Say hello to this Chicken Jalfrezi recipe, which has shockingly been in the works since 2015. You could say it's one of my longest projects to date - it's officially six years old and only making it's debut on the blog now!
The reason why it's taken this recipe so darn long to see the light of day is this: my husband does not like capsicum. And therefore, it just never ended up on our meal rotation, like, ever. So whilst this recipe has been in the works for six years, I probably only cooked it six times during that time.
I finally gave it a hand whilst I was staying at my Mother's house a while back and I have officially cracked the code and got something I am finally happy sharing with you all. Hurrah for the Chicken Jalfrezi recipe finally graduating from my drafts folder!
How do I know this Chicken Jalfrezi is legit? I'll tell you why.
I'm actually incredibly proud to say this recipe really blew my family away. You'd think this isn't such a rare occurrence, because ya know I'm a food blogger and all. But honestly, when it comes to food, it takes A LOT to impress my them #thestruggleisreal. So when they were blown away by this recipe? I knew I'd hit the jackpot.
This recipe is also available below as a video!
Jump to:
🫑 What is Chicken Jalfrezi?
Chicken Jalfrezi is a boneless chicken curry made with a traditional onion and tomato masala. It's cooked with cubed pieces of capsicum (bell peppers, for our friends in the Western hemisphere) added in towards the end of the cook-time, so they keep their colour and bite. Some versions of Chicken Jalfrezi also add large pieces of onion, but my recipe doesn't.
What sets a Chicken Jalfrezi apart from the array of curries Pakistani and Indian cuisine has to offer is the slightly tangy addition of vinegar at the end, which makes it rather reminiscent of more Indo-Chinese style curries such as Chicken Manchurian.
🔪 How to make Chicken Jalfrezi
Chicken Jalfrezi starts off very much like most other curries - we start by frying an onion. Stir it regularly to ensure it doesn't burn or brown unevenly. Keep the heat medium to high, adjusting as needed.
Once the onion is beginning to turn golden, we'll add some ginger, garlic and green chillies.
After a few minutes, we'll add in our tomatoes and tomato puree. We'll cook this down well, into a jammy mixture, until the water dries out, the mixture becomes concentrated and the oil begins to separate along the edges. It'll look like a thick paste by the end of it.
Once we get to the elusive point of oil-separation (the seasoned desi cooks amongst us will KNOW how important this is), we'll add in the chicken and spices. We want to sauté the chicken and spices over a high heat in the masala until the chicken no longer remains pink.
Add some water, cover and then simmer on low for 20 or so minutes, so the chicken cooks through.
Once the chicken is done, add in the capsicum and vinegar. Stir through, then cover again and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes. The aim here is for the capsicum to still retain it's crunch, but still take on some of the flavours of the curry and also release some of it's own flavour into the sauce.
Finish by garnishing with some fresh coriander.
🔥 Picking the best ingredients
- Ideally, you want to use boneless chicken thigh pieces. Chicken thigh is much more tender, juicy and generally more enjoyable than breast pieces. Ask your butcher to cut them into curry-size pieces, or if you prefer, you can do it yourself at home.
- I like using a combination of coloured capsicums for this recipe - it looks beautifully vibrant and it also adds a variety of flavours to the dish. You can use whichever colours you prefer or can get hold of.
- As always, I recommend using fresh ingredients. Fresh onions, tomatoes, ginger and garlic will do wonders for the depth of flavour.
👉 Substitutions + additions
- I prefer using white onions for this recipe - they complement the flavours of the curry better.
- If you'd like to use pieces of onion in this recipe, replace one of the capsicum for half an onion diced into large squares.
- If you do not have fresh tomatoes, you can use some extra tomato puree instead. About 2-3 tablespoons will suffice.
- If you'd like a richer, creamier masala then you can add a 3-4tbsp of double cream or coconut milk - I'd recommend adding it in at the same time as you add the capsicums.
- If you'd like to make a vegetarian version of this recipe, you can use paneer instead of boneless chicken. Just substitute the same amount of chicken for paneer - cube the paneer and fry it, ensuring the paneer has turned golden evenly before adding into the curry. It won't need to cook for long - 10 minutes maximum to soak in all the flavour. To make thing easier for you, I also have a Paneer Jalfrezi recipe here. Potatoes would be a great idea too!
🍽️ How can I serve Chicken Jalfrezi?
The sky is the limit! Honestly, this is my FAVOURITE part about this curry. It's so versatile! You can eat it with rice, or any kind of bread such as my Roghni Naan or roti. Poppadum's work a treat too on the side. You can enjoy it without any carby companions too - just grab a fork and this is a great meal to enjoy too, thanks to the boneless chicken! It goes great served alongside a cooling salad and raita (yogurt sauce).
❓ Frequently asked questions
u003cstrongu003eCan I freeze this?u003c/strongu003e
Yes, absolutely! I'd recommend freezing the curry without adding the capsicum in as the defrosting process will make the capsicum soggy. I'd advise giving the curry a simmer over a pan and adding the capsicum in then.
u003cstrongu003eHow can I double this recipe?u003c/strongu003e
Double all the ingredients and follow the instructions as they are written - no need to increase cook time
u003cstrongu003eCan I use bone-in chicken for this?u003c/strongu003e
Yes, you can. Simply substitute the same weight of boneless chicken for bone-in
u003cstrongu003eCan I use chicken breast instead of thigh?u003c/strongu003e
I recommend using chicken thigh as it doesn't dry out and the meat remains tender and juicy. I find chicken breast can be very hit and miss when it comes to retaining moisture and remaining soft, and so for curries I tend to recommend using thigh. If you would still like to use chicken breast, you may
If you enjoy Chicken Jalfrezi, you may also like these recipes...
Paneer Jalfrezi | Chicken Kali Mirch | Malai Chicken Karahi | Chilli Paneer | Hariyali Chicken
Enjoy, with love x
📋 Recipe
The Best Chicken Jalfrezi!
Ingredients
- ½ cup (125 ml) oil
- 3 (330 g) onions chopped
- 1 whole bulb of garlic, minced
- 1 large chunk of ginger minced (about 1-2 tbsp, minced)
- 4 green chillies whole
- 1 teaspoon tomato puree/concentrate optional but highly recommended
- 2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 teaspoon paprika or Kashmir chilli powder
- 1.5 teaspoon crushed black pepper
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 0.5 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 3 (350 g) tomatoes chopped
- 1.8 lb (800 g) boneless chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces, preferably thigh
- 3 (300 g) capsicums preferably different colours, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 5 tablespoon (75 ml) white vinegar
- Fresh coriander for garnish
Instructions
- In a pan, add the oil/ghee. Add in the onions and fry on a medium-high heat, stirring regularly to ensure the onions brown evenly.
- Once the onions are beginning to turn golden (between 10-15 minutes) add the garlic, ginger and green chillies. Fry this for a few minutes.
- Add in the tomatoes and tomato puree. Turn the heat up to high and fry the mixture until most of the water dries out, the oil begins to separate and the mixture looks jammy.
- Add the chicken pieces and all the spices. Fry these on high heat, stirring regularly to ensure the chicken does not burn and is coloured evenly. Continue to fry this for about 10 minutes.
- Add about ⅓ cup of water, cover and allow the chicken to cook for about 20 minutes.
- Add in the vinegar and the diced capsicum. Stir through, then turn the heat down to low and allow this to cook for between 5-10 minutes, covered with the lid. The capsicum should remain crunchy.
- Finish off by stirring in some chopped coriander before serving.
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bob
terrible
eli
very good dish indian approved
Jonny
Cooked this, following the recipe very closely except I cooked the sauce down a little to thicken. It was fantastic. Seeved with saag & brown rice.
Mai
This was as amazing as Fatima said. I’m not much of a desi food cook, so I always avoid desi cooking. However, my husband specifically requested this dish and I found her recipe. It was delicious, I’ve made it twice in a week. I used chicken breast, so I did cook the chicken less than the 20 min (the first time I did 20 and it dried out).
Vidooshak
Killer flavors!! Loved it
Fatima Cooks
Thank you!
Ben and Tara
Have just cooked this with my partner. Having grown up in the UK, with its thriving curry culture, we’ve both loved curries all our lives. Both of us now live in New Zealand and don’t have access to wonderful curries, even in the big cities, so this is a revelation. We’re both Jalfrezi lovers and this has wowed both of us! Such a lovely curry, with wonderful flavours and texture. Thank you so much!So very easy, so very tasty and so very much recommended.
Rose
I LOVE this recipe! So easy and so good! Thank you!
christine mclaughlin
Amazing jalfrezzi fantastic easy recipe with definitely make this again my husband loved it
Jan
Excellent Jalfrezi.Will cook this again and again 😁
Fatima Cooks
Thank you, Jan!
Nigel
I have been making curries for years and this is by far one of the best recipes I have ever tasted. The only variation from the recipe was using Thai Red Chilli Peppers because thats all I had available. I was extremely surprised to find how well the white vinegar added a fuller depth of flavor to the recipe without leaving a trace of its normal taste behind.
I also finely chopped 5 chillis as we prefer a hotter curry. I have to give this a solid 5 out of 5 and look forward to trying more of Fatima's Recipes.
Thank You so much Fatima for all your endevours to help us create better meals
Fatima Cooks
I'm blown away, thank you SO much for your kind words and for taking the time out to leave a comment! I'm so happy you enjoy this recipe!
Iram
Delicious recipe - made with 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli and salt and no vinegar and ketchup instead of the tomato puree and still was a hit!! Thank you for sharing
Fatima Cooks
You're very welcome! ❤️
Kevin
What type of green chiki are these?
giraud
I used jalapeño chillies. I removed the white pith and the seeds though because it's way too hot for my liking.
Cathro
Hiya, I made this and it's really yum!
I used three chilli peppers, the same type as in your video, but there was very little heat. Still very yummy though! Would you recommend using finger or birds eye chillis instead - or using a couple of teaspoons of chilli powder?
Fatima
Hey! Thank you so much!!
If you want more heat, you could chop your chillies finely or add some more! Finger is best for heat. I always prefer the flavour from fresh chilli>chilli powder!
Sarah
Hello, is this just normal white vinegar? The same that people use to clean aswell?
Keely
Just made it for tonight. Delicious, hope there's some left come tea time!
Darya
Perfect dish! Made it for my Pakistani in-laws and they LOVED IT! Only minor addition was that I also added 1/4 of National Jalfrezi spice bag and a little extra red chili powder. 5 out of 5!
Fatima
SO happy to hear you enjoyed it, Darya!
Sabeen Anwar
5 tablespoons of vinegar and 3 whole onions seems like a lot for the recipe. Can you pls verify?
Fatima
Yup, these are correct quantities! Try it, it works 🙂
Samhara Rahman
Amazing recipe, just tried this and it’s just so full of flavour, I didn’t have any vinegar so cooked it without and it’s delicious.
Fatiha
Bohot acha
Rosie
Love this
Kenneth Patching
I have had a lot of takeaway jalfrezi’s this home made jalfrezi is a dimension deeper than anything over the counter