Chicken Jalfrezi (Easy and Authentic)
Chicken Jalfrezi is a tomato-based curry made with boneless chicken, bell peppers, and onion. This recipe is easy, authentic, and brimming with flavor! Tested and perfected!
Equipment
- Large sauté pan (lid not required)
- Food Processor (optional) - for blending tomatoes or finely chopping onions
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup neutral oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
- 5-6 garlic cloves crushed or finely chopped
- 1- inch ginger crushed or finely chopped
- 1 lb boneless chicken thighs, cubed into 3/4-1” pieces or chicken breast - option to marinate - see Note 1
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder or paprika for color
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- 1/4-1/2 tsp garam masala start with 1/4 tsp if yours is store-bought as some can be quite strong/pungent
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 3 small tomatoes (I use Roma) pureed in a food processor
- 2 tsp tomato paste optional
- 1 small green bell pepper cubed into 1” squares
- 1 small red bell pepper cubed into 1” squares
- 1/2 small red or yellow onion cubed into ¾” squares (optional)
- 1-2 small green chili pepper such as Serrano or Thai Chili chopped or sliced
- 1 tbsp soy sauce sub gluten-free soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tbsp ketchup sub chili garlic sauce or hot and sweet sauce
- 1 tsp white vinegar or rice vinegar
- 1 tsp lemon juice or lime juice
- 1 tbsp cilantro for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds (they’ll start to sizzle) and onion. Sauté until the onions are golden (~7-8 minutes). Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for another minute, until aromatic.
- Add the chicken and sauté until the color changes from pink to pale (~3 min). Add all the ground spices (coriander, Kashmiri red chili/paprika, turmeric, garam masala, red chili powder, and black pepper) and salt and sauté for 1-2 minutes. You’ll start to see the oil glisten and separate.
- Stir in the puréed tomatoes and tomato paste (if using). Sauté for 5-6 minutes, until the tomatoes are cooked and the oil starts to glisten.
- Add the red and green bell peppers, onion (if using), green chili pepper, soy sauce, ketchup, and vinegar. Sauté for another 4-5 minutes, until the bell peppers have softened to your liking and you can see the oil separating from the curry. If the curry is starting to dry up, add 1/4 cup (60 ml) of water and sauté to desired consistency.
- Turn off the heat. Squeeze in the lemon juice and garnish with cilantro. Serve immediately with roti, paratha, naan, or rice.
Video
Notes
Note 1: I've tested this recipe with both chicken thighs and breast. While they both work, due to the higher heat cooking, chicken breast tends to dry out more.
To combat this, I tried marinating the chicken breast in yogurt and found it helped keep the chicken breast juicy and tender. Here's how to do it:
To combat this, I tried marinating the chicken breast in yogurt and found it helped keep the chicken breast juicy and tender. Here's how to do it:
- In a medium bowl, combine the chicken breast with all the spices and 1/2 tsp salt along with 2 tbsp of yogurt. Set aside.
- When it calls for it in the recipe, add the chicken along with the remaining 1/2 + 1/8 tsp salt.
Nutrition
Calories: 435kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 1083mg | Potassium: 622mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1662IU | Vitamin C: 76mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 2mg