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Chicken Jalfrezi Recipe

A spicy Indian chicken curry with onions, peppers, tomatoes, and aromatic spices.

From the NHS (UK) · 16 ingredients
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Why it works: Ginger and turmeric match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,776 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓

Chicken Jalfrezi Recipe

Time10 to 15 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the chicken

  1. Heat the oil in a non‑stick pan over high heat.

  2. Add the chicken pieces and cook for 2 minutes.

  3. Add the cumin, turmeric, chilli powder and half a teaspoon of salt (if using).

  4. Mix well and fry over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, until the chicken is lightly cooked and starting to turn white.

  5. Remove the chicken and set aside, leaving the oil and juices in the pan.

Make the sauce

  1. Fry the sliced onions over medium heat for 7 minutes, until they are soft and beginning to turn golden.

  2. While the onions are cooking, blend the tinned tomatoes in a blender, or mash well using a masher or the back of a fork.

  3. Add the ginger, garlic and peppers to the pan and cook for 2 minutes.

  4. Add the tomatoes, mix well and cook for another 2 minutes.

  5. Stir in the coriander powder, garam masala, cumin seeds and half a teaspoon of salt (if using), and cook for a further minute.

  6. Add the chicken pieces back to the pan, stir well to coat in the mixture and cook for a couple of minutes.

  7. Add the green chillies, mix and fry over medium heat for another 2 minutes.

Simmer and serve

  1. Pour the water into the pan and stir, then cover and simmer over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes.

  2. Once the chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened, turn off the heat and scatter over the chopped coriander.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

285Calories
35 gProtein
5 gFat
24 gCarbs

Counts 9 of 13 ingredients. The other 4 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chicken100g cooked165
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Turmeric1 tsp ground (3g)9
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Rapeseed Oilnot in our table0
Seednot in our table0
Coriandernot in our table0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the NHS (UK).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Ginger + turmerictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,776 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  2. Clove + gingertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,038 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  3. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  4. Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,076 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  5. Clove + turmerictop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,876 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Chicken
Provides the protein; it firms on the outside and becomes tender as it simmers in the sauce.
Onions
Soften and turn golden, adding sweetness and body to the sauce.
Chopped tomatoes
Break down into the acidic base that forms most of the sauce's body.
Bell peppers
Add sweetness and a tender, lightly softened vegetable texture.
Green chillies
Add heat and a bright, fresh pungency to the sauce.
Fresh ginger
Adds a warm, sharp aroma and a spicy note.

The step that matters

Frying the sliced onions until soft and golden. Slow frying softens the onions and caramelises their natural sugars, building sweetness and depth. Cooking too briefly leaves a raw, sharp taste, while overbrowning turns the flavour bitter.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, onion, pepper, garlic, ginger, tomato, turmeric):

  1. Cuminfits better
  2. Corianderfits better
  3. Thymefits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, onion, pepper, garlic, ginger, tomato, turmeric. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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