjust to taste, I use hot indian green chillies, sub with thai chillies or serrano
- ½ inch ginger julinned
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 120 g tomato sauce canned
- 1.5- 2 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 1.5 tablespoon sriracha or use any asian style chilli garlic sauce
- 1+¼ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 2 tablespoon cilantro chopped
Vegetables for stir frying
- 1 cup bell peppers diced, I use mix of red and green
- 1 small onion diced, layers seperated
Whole Spices
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2-3 dry red chillies or use red chilli flakes to taste
Ground Spices
- 1.5 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1+¼ teaspoon red chili powder (hot), adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder can go to ½ teaspoon depending on how intense your garam masala is
Instructions
- Place a wide, heavy-bottomed skillet (12 inches or larger) over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, pour in 1½ tablespoons of oil. Immediately add the diced bell peppers and onions. Stir-fry briskly for 2–4 minutes, just until the vegetables turn crisp-tender, do not change color and develop light charred spots. Transfer them to a plate and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the remaining oil and reduce the heat slightly to medium. Add in the dried red chili, cumin seeds, fresh green chilies, and ginger cut into juliennes. Stir constantly for 10–15 seconds, just until the spices release their aroma. Take care not to burn them.
- Add the chopped onions to the pan and fry, until they turn a deep golden brown - this should take about 6–8 minutes. Stir in the garlic paste along with the ground spices, followed by ¼ cup water to prevent scorching. Mix well and cook this masala mixture for 1–2 minutes, until it turns fragrant and smells toasty, and you see oil beginning to separate around the edges of pan.
- Add the chicken pieces to the masala and season with salt. Mix well to coat the chicken with the masala. Cook uncovered on medium to medium high heat, without adding any water—the chicken will naturally release its own juices. Stir-fry, turning often, until the liquid evaporates and the chicken starts to brown. This stage takes about 6–7 minutes.
- Once the chicken is nearly dry, stir in the tomato sauce, ketchup, and sriracha. Cook while stirring continuously for 3–5 minutes, until the sauce thickens, clings to the chicken, and oil once again begins to separate. The chicken should be glossy and coated, with no runny gravy but don't dry out too much.
- Return the stir-fried bell peppers and onions (along with any juices collected on the plate) back into the pan. Toss everything together and cook for 2–3 minutes, just enough to let the flavors combine while keeping the vegetables slightly crisp.
- Sprinkle chicken jalfrezi with garam masala and freshly chopped cilantro. Give everything a final toss. You could also add a dash of kasuri methi(gives a nice umani aroma!)
- Serve chicken jalfrezi with indian flatbreads such as naan or plain paratha. A side of kachumber salad really goes well. You can also pair it with jeera rice.
Notes
- Get everything ready before you start stir-frying. Cut the chicken, chop the vegetables, and measure out the spices and sauces in advance. This way, you can cook quickly without stopping in between, and it helps prevent the chicken and vegetables from overcooking.
- Don’t skip the chillies! Chicken jalfrezi isn’t meant to be mild. Heat is what makes the dish shine. You can cut back slightly if you prefer, but the real flavor comes through when it’s nice and spicy.
- Cut the chicken and peppers in the same style, either both diced/cubed or both in strips. Avoid large chicken pieces. This way they all cook evenly and look uniform in the final dish. Think of it like prepping for fajitas, where the chicken, peppers, and onions are all cut the same so they blend together nicely.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!