Best Ever Chicken Jalfrezi
, Updated Oct 13, 2022
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This delicious Chicken Jalfrezi is easy to make in your Instant Pot or stovetop. A Slimming World friendly fakeaway curry recipe that the whole family will love!
Serve with my Easy Two Ingredient Yogurt Flatbreads and Perfect Pilau Rice!
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Looking for more chicken recipes? Try my SW Chicken Stroganoff or Diet Coke Chicken
My husband and I used to have a ‘takeaway night’ almost every week… We would order (way too much) food from our local Indian restaurant and eat in front of the TV.
Hey, don’t judge… Date night can be hard to arrange with young children at home and no family around to babysit.
Those takeaway days are behind us, at least for now. I am nearly two months into my Slimming World weight loss journey and I have swapped calorific takeaways with homemade fakeaways instead.
Making most curries diet friendly is actually not that difficult – if fact we had a Slimming World dinner party with an entire Indian feast recently and this Chicken Jalfrezi was a big hit!
No one will ever suspect this curry recipe is practically fat free and if you don’t tell I won’t either 😉
What Goes into Chicken Jalfrezi
Allegedly, chicken jalfrezi is now the most popular curry dish in the UK, having toppled Chicken Tikka Masala from the top spot. Here’s what you will need for a version that’s Slimming World friendly but no less tasty!
If you intend to serve this to children then make sure to adjust the amount of chillies in the sauce – unless you are lucky to have adventurous youngsters who like spicy food.
- chicken breasts or skinless chicken thighs cut into large cubes
- spices: coriander, cumin, Garam Masala, ground ginger, chilli powder
- a little sugar or Sukrin Gold sweetener
- a little vegetable oil or cooking spray such as Fry Light
- onions and garlic
- tomatoes, both fresh and tinned
- red, yellow and green bell peppers
- green chillies: you can control the heat of your curry by adjusting how many you add. Keep the seeds in for more heat, remove if you prefer a milder curry
- vegetable stock
- cornflour (cornstarch) or arrowroot diluted with a little cold water to thicken the sauce
- 0% fat natural yoghurt
- coriander (cilantro) leaves to garnish
Instant Pot Chicken Jalfrezi
Some say that ‘jalfrezi’ refers to the cooking method which is frying quickly or stir frying. This curry was a way to use leftover cooked chicken (or other types of meat or even paneer for a veggie version) by quickly frying with chilli and onion.
I have made some adjustments to make this jalfrezi curry recipe suitable for the Instant Pot.
You will need to take a little care the pot doesn’t come with a ‘hot’ warning while sautéing the vegetables and chicken. Adding a little stock will keep the pot from getting too hot and dry.
Step 1. Mix the cubed chicken with the spices, sugar and salt. Set aside to marinate while you are stir frying the vegetables.
Step 2. Heat a little vegetable oil (or use Fry Light) in your Instant Pot using the Sauté function. Fry the onion, peppers and fresh tomatoes with mustard seeds and a little Garam Masala for 2-3 minutes until a little softened but still crunchy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Step 3. Sauté the chicken until nicely browned on all sides, adding a little oil or stock if the pot is very dry. You might need to do this in batches to get a good sear on the chicken – alternatively cook in a frying pan and then add into the Instant Pot.
Step 4. Fry the onions for 5 minutes until softened then add the garlic, tinned tomatoes, chicken, green chillies and stock. Cover, set vent to sealing and cook for 15 minutes at high pressure.
Step 5. Release the pressure manually. Add the cornflour slurry and yoghurt and cook on ‘Sauté’ until the sauce thickens slightly.
Step 6. Return the stir fried vegetables to the curry and cook just for a minute until heated through. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Remove the green chillies unless you like it hot!
Step 7. Serve over rice, garnished with fresh coriander leaves, extra sliced green chillies and lime wedges on the side.
Chicken Jalfrezi on the stove
The stovetop curry is drier than the IP version and therefore unlikely to need cornflour to thicken it.
Step 1. Mix the cubed chicken with the spices, sugar and salt. Set aside to marinate while you are stir frying the vegetables.
Step 2. Heat a little vegetable oil (or use Fry Light) in a large frying pan or a wok. Fry the onion, peppers and fresh tomatoes with mustard seeds and a little Garam Masala for 2-3 minutes until a little softened but still crunchy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Step 3. Fry the chicken until nicely coloured on all sides. Set aside.
Step 4. Add a little more oil (or use cooking spray) and gently fry the onions for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic once the onions have softened and cook for 2 minutes.
Step 5. Add the tomatoes, green chillies and stock. Bring the sauce to a rolling simmer then return the chicken to the pot.
Step 6. Cover and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.
Step 7. Stir in the yoghurt and then add the stir fried vegetables just for a minute until heated through.
Step 8. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Remove the green chillies unless you like it hot!
Step 9. Serve over rice, garnished with fresh coriander leaves, sliced green chillies and lime wedges on the side.
Freezing instructions
If you intend to freeze your curry I would suggest leaving out the yoghurt (which you can stir in when reheating) and using arrowroot instead of cornflour as a thickening agent.
Cool your curry completely, then portion into airtight freezer-safe container and store for up to three months. Defrost in the fridge overnight, place in a pot and heat gently, stirring in the yoghurt if using. Make sure the dish is heated through before serving.
Serving suggestions
Basmati rice or golden rice are a must! Naan bread is a great way to mop up the delicious sauce… and I have very easy two ingredient flatbread recipe you can try . If you like you can serve the yoghurt on the side instead of stirring it into the curry or you can make a raita instead.
Slimming World Math
This Slimming World Curry is entirely SYN FREE provided you use sweetener instead of sugar and cooking spray instead of oil. If you use vegetable oil it comes at 6 syns per tablespoon ( still only 2 per serving). Serve with plain rice or brown rice.
To make this curry suitable for Extra Easy SP, serve with cauliflower rice which you can either make yourself or buy at some big supermarkets.
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Chicken Jalfrezi
Video
Ingredients
For the stir-fried vegetables
- 1 tsp vegetable oil or cooking spray
- 1 tsp mustard or cumin seeds
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 red onion , sliced
- 1 green bell pepper , sliced
- 1 red or yellow bell pepper , sliced
- 3 to matoes , quartered
For the chicken
- 700 g | 1.5 pounds skinless chicken breast or chicken thigh , cubed
- ½ tbsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground ginger (or freshly grated ginger)
- 1 tsp sugar or sweetener
- 1 tsp salt
For the jalfrezi sauce
- 2 onions , finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 400 g | 14oz tin chopped tomatoes
- 200 g | 7oz Passata or tinned chopped tomatoes blitzed to a puree
- 250 ml | 1 cup vegetable stock
- 1-4 green chillies , sliced in half (deseeded if preferred)
- 3-4 tbsp 0% fat natural yoghurt
- 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch) diluted in 1 tbsp cold water (Instant Pot method only)
To serve
- Sliced green chilli
- Coriander (cilantro)
- Lime wedges
- Salt and pepper to season
Instructions
Chicken Jalfrezi Instant Pot method
- Mix the cubed chicken with the spices, sugar and salt. Set aside to marinate while you are stir frying the vegetables.
- Heat a little vegetable oil (or use Fry Light) in your Instant Pot using the Sauté function. Fry the onion, peppers and fresh tomatoes with mustard seeds and a little Garam Masala for 2-3 minutes until a little softened but still crunchy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Sauté the chicken until nicely browned on all sides, adding a little oil or stock if the pot is very dry. You might need to do this in batches to get a good sear on the chicken – alternatively cook in a frying pan and then add into the Instant Pot.
- Fry the onions for 5 minutes until softened then add the garlic, tinned tomatoes, chicken, green chillies and stock. Cover, set vent to sealing and cook for 15 minutes at high pressure.
- Release the pressure manually. Add the cornflour slurry and yoghurt and cook on ‘Sauté’ until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Return the stir fried vegetables to the curry and cook just for a minute until heated through. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Remove the green chillies unless you like it hot!
- Serve over rice, garnished with fresh coriander leaves, extra sliced green chillies and lime wedges on the side.
Chicken Jalfrezi stovetop method
- Mix the cubed chicken with the spices, sugar and salt. Set aside to marinate while you are stir frying the vegetables.
- Heat a little vegetable oil (or use Fry Light) in a large frying pan or a wok. Fry the onion, peppers and fresh tomatoes with mustard seeds and a little Garam Masala for 2-3 minutes until a little softened but still crunchy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Fry the chicken until nicely coloured on all sides. Set aside.
- Add a little more oil (or use cooking spray) and gently fry the onions for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic once the onions have softened and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, green chillies and half the stock. Bring the sauce to a rolling simmer then return the chicken to the pot.
- Cover and simmer on low heat for 20-30 minutes, adding more stock if the pan is getting too dry.
- Stir in the yoghurt and then add the stir fried vegetables just for a minute until heated through.
- Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Remove the green chillies unless you like it hot!
- Serve over rice, garnished with fresh coriander leaves, sliced green chillies and lime wedges on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
I’m vegetarian. Think I could substitute chicken for Tofu on a 1 to 1 ratio?
Hi Joe I don’t see why not
Chicken, bell peppers, tomatoes, and Garam Masala; these are some of my favorite ingredients and this dish was so delicious! I can’t wait to make it again!
I love that you made this instant pot friendly! I will be making this all the time!
I’m going to plan a date night right away, make this, and eat in front of the tv! Sounds like a wonderful way to spend the evening. Thanks for the great recipe!