Vibrant, rich and so simple! This 30 minute Chicken Jalfrezi can be whipped up in only 30 minutes and is packed full of flavour. This recipe will probably feature in a book I'm currently writing but I wanted to let you give it a try first, before it goes to print. The curry is delicious served over this Easy Basmati Rice.
About this Chicken Jalfrezi recipe:
The inspiration behind this recipe is simple and it started with a challenge - Can I develop a Chicken Jalfrezi recipe that can be made quicker than ordering it from a takeaway, with no base sauce and starting with raw chicken?
The recipe is done in stages. First you stir fry the vegetables, then quickly fry the meat and finally, you throw it all together in a delicious thick sauce. This is how chicken jalfrezi is prepared all over India and it is now one of my favorite recipes for an amazing jalfrezi.
You can do all of the cooking in less than 30 minutes. The chicken will benefit from marinating for at least 30 minutes but if you're in a rush, you could just apply the marinade and go straight to cooking.
Jump to:
Ingredients
Although it looks like there are a lot of ingredients in this 30 minute chicken jalfrezi, that's the nature of the curry. You can make this curry in stages to make it easier on yourself. For example, fry up the meat a day earlier. That or use a completely different marinade or just add pre-cooked leftover meat. If cooking all in the same day, be sure to get all your ingredients prepared and ready before you start cooking. It's a lot easier that way.
- Chicken thighs or breasts
- Red, yellow and green bell peppers
- Red onion
- Ginger
- FOR THE MARINADE
- Lime juice
- Garlic and ginger paste
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Kashmiri red chilli powder
- FOR THE CURRY
- Rapeseed (canola) or coconut oil
- Black mustard seeds
- Kashmiri chillies
- Fresh or frozen curry leaves
- Red onions
- Garlic and ginger paste
- Green finger chillies
- Kashmiri chilli powder
- Garam masala
- Turmeric
- Ground cumin
- Ground coriander
- Passata
- Water or chicken stock
- Sugar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- Coriander
See recipe card for quantities.
Step by step photographs:
As you will see from my step by step photos below, this chicken jalfrezi could not be easier to prepare.
- Step 1: Heat one tablespoon oil in a pan or wok over a medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the bell peppers, onion and ginger. Fry for about 8 minutes or until slightly charred.
- Step 2: Transfer the lightly charred vegetables to a bowl and set aside.
- Step 3: Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan. Take your marinated chicken pieces (see recipe card below for the marinade) and add them in one layer to the hot pan. Fry until browned all over. About 8 minutes should do.
- Step 4: Transfer the browned chicken to a bowl. It might not be completely cooked at this stage which is fine as it will continue to cook in the sauce.
- Step 5: Add the remaining two tablespoons of oil to your hot pan and stir in mustard seeds. When they begin to crackle, stir in the Kashmiri chillies and curry leaves. Fry for about 30 seconds to infuse their flavour into the oil. Add your diced red onion and chopped chillies and fry it for about 5 minutes to soften and then add the ground spices.
- Step 6: Stir in the passata and bring to a simmer.
- Step 7: Then stir in the hot chicken stock and stir it all into a thick sauce.
- Step 8: Return your chicken and vegetables to the pan and allow to simmer for a few minutes until the chicken is cooked through. This is a dry jalfrezi but you can add more stock if you think it is looking too dry.
- Step 9: Add a splash of worchester sauce and a sprinkle of Kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves).
- Step 10: Try the curry and season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Substitutions
For the authentic Chicken Jalfrezi flavors, I recommend using the ingredients above and in the recipe card below. However, if you have some ingredients you want to use up then here are some suggestions:
- Vegetarian - Why not replace the chicken for cubed paneer? simply follow the steps in this recipe and brown the paneer in the pan instead of the chicken. You can even marinate it in the same way!
- Try lamb or beef - Jalfrezi curries are traditionally made with leftover cooked meats. You could give some new life to your Sunday roast leftovers or fry up some lamb leg meat or beef until tender and add it instead of the chicken.
- Seafood - Prawns work really well in a jalfrezi as does any meaty fish like cod, halibut or swordfish. When adding seafood, add it right at the end of cooking when your sauce is seasoned and cooked to your liking. If you add prawns too soon, they will overcook and become rubbery. Meaty fish will break apart when added too soon.
Equipment
You don't need any special equipment to make this 30 minute chicken jalfrezi. I used a hot wok to show you can cook a great curry with whatever you have. That said, the best pans for hot curries and high-heat frying are a carbon steel wok, heavy-based frying pan, or a cast iron skillet — all hold heat well and give you that proper sizzle and flavour.
Storage
Fridge:
Store cooled jalfrezi in an airtight container and eat within 2–3 days. Reheat on the hob or microwave until piping hot. Reheating on the hob (stove) is my preferred method. To do this, heat it up gently over a medium heat until hot.
Freezer:
Freeze cooled jalfrezi in a sealed container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight or reheat from frozen on the hob or in the microwave until steaming hot.
Top Tip
Cook on a high heat and don’t overcrowd the pan – This 30 minute chicken jalfrezi is all about that stir-fried texture. Searing the chicken and vegetables quickly on high heat keeps everything juicy with a lovely char, just like a takeaway.
FAQ
Yes! Pre-cooked or leftover chicken works well—just add it during the final 5 minutes of cooking to avoid drying it out.
This version is medium-hot, but easily adjustable. Reduce or omit fresh chillies for a milder version, or add extra chilli powder or fresh green chillies for more heat.
Absolutely. Swap chicken for firm tofu, paneer, or chickpeas, and ensure you're using oil instead of ghee or butter.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe
30 Minute Chicken Jalfrezi
This chicken jalfrezi might be a bit different to the jalfrezis you have had at curry houses. All of the same flavours are there though and it is much closer to the original jalfrezis prepared in India today.
Ingredients
- 700g (1 ½ lbs) chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 each, red, yellow and green bell peppers
- 1 small red onion, quartered and divided into small petals
- 1 x 5cm (2 inch) ginger, julienned
- FOR THE MARINADE
- Juice of one lime
- 1 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
- FOR THE CURRY
- 4 tablespoon rapeseed (canola) or coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 2 dried Kashmiri chillies
- 20 fresh or frozen curry leaves
- 2 medium red onions, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste
- 1 to 4 green finger chillies, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 250ml (1 cup) passata
- 125ml (½ cup) water or chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoon Kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- 3 tablespoon fresh coriander, finely chopped
Instructions
- Pour the chicken into a mixing bowl and add the lime juice, garlic and ginger paste, salt, pepper and Kashmiri chilli powder.
- Rub this all right into the flesh of the chicken and allow to marinate for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. If in a rush, you can go straight to cooking but letting the chicken marinate will be better.
- When ready to cook, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan or wok over a medium-high heat. When the oil begins to smoke a little, add the chopped bell peppers, onion petals and julienned ginger and fry, stirring regularly until cooked through and beginning to char but still a bit fresh looking. Transfer the charred vegetables to a plate and set aside.
- Now in the same pan, add another tablespoon of oil over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook it in one layer. If needed, you can do this in two batches. Fry until the chicken is nicely charred and then transfer back to the bowl you marinated it in. It may not be completely cooked at this point.
- Add the remaining oil to the pan and when it begins to bubble, stir in the mustard seeds. When they begin to pop and crackle, add the dried Kashmiri chillies and the curry leaves and let them sizzle for about 30 seconds.
- Now add the finely chopped onion and chillies and fry, stirring often until it turns the onion turns golden brown. This will take about 7 minutes. Then stir in the garlic and ginger paste to fry for another 30 seconds. Add the Kashmiri chilli powder, garam masala, turmeric, ground coriander and cumin and stir well to combine.
- Immediately, stir in the passata and about half of the water or chicken stock and bring it all to a simmer.
- Return the cooked chicken and any meat juices and the fried vegetables to the pan and stir it all into the simmering sauce. Allow to simmer for a couple of minutes to ensure the chicken is cooked through. If the sauce is looking dry, add a little more water or stock but this is a dry stir fry so don't add too much. Remember, you can always cook it down if to liquidy or add more water or stock if too dry for your liking.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce and try some of the sauce. Season it with salt to taste and add the sugar if you think it needs it. Add the kasoori methi by rubbing it between your fingers over the sauce.
- To serve, garnish with the chopped coriander and serve with Basmati rice.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 489Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 1947mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 5gSugar: 15gProtein: 15g
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