Chicken jalfrezi restaurant-style recipe with step-by-step photos & a video recipe. This easy chicken jalfrezi curry is made with chicken, bell pepper, onions & tomatoes.
To make Chicken Jalfrezi, chicken is stir-fried with vegetables. Then it is cooked in a thick tomato-based gravy spiced with basic Indian spices. This chicken curry is a quick dinner recipe & our family’s favorite too.
In this recipe post, I am sharing a restaurant-style chicken jalfrezi recipe that can be made within 30 minutes. It tastes exactly the same as you get in restaurants.
Table of Contents
What is Chicken Jalfrezi?
Chicken jalfrezi is a thick spicy chicken curry dish that originated in Bengal. Jalfrezi is a term originated from “jhal porhezi”. Jhal in Bengali means spicy food & Porhezi is a Persian word that means suitable for a diet.
Jalfrezi was originated to make use of leftover chicken. Cooking the leftover chicken in tomato-based gravy with crisp stir-fried vegetables originated this new dish Chicken Jalfrezi.
This chicken stir-fry recipe has British influence as it was originated when India was under British rule. The cooking process involves the use of Indian spices & Chinese stir-fried techniques. So basically, you can call it an Indo-Chinese recipe.
You can serve this chicken jalfrezi with fried rice or noodles. Or you can serve it with Naan or Paratha (Indian flatbread).
Recipe features:
- Quick & easy to make – You can make this curry quickly within 30 minutes.
- Easy to customize – see the ingredient list below for alternative ingredients. You can add or skip the ingredients as per your taste.
- Make-ahead recipe – You can make it ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Gluten-free
Ingredients to make Chicken Jalfrezi
- Chicken – I have used boneless chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces. You can also use chicken thighs.
- Spice powders – turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, black pepper powder, roasted cumin powder, coriander powder & garam masala powder.
- Salt – Add salt as per taste.
- Lemon juice – It gives a fresh refreshing flavor. You can skip it if the tomatoes you are using are sour. Or substitute it with vinegar.
- Onion, ginger & garlic – Basics of making any Indian curry. I have used red onions to make this curry.
- Tomato – It helps to make the gravy base. I have used fresh tomatoes. You can also substitute it with canned tomatoes.
- Tomato sauce – This adds a restaurant-like flavor to Chicken Jalfrezi. It adds a sweet & tangy flavor to the curry. I have used tomato & chili sauce (spicy tomato sauce). You can also use normal tomato sauce.
- Vegetables – I have used red & green bell peppers. For authentic chicken jalfrezi recipe, bell peppers & onions are used. You can add any vegetables of your choice.
- Cilantro (coriander leaves)
For the detailed list of ingredients & their measurements, please check out the recipe card below.
Cooking tips:
- Stir fry the bell pepper & onions separately. This ensures that the veggies remain crisp & are perfectly cooked when you add them to the curry.
- Stir fry the veggies until you get some char marks (black spots) over them. This will make the same restaurant-style jalfrezi at home.
- You can grill the vegetables in the oven too.
- I have used Kashmiri red chili powder that gives a bright red color to the curry & is less spicy. You can skip it & use normal red chili powder (add it as per taste).
- Kashmiri red chili powder alone cannot make the dish spicy. Add spicy red chili powder to the curry if you prefer spicy.
- I have used tomato & chili sauce that adds sweet & spicy touch to the chicken curry.
- Adjust the seasoning as per your taste.
- The authentic chicken jalfrezi curry is thick but you can adjust the consistency of the gravy as per your liking.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other Indo-Chinese recipes:
How to make restaurant-style chicken jalfrezi
Preparations:
- Cut the boneless chicken breast into bite-size chunks.
- Chop the veggies & set them aside.
- Keep all the spices & sauces ready.
Making the chicken jalfrezi curry
- Heat a heavy bottom pan & add 2 tsp oil over high heat. Add the bell pepper & onion cubes.
- Stir-fry bell pepper & onions for 3-4 minutes. It should be crisp fried with some char marks (black spots) over it. Remove & set it aside.
- Heat 2 tsp of oil over high heat.
- Add onion, ginger & garlic to it. Stir-fry until onions are translucent.
- Add chicken & cook until the color of the chicken changes from pink to white.
- Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, & black pepper powder. Cook it for a minute.
- Add tomatoes, tomato sauce & lemon juice. Cover & cook for 5 minutes.
- Add 1/4 cup water and stir. Cover & cook until the chicken is completely cooked.
- Add the stir-fried bell pepper & onions back to the pan. Combine & cook it for a minute
- Add coriander leaves. Chicken Jalfrezi is ready to serve.
Variations that you can make:
- You can make it with prawns.
- Or make it with paneer or tofu.
- You can also make it with mixed vegetables like carrots, bell peppers, and onions.
Restaurant-Style Chicken Jalfrezi | How to make Chicken Jalfrezi
Equipment
- Heavy bottom pan
Ingredients
To stir-fry the veggies
- 1/4 cup red bell pepper, cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup green bell pepper, cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup red onions, cut into cubes
To make Jalfrezi
- 1/2 cup onions, chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- salt to taste
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder (or use normal red chili powder as per taste.)
- 1 tsp black pepper powder
- 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp garam masala powder
- 1 medium size tomato, chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato & chili sauce (you can use normal tomato sauce too)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
- 500 gram boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size chunks
Instructions
Preparations:
- Cut the boneless chicken breast into bite-size chunks.
- Chop the veggies & set them aside.
- Keep all the spices & sauces ready.
Making the chicken jalfrezi curry
- Heat a heavy bottom pan & add 2 tsp oil over high heat. Add the bell pepper & onion cubes.
- Stir-fry bell pepper & onions for 3-4 minutes. It should be crisp fried with some char marks over it. Set it aside.
- Heat 2 tsp of oil over high heat.
- Add onion, ginger & garlic to it. Stir-fry until onions are translucent.
- Add chicken & cook until the color of the chicken changes from pink to white.
- Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, & black pepper powder. Cook it for a minute.
- Add tomatoes, tomato sauce & lemon juice. Cover & cook for 5 minutes.
- Add 1/4 cup water and stir. Cover & cook until the chicken is completely cooked.
- Add the stir-fried bell pepper & onions back to the pan. Combine & cook it for a minute
- Add coriander leaves. Chicken Jalfrezi is ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- Stir fry the bell pepper & onions separately. This ensures that the veggies remain crisp & are perfectly cooked when you add them to the curry.
- Stir fry the veggies until you get some char marks over them. This will make the same restaurant-style jalfrezi at home.
- You can grill the vegetables in the oven too.
- I have used Kashmiri red chili powder that gives a bright red color to the curry & is less spicy. You can skip it & use normal red chili powder (add it as per taste).
- Kashmiri red chili powder alone cannot make the dish spicy. Add spicy red chili powder to the curry if you prefer spicy.
- I have used tomato & chili sauce that adds sweet & spicy touch to the chicken curry.
- Adjust the seasoning as per your taste.
- The authentic chicken jalfrezi curry is thick but you can adjust the consistency of the gravy as per your liking.
If you’ve tried this Chicken Jalfrezi or any other recipes on the blog then do let us know how it turned out in the comments below, we love hearing it from you!
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