Easy Chicken Jalfrezi Recipe (Restaurant Style)

This chicken jalfrezi recipe features tender chicken, crisp bell peppers, and onions cooked in a tangy, mildly spicy tomato-based sauce. It's an easy Indian restaurant-style dish you can make at home in about 30 minutes.

If you enjoy Indian chicken dishes, you might also like my Chicken Korma, Chicken Changezi, and Andhra Chicken Curry.

Chicken jalfrezi, also known as Murgh jalfrezi, is a popular curry served in Indian restaurants worldwide.

The name Jalfrezi is often associated with the Bengali word jhal, meaning spicy or hot. Chicken Jalfrezi brings together chicken, onions, bell peppers, and chilies in a tangy, slightly sweet, and spicy tomato-based sauce.

For this recipe, the vegetables are sautéed separately and added toward the end of cooking to retain some texture and give the dish a nice bite. You can adjust the heat to suit your taste. 

You can also make a vegetarian version by replacing the chicken with paneer (Indian cottage cheese) and mixed vegetables, such as cauliflower, carrots, green peas, green beans, and baby corn.

What goes in Chicken Jalfrezi

Here are a few important notes about the ingredients. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

• Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into cubes.
• Oil and butter: I used both sunflower oil and butter in this recipe. You can use any neutral cooking oil you prefer. You can also substitute ghee (clarified butter) for the butter or skip it if you wish.
• Onion: The onion is used both for the curry base and sautéed with the bell peppers.
• Bell peppers: I used green and red bell peppers. You can also add yellow bell pepper, as each color has a slightly different flavor.
• Ginger and garlic: Fresh ginger and garlic for the curry base.
• Chilies: You can use fresh green or red chilies according to your preferred heat level, or skip them if you prefer a milder curry.
• Spices and seasonings: Ground cumin, coriander, black pepper, turmeric, red chili powder, salt, garam masala, and optional kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves). You can substitute red chili powder with cayenne pepper or smoked paprika.
• Tomato: Fresh, ripe red tomatoes for the curry sauce.
• Cilantro: Fresh cilantro leaves to garnish the dish and add a fresh flavor.

Preparations (Step-By-Step)

• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and green and red bell pepper cubes. Sauté for about 2 minutes, just until the vegetables develop some color. Remove the vegetables and set aside.
• Heat another tablespoon of oil in the same pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken and sauté for about a minute.
• Add salt to taste, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, and ¼ teaspoon red chili powder. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes over medium-high heat, until the chicken is lightly browned and coated with the spices. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and the butter in the same pan. Add the finely chopped onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, until the onion softens.

• Add the ground cumin, ground coriander, black pepper, remaining ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, and remaining ¾ teaspoon red chili powder. Sauté briefly to combine the spices.
• Immediately add a dash of water and sauté for a few seconds. This helps prevent the spices from burning and allows them to release their flavors.
• Add the chopped tomato, followed by salt to taste. Stir and cook until the tomatoes turn mushy.
• Add the tomato ketchup and mix well.
• Add the chicken and stir-fry for about a minute over medium heat.
• Pour in ½ cup of warm water and mix well. 

• Add the slit chilies, sautéed onion, and bell peppers. Stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
• Sprinkle in the garam masala, kasuri methi, and chopped cilantro. Stir to combine. Turn off the heat and serve hot.

Notes

Customize the heat level: Adjust the amount of fresh chilies and red chili powder to suit your preferred heat level. You can also skip the fresh chilies if you prefer a milder curry.

Adjust the consistency: This is a semi-dry curry. If you prefer more gravy, add a little extra warm water while cooking and adjust the consistency to your liking.

Serving Suggestions

Serve it with plain basmati rice or flavored rice such as jeera rice, ghee rice, pulao, pilaf, or even biryani. I love pairing it with my Mediterranean Yellow Rice, as the soft, fluffy rice and its fragrant flavors complement the spicy curry.

Indian flatbreads like roti, chapati, rumali roti, paratha, and naan also go wonderfully with this dish.

It also makes an excellent filling for wraps and sandwiches.

FAQs

More Restaurant Favorites

• Crispy Sweet Chili Chicken
• Curry Chicken Fried Rice
• Easy Egg Fried Rice
• Black Pepper Chicken

Tried This Recipe?

If you try this recipe, please take a moment to leave a comment and rating. I love hearing from you, and it also helps other readers who are thinking of making the recipe.

Recipe

Easy Chicken Jalfrezi Recipe (Restaurant Style)

This chicken jalfrezi recipe features tender chicken, crisp bell peppers, and onions cooked in a tangy, mildly spicy tomato-based sauce. It's an easy Indian restaurant-style dish you can make at home in about 30 minutes.

4.98 from 37 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian, Pakistani

Keyword: Chicken Jalfrezi

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 355kcal

Author: Geetanjali

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• 500 g 1.1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs cut into cubes
• 1 medium green bell pepper cut into cubes
• 1 medium red bell pepper cut into cubes
• 2 medium onions one cut into cubes and the other finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ginger finely chopped
• 1 large tomato finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 2 fresh green chilies slit
• 2 -3 tablespoons fresh cilantro finely chopped
• ½ cup warm water
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder divided
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder divided
• ½ teaspoon garam masala
• ½ teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) optional

Get ingredients with

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and green and red bell pepper cubes. Sauté for about 2 minutes, just until the vegetables develop some color. Remove the vegetables and set aside.
• Heat another tablespoon of oil in the same pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken and sauté for about a minute.
• Add salt to taste, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, and ¼ teaspoon red chili powder. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes over medium-high heat, until the chicken is lightly browned and coated with the spices. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and the butter in the same pan. Add the finely chopped onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for 1-2 minutes over medium heat, until the onion softens.
• Add the ground cumin, ground coriander, black pepper, remaining ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, and remaining ¾ teaspoon red chili powder. Sauté briefly to combine the spices.
• Immediately add a dash of water and sauté for a few seconds. This helps prevent the spices from burning and allows them to release their flavors.
• Add the chopped tomato, followed by salt to taste. Stir and cook until the tomatoes turn mushy.
• Add the tomato ketchup and mix well.
• Add the chicken and stir-fry for about a minute over medium heat.
• Pour in ½ cup of warm water and mix well.
• Add the slit chilies, sautéed onion, and bell peppers. Stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
• Sprinkle in the garam masala, kasuri methi, and chopped cilantro. Stir to combine. Turn off the heat and serve hot.

Notes

• Customize the heat level: Adjust the amount of fresh chilies and red chili powder to suit your preferred heat level. You can also skip the fresh chilies if you prefer a milder curry.
• Adjust the consistency: This is a semi-dry curry. If you prefer more gravy, add a little extra warm water while cooking and adjust the consistency to your liking.

Nutrition

Calories: 355kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 328mg | Potassium: 796mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1685IU | Vitamin C: 76mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition Disclaimer:

Nutrition information is a general estimate only. Actual values may vary depending on the specific ingredients and brands used. For the most accurate information, please consult a registered dietitian or use your preferred nutrition calculator.