Chicken Jalfrezi (Easy and Authentic)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup neutral oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 medium yellow onion (finely chopped)
• 5-6 garlic cloves (crushed or finely chopped)
• 1- inch ginger (crushed or finely chopped)
• 1 lb 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 red chili powder
• 1/4-1/2 tsp garam masala (start with 1/4 tsp if yours is store-bought as some can be quite strong/pungent)
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 3 small tomatoes (I use Roma) (pureed in a food processor)
• 2 tsp tomato paste (optional)
• 1 small green bell pepper (cubed into 1” squares)
• 1 small red bell pepper (cubed into 1” squares )
• 1/2 small red or yellow onion (cubed into 3/4” 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 tbsp ketchup (sub South Asian-style 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))

Instructions

1. 1

   Sauté onions, garlic and ginger.: 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.

2. 2

   Add chicken and cook. Next add spices and cook.: 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.

3. 3

   Stir in tomatoes and tomato paste and cook.: 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.

4. 4

   Add red and green bell peppers, onion, green chili pepper soy sauce, ketchup and vinegar. Cook: 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.

5. 5

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