Chicken jalfrezi fakeaway
40 min · 46 g protein · 364 cals / serving
The curry-house jalfrezi made at home, hot and fresh rather than creamy: spiced chicken seared hard in a wok until charred at the edges, tossed with chunky onion, red and green peppers and green chillies that keep their crunch, in a thick, tangy tomato masala. Finished with lemon and a big handful of coriander.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 700 g chicken breast, in 3 cm chunks
- 60 g nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika, Kashmiri chilli powder or hot paprika
- 1 tbsp garam masala, divided
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1 lemon, juiced, divided
- 2 tsp canola oil, divided
- 2 large onions, 1 finely chopped, 1 in large chunks with the layers separated
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- thumb-sized piece ginger, grated
- 2 tbsp tomato paste, tomato purée
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tin (400 g) diced tomatoes, chopped tomatoes
- 100 ml water
- 1 large red red bell pepper, in chunks
- 1 large green bell pepper, in chunks
- 2–3 green finger chillies green chili peppers, sliced lengthways
- 2 tomatoes, in wedges
- a large handful fresh cilantro, coriander, chopped
Steps
- Mix the chicken with the yogurt, turmeric, cumin, chilli powder, half the garam masala, half the salt and half the lemon juice. Leave for 15 minutes, or chill up to a day.
- Heat half the oil in a wok or large frying pan over a high heat until smoking. Add the chicken in one layer (in two batches if needed) and leave it for 2 minutes to char, then turn and cook 2–3 minutes more. Tip it onto a plate; it finishes in the sauce.
- Lower the heat to medium, add the rest of the oil and the chopped onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 8 minutes until golden. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the tomato purée, ground coriander and the rest of the garam masala for 1 minute, then add the chopped tomatoes and water. Simmer for 8 minutes, until thick.
- Turn the heat up to high, add the onion chunks, peppers and chillies and stir-fry in the sauce for 4–5 minutes, so they soften at the edges but keep their crunch.
- Return the chicken and its juices with the tomato wedges and simmer 3 minutes, until the chicken is 165°F in the thickest piece. Stir in the rest of the lemon juice and salt, and scatter with coriander.
Good to know
How hot is it?
Jalfrezi is meant to have a kick. Two chillies with the seeds removed is medium; three with seeds is curry-house hot. The peppers and fresh tomato keep it bright either way.
What to serve with it?
Basmati rice or a warm chapati, with a dollop of yogurt and some sliced red onion. Cauliflower rice works if you want a lighter plate.
Can I use thighs?
Yes, boneless thighs are juicier and very forgiving over a high heat, at the cost of a little more fat: a score of about 72 instead of 80. Cook them to the same 165°F.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 75
- Protein
- (52%)
- 9 g
- Fat
- (23%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (26%)
- 5 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 149 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1457 kcal goes into the pot and 2285 g of ingredients comes out as about 1950 g of food: 75 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.