Chicken Jalfrezi a Quick Curry
Chicken Jalfrezi is a curry that is exceptionally popular in British Indian restaurants; this delicious version is super quick and easy!
Rather than slowly stewing or braising, it is a stir-fried dish that cooks in around 20-25 minutes. Bolt-on 10 minutes for prep, have a gloriously quick curry night!
Chicken Jelfrezi Curry
This dish is an ever-present recipe on the British Indian Curry scene and has been for as long as I can remember.
In fact, in the early 2010's it overtook chicken tikka masala as the favourite curry of Brits!
Featuring quickly cooked chicken thighs, onion and peppers in a spicy gravy or sauce, it is one of the archetypal curries I grew up loving.
Like many British Indian versions of curries, such as garlic chilli chicken, chicken balti, chicken dopiaza and chicken rogan josh, this chicken jalfrezi is heavily influenced by Bengali and Pakistani cuisine.
Migration to places like Birmingham, East London and Manchester really defined the flavours of British Indian food.
This recipe most definitely leans on that heritage. Flavours like cumin, coriander, fenugreek and turmeric are all front and centre.
It has its origins during the days of the British Raj, and the name translates in some sources to "hot fry". This is an indication of the way that this dish is cooked.
It is likely to have been originally cooked with leftovers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How hot is a chicken jalfrezi curry?
Generally speaking, it is a curry on the "hotter" end of the spectrum. It is not up there with a vindaloo or madras curry, but it is up there.
However, it is your dinner, and you can change that easily! Simply change the type of chillies used and scale back the chilli powder.
Can I prepare this in advance?
Yup, like so many spicy dishes, the flavour will improve too.
It will keep in the fridge for a couple of days and will freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, place in a medium (20cm or 8") saucepan with a lid and heat gently. You may need to add a splash more water.
Do I have to use two different colours of bell pepper?
No, I only do it to add a splash of colour, and I only do it if I have a use lined up for the other halves.
What is jaggery?
Jaggery is an unrefined brown sugar commonly used across much of the Indian sub-continent. It adds a wonderful caramel roundness to a dish.
You can replace this with brown sugar if you wish.
Can I cook this in a frying pan or skillet?
Yes, but a broader-based pan can result in the sauce reducing too quickly, and as a result, you may need to add more water.
Serving Suggestions
As with many of my chicken curry recipes, I recommend serving my chicken jalfrezi with a tandoori naan bread.
Mainly because I think all curries are better with a naan.
Spice-wise it is a hot curry; as a result, adding a kachumber salad or raita on the side can add a little refreshing and cooling relief.
Rice is always a solid side for a curry. I usually do plain rice, but a good pilau rice is a fab option too.
But if you want something out of left field, then try Bombay Potatoes or aloo methi.
If you are looking for the true British Indian curry house experience, don't forget the poppadoms!
Equipment Used
I tend not to recommend specific brands of equipment and only do so if I think it makes a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions, feel free to shout up in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/stovetop.
- Wok.
- Kitchen knife.
- Chopping board.
- Stirring and serving spoons.
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
Chicken Jalfrezi Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 400 g Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs 14oz
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri Chilli Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Turmeric
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 3 Green Chilli Peppers
- ½ Red Pepper
- ½ Green Pepper
- 1 Medium Onion 150g
- 6 Garlic Cloves
- 4 Cardamom Pods
- 1 tablespoon Ghee
- 8 Curry Leaves
- 1 teaspoon Black Mustard Seeds
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Puree
- 225 g Tin of Chopped Tomatoes 8oz
- 125 ml Water ½ Cup
- 1 tablespoon White Vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cumin
- ½ teaspoon Ground Coriander
- 1 teaspoon Dried Fenugreek
- 10 g Jaggery 1 tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a bowl, add the chilli powder, turmeric, and salt, then mix and set aside.
- Cut the green chillis in half lengthways.
- Peel the onion, then top and tail it and cut it into 8 wedges.
- De-seed the red and green pepper and cut it into 2.5cm (1") cubes.
- Peel and mash the garlic cloves to a paste.
- Crack the cardamom pods with the back of a knife.
- Heat a wok over a high heat, and when it is hot, add the ghee.Throw in the green chilli peppers, curry leaves, mustard seeds, cardamom pods and cook until the mustard seeds start to splutter.
- Add the onion wedges, red and green pepper and stir fry for around 2 minutes.
- Add the chicken, tomato puree, and garlic, then stir fry cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Sprinkle over the cumin, ground coriander, and fenugreek leaves, then fry for 30 seconds, stirring continuously.
- Pour in the tinned tomatoes, water, vinegar and jaggery and cook for 10 minutes stirring regularly.
- Add the garam masala, have a taste and add more salt if required, then simmer on medium-low for 5-7 minutes to thicken the sauce.
Tastes so authentic. Best homemade curry with very little effort.
Can I use dried curry leaves or do the have to be fresh, also can I substitute black mustard seeds with yellow mustard seeds
Hey Fiona...
Yes you can sub yellow mustard seeds for black, they are milder in flavour though so you may want to double up on the volume. I am personally not keen on dried curry leaves because I think they taste of very little unless you add loads of them (3-4 times the amount as fresh), if you can get them fresh curry leaves freeze wonderfully, I always have some stashed away 🙂
Enjoy
Brian
My son has been pestering me for chicken jalfrezi for a while now and since I don't have a clue how to cook it, decided to go to trusted Google for a recipe and ofcourse yours popped up. Followed the very detailed instructions with the only difference bieng that I added a couple teaspoons of red chilli powder for extra heat. Suffice it to say it was totally amazing and my son was propper impressed. This is for sure going to be my go to signature dish to impress my family and friends 🙂 Thanks Brian
Excellent, so glad that you chose mine in a huge sea of recipes and even happier that you are chuffed with it. Glad it made your son happy, cooking is so often about impressing others, I make most of my food to impress my wife lol 🙂
This looks really good but I cant figure out why it has a freakish amount of fat, cholesterol and sodium in it. Is that nutritional information correct?
Hi Martha... I have no idea I am afraid, I use a third party application to provide indicative nutritional data and it is just that, indicative. If this data is very important to you then you should always double check using an independent provider.
This was delicious! The only thing I did differently was to add half a Tomato can of water towards the end, as I like a wetter curry. I didn’t have any fenugreek so I used fenugreek seeds, though I know they’re not quite the same flavour.
Glad you like it Iqbal, that water trick is a great way to loosen up a curry... most of my curries err on the thicker side because it is just the way that I like to eat them. Fenugreek seeds may be a little different but I personally think that it is better than omitting fenugreek completely, it adds an earthy fragrance that I adore.
I saw this and fell in love at first site! My Dad's family came from Manchester area to the States; My great, great grandfather Barlow was born in Bolton in 1815! This is on my must make soon list! Thanks!
Mollie
How cool is that... This is very much a British Indian Curry, enjoy 🙂
Hi
I’m just making the jalfrezi
Do you not have to blend the mustard seeds onion seeds and cardamon pods
Simon
I don't blend these seeds no, although I do endeavour to pick out the cardamom pods when serving.
Really loved this one, Brian. I’m a big fan of your balti recipe but this beats it!
How I loved reading your post! It was amazingly well explained. The Trivia on English Indian Cuisine was very interesting. I will try your way of Jhalfrezi next time..mine is slightly different..have never used fenugreek powder in cooking directly.
Chicken Jalfrezi is without a doubt fusion food as its best. I recently visited the balti triangle for a friends birthday and had some of the tastiest fusion food in the UK. Thanks for sharing your great recipe, sounds like a keeper, bookmarked!
Mmmm, I can almost smell all the delicious flavors in this curry, it's close to lunch time in my area and looking at your awesome pictures makes me so hungry, totally agree with you about the naans, must check your recipe.
I just love a jalfrezi so much and yours looks oh so tempting! I might have to pop it on the meal plan for next week!
This looks so delicious, gimmie this and an extra large naan bread on Friday night and I'm in heaven!
Brian, what’s a good substitute for onion seeds?
I would personally leave them out and not substitute, there really is nothing that springs to mind as an alternative... I did do some web searching for you and come up with suggestions like Sesame Seeds and Cumin which I personally think are way wide of the mark. Omitting them certainly will not ruin the dish so skip them it will be fine 🙂
Really loved this one, Brian. I’m a big fan of your balti recipe but this beats it!
Cheers Matt, glad you like it.... It took a while to get the balance right on this one, seems it paid off!
Hi Brian
Made this the other day and it was fantastic. In fact it’s that good that I’m cooking it for six people on Saturday. It’s sounds obvious but want to make sure would I just treble the ingredients.
Yes, just treble the ingredients, cooking time will remain pretty much the same too although you will need to monitor that as the increased liquid levels will mean that things will take a few minutes to reach temperature. So glad you enjoyed it!
Surely you wouldn't triple the chillies?
I certainly would and do when I make batches of this sauce
How I loved reading your post! It was amazingly well explained. The Trivia on English Indian Cuisine was very interesting. I will try your way of Jhalfrezi next time..mine is slightly different..have never used fenugreek powder in cooking directly.
Fenugreek powder and seeds became popular in British Indian food due to the lack of availability of leaves either dried or fresh and it just kind stuck.
Jalfrezi is without a doubt fusion food as its best. I recently visited the balti triangle for a friends birthday and had some of the tastiest fusion food in the UK. Thanks for sharing your great recipe, sounds like a keeper, bookmarked!
I lived and was raised right on the edge of the Balti Triangle... Hence my love of British Indian food 😀
Mmmm, I can almost smell all the delicious flavors in this curry, it's close to lunch time in my area and looking at your awesome pictures makes me so hungry, totally agree with you about the naans, must check your recipe.
Cheers Patty.
I just love a jalfrezi so much and yours looks oh so tempting! I might have to pop it on the meal plan for next week!
Thanks Bintu, enjoy!
This looks so delicious, gimmie this and an extra large naan bread on Friday night and I'm in heaven!
Ah the good old table naan 😀