Chicken Jalfrezi Recipe

Homemade Chicken Jalfrezi in a deliciously thick, spicy sauce. I love this for a quick weeknight meal when I'm craving a good curry. Serve it with my quick and easy pilau rice – all ready in 40 minutes.

We love a good curry at home, and you'll often find me whipping up a quick Thai curry on a busy weeknight, or making a slow cooker curry when we've got friends round for dinner. It's also the number one food I crave when we come back from holiday.

We have so much fun trying all the local cuisines and basically eating everything in sight, but when I get back home, dinner is a saucy curry with lots of rice.

This jalfrezi is a great one to make when you're craving that spicy-curry kick.

I like to marinate the chicken first with cumin, coriander, turmeric and garam masala. No too long - 10-15 minutes is enough. Then after that, we're talking 30 minutes from start to finish.

Fry the marinated chicken in a little oil and butter.

Then add in sliced onions, chillies, garlic and ginger before adding the next layer of spices.
We're using the same spices you used to marinate the chicken (this time to flavour the sauce). We also add in a little salt.

Next in goes chopped peppers, tinned tomatoes, stock and tomato puree. That needs to bubble away for about 10 minutes, then it's ready to serve.

Lots of spices and a nice kick of heat, with plenty of sauce to soak into the rice.

Speaking of rice - did you know how easy it is to make pilau rice at home? I've got the recipe for you here (click on the image to take you to the recipe):

Dish the jalfrezi up with that lovely fragrant Pilau rice, and sprinkle on some red onion and coriander before serving.

Want to use the Curry Base Gravy Method for this Curry?

Check out the notes section of the recipe card of my Curry Base Gravy to see how I convert this recipe to use a make-ahead curry base.

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Chicken Jalfrezi Recipe

By: Nicky Corbishley

Homemade Chicken Jalfrezi in a deliciously thick, spicy sauce. Serve it with my quick and easy pilau rice – all ready in 40 minutes.

4.95 from 35 votes

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Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

marinating time 10 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine Asian

Servings 4 people

Calories 312 kcal

Ingredients

 

Chicken:

• ▢ 3 chicken breasts (about 500g/1.1lbs) - chopped into bitesized chunks
• ▢ 1 tsp cumin
• ▢ 1 tsp coriander
• ▢ 1 tsp turmeric
• ▢ 1 tsp garam masala

Sauce:

• ▢ 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• ▢ 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 large onion - peeled and sliced
• ▢ 1 red chilli - sliced
• ▢ 1 green chilli - sliced
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic - peeled and minced
• ▢ 2 tsp minced ginger
• ▢ 1 tsp garam masala
• ▢ 2 tsp turmeric
• ▢ 1 ½ tsp salt
• ▢ 2 tsp cumin
• ▢ 2 tsp ground coriander
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper - sliced
• ▢ 1 green bell pepper - sliced
• ▢ 400 g (14oz) tin chopped tomatoes
• ▢ 240 ml (1 cup) chicken stock - ensure this is a gluten-free stock if required
• ▢ 1 tbsp tomato puree
• ▢ Fresh coriander and chilli flakes to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• Coat the chicken in the cumin, coriander and turmeric and leave to marinade for 10 minutes, covered in the fridge.
• Once the chicken has marinated, heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan and add the chicken. Cook on a high heat for 4-5 minutes until the chicken is sealed.
• Add the onion to the pan, turn the heat down to low-medium and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion softens.
• Add the red and green chilli, garlic and ginger and cook for a further 2 minutes.
• Add in the garam masala, turmeric, salt, cumin and ground coriander. Stir to coat the onions, and cook for a further 2 minutes.
• Add in the red and green pepper, tinned tomatoes, chicken stock and tomato puree.
• Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes until thickened.
• Stir in the fresh coriander and serve with rice, topped with fresh coriander and a few chilli flakes.

Video

✎ Notes

Want to use the Curry Base Gravy Method?

Check out the notes section of the recipe card of my Curry Base Gravy to see how I convert this recipe to use a make-ahead curry base.

What about a gluten-free jalfrezi?

The ingredients I used for this chicken jalfrezi recipe are already gluten-free - but it's a good idea to check your own brands to be sure.

Can I make it vegetarian?

Yes, add in more veggies in place of the chicken, and use vegetable stock. I like to marinate cubes of courgette and mushrooms in place of the chicken.

Can I make it ahead?

Yes, you can make the jalfrezi ahead, then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to two days. Reheat in a pan over a medium heat until the chicken is hot throughout.

Will it freeze ok?

Yes, freeze in freezer-proof containers with a lid as soon as the curry is cool. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then reheat in a pan  - as per above.

Can I make chicken jalfrezi in the slow cooker?

Yes - bring the curry up to the boil (step 12), then transfer to a slow cooker. Cook for 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low.

Swap out the chicken for lamb:

Lamb jalfrezi is delicious - but it takes longer to cook to become tender. If you want to replace the chicken with lamb, then add a little more liquid (I would add an extra 140z/400g tin of chopped tomatoes) and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of water or stock if it starts to look too dry.

Nutritional Information is per serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 312kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 30gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 1484mgPotassium: 1041mgFiber: 5gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1619IUVitamin C: 94mgCalcium: 78mgIron: 4mg

Keywords chicken curry, curry, Fakeaway, Indian Curry, quick curry, spicy curry, Takeaway food at home

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Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

Posted in Sept 2019 updated July 2020 and October 2021 with new hints and tips and for housekeeping reasons.

Hi I’m Nicky

I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

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