Chicken Jalfrezi

serves 4

1/4 cup neutral oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 medium ( ~220 g) yellow onion, finely chopped

5-6 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped

1- inch ginger, crushed or finely chopped

1 lb ( 454 g) boneless chicken thighs, cubed into 3/4-1” pieces, or chicken breast – option to marinate – see Note 1

2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder or paprika, for color

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp red chili powder

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 1/8 tsp sea salt

3 small ( ~300-330 g) tomatoes (I use Roma), pureed in a food processor

2 tsp tomato paste, optional

1 small ( ~100-150 g) green bell pepper, cubed into 1” squares

1 small ( ~100-150 g) red bell pepper, cubed into 1” squares

1/2 small ( ~60 g) red or yellow onion, cubed into ¾” squares (optional)

1-2 small green chili pepper such as Serrano or Thai Chili, chopped or sliced

1 tbsp soy sauce, sub gluten-free soy sauce or tamari

1/2-1 tbsp ketchup, sub chili garlic sauce or hot and sweet sauce

1 tsp white vinegar or rice vinegar

1 tsp lemon juice, or lime juice

1 tbsp cilantro, for garnish (optional)

EQUIPMENT:

Large sauté pan (lid not required)

Food Processor (optional) – for blending tomatoes or finely chopping onions

Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds (they’ll start to sizzle) and onion. Sauté until the onions are golden (~7-8 minutes). Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for another minute, until aromatic.

Add the chicken and sauté until the color changes from pink to pale (~3 min). Add all the ground spices ( coriander, Kashmiri red chili/paprika, turmeric, garam masala, red chili powder, and black pepper) and salt and sauté for 1-2 minutes. You’ll start to see the oil glisten and separate.

Stir in the puréed tomatoes and tomato paste (if using). Sauté for 5-6 minutes, until the tomatoes are cooked and the oil starts to glisten.

Add the red and green bell peppers, onion (if using), green chili pepper, soy sauce, ketchup, and vinegar. Sauté for another 4-5 minutes, until the bell peppers have softened to your liking and you can see the oil separating from the curry. If the curry is starting to dry up, add 1/4 cup (60 ml) of water and sauté to desired consistency.

Turn off the heat. Squeeze in the lemon juice and garnish with cilantro. Serve immediately with roti, paratha, naan, or rice.

Note 1: I’ve tested this recipe with both chicken thighs and breast. While they both work, due to the higher heat cooking, chicken breast tends to dry out more.

To combat this, I tried marinating the chicken breast in yogurt and found it helped keep the chicken breast juicy and tender. Here’s how to do it:

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken breast with all the spices and 1/2 tsp salt along with 2 tbsp of yogurt. Set aside.

When it calls for it in the recipe, add the chicken along with the remaining 1/2 + 1/8 tsp salt.

P.S. Just to make sure, I tried marinating the thighs too and it found it doesn’t make a noticeable difference. That’s why the recipe doesn’t require marination.