Chicken Jalfrezi is a modern British recipe for a classic jalfrezi-style curry in a spiced tomato base made with chicken. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Chicken Jalfrezi.
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Jalfrezi is one of my favourite curry styles, which I typically prepare with lamb or goat. So I was intrigued to see and prepare this more economical (in terms of cost) chicken-based version.
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
½ large onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
vegetable oil for frying
400g tin of plum tomatoes
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
For the meat and vegetables:
2-3 chicken breasts, diced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
½ large onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 red chillies, finely chopped
2 tsp garam masala
handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped
cooked basmati rice or naan bread, to serve
Method:
Take the diced chicken breasts and toss to coat in a bowl with 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander and 1 tsp turmeric then set aside to marinate in the refrigerator as you prepare the sauce.
For the sauce, fry half the chopped large onion, chopped garlic cloves and finely-chopped green chilli in a large pan with a little vegetable oil, for around 6 minutes, until the onion has browned.
Pour over 300ml of water, bring to a simmer and cook for around 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, tip the 400g tin of plum tomatoes into a food processor. Pulse to chop then process until smooth..
Set another large pan over medium heat. Once hot add a splash of oil and use to gently fry the 1 tbsp coriander, 1 tbsp cumin and 1 tsp turmeric for about a minute. Add the tomatoes to this pan, bring to a simmer and cook for around 10 minutes.
Tip the fried onion mixture into a food processor and process until smooth then stir into to the spiced tomato sauce. Season generously, stir, then simmer for 20 minutes. You can prepare large batches of this sauce as a base curry sauce and freeze it for later use.
Stir-fry the marinated chicken in vegetable oil. After a few minutes, reduce the heat and add the remaining ½ sliced onion, 1 chopped red pepper and the two finely-chopped red chillies. Stir until the onions and pepper soften (about 5 minutes).
Add the tomato sauce you prepared earlier to the cooked chicken and simmer for around 10-20 minutes, adding a splash of water if the gravy gets too thick.
Just before you dish it up, stir in 2 tsp garam masala and handful of chopped coriander leaves.
