Chicken Jalfrezi
Chicken Jalfrezi is on the menu today. And what a delicious dish it is. This is not a dish that’s cooked often, here in South Africa the only time I think we ate it much was when we went to a restaurant.
However, it is a rather simple dish to cook so you can put that down on your menu for a quick weeknight dinner. It is so full of flavor too.
What is Chicken Jalfrezi
Chicken Jalfrezi is a popular dish in the UK. It consists of chunks of chicken cooked in a spicy tomato sauce with onion and peppers. It doesn’t always have to be a Chicken dish.
I make a Salmon Jalfrezi for my hubby quite often, it’s one of his favorites. Jalfrezi is more of a stir-fried dish than a curry. You can also make the sauce and add lamb, paneer or veggies instead of the chicken.
How is the Jalfrezi cooked
Like every dish each one has their own method and style of cooking. For this the chicken is usually browned and set aside and the sauce is cooked. I then add the onion and peppers for a little bit of crunch.
Finally I add the browned chicken and cook it for a couple of minutes. It does take about 30 minutes to cook, of course you need some extra prep time. Overall it’s not a difficult or time consuming dish to cook.
Low in Calories
For all the health conscious cooks this dish is different to other authentic dishes where you use loads of butter ghee and cream. You can keep this dish fairly healthy without the addition of excess fat.
Hot or Not
Personally I really like my Jalfrezi a little more spicy than usual. You can definitely reduce the heat according to your preference. Alternatively if you make it too hot you can always serve it with some yogurt or Raita.
How to serve the Chicken Jalfrezi
This dish can be served with rice or Naan Bread. We prefer the latter, naan bread just seems to work so much better with it. And if you make it a little saucy than usual what better to mop up all that sauce.
Chicken Jalfrezi
Ingredients
Marinating the Chicken
- 500 gram chicken breasts 4 breasts
- 2 tsp ginger/garlic paste
- 1 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin/jeera
- 1 tsp ground coriander/dhania
- 1 tsp salt
Sauce
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 large onion
- 1 green pepper
- 2 green chillies
- 2 large cloves garlic minced
- 1x410 gram diced tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tsp ground cumin/jeera
- 1 tsp ground coriander/dhania
- 1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- pinch of sugar
- salt
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into cubes. Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl, cumin, coriander, chilli powder, salt, ginger/garlic paste. Add the chicken and coat well with the mixture. Refrigerate for 30 minutes
- Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a large pan, on high heat. Add half the chicken and allow it to brown on all sides. Repeat with other half of the chicken. Chicken doesn't have to be fully cooked as it will cook further in the sauce. Cover with foil and set aside
- Reduce the heat to a low setting. Add one tablespoon of butter to the same pan. Chop half the onion finely and add to the pan. Fry until translucent. Add the garlic and fry for another minute
- Add the can of tomatoes and the chicken stock. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens
- Add the spices, cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala and chilli powder and mix well. Allow it to cook for 2 minutes. If the sauce is too dry you can add a little more warm water
- Chop the other half of the onion and the green pepper into cubes or lengthwise and add to the sauce. Cook for about 5 minutes or until it is slightly soft but not overcooked.
- Add the chicken and bring to a boil, about 2 minutes. Season with more salt if required and add a pinch of sugar if the sauce is too acidic
- Garnish with coriander and serve hot
Notes
- You can use fresh tomatoes instead of canned
- If you don't have chicken stock water on it's own is fine to use
- Reduce the chilli powder and chilli if you prefer a milder dish
- Add about a 1/4 tsp of sugar and add more if sauce is still too acidic
Best Jalfrezi I have eaten in longtime. Great recipe, thank you very much.
Thank you so much Thomas. You’ve made my day. So glad you enjoyed the dish:-)