Use your air fryer to make a delicious Jalfrezi Curry? You absolutely can. I use mine for a thousand reasons, and I love how easy and flavorful this Chicken Jalfrezi recipe turned out.
Why Use An Air Fryer For Jalfrezi?
It kept my chicken juicy and tender, it cooked quickly, and the spice infusion was incredible. Not to mention the fact that it all cooks together in one pan making this dish easy and simple for a weeknight meal (or any meal really).
What Is In A Chicken Jalfrezi?
Chicken Jalfrezi or Jalfrezi is basically a fancy way of saying a chicken curry dish with stir-fried veggies. It's actually a very clever way to use up leftovers.
Jhal in Bengali means spicy, so you can make this spicy but you can adjust the spice in this dish easily. But essentially, it has:
- Chicken
- Onion
- Bell peppers
- Spices
- Tomato Sauce
Doesn't that just sound delicious?
It's a pretty popular dish in Eastern restaurants and is also a popular dish in India and Pakistan. It's also delicious and super simple to mix up. It's a meal that easy for Americans to enjoy because it uses easy to find ingredients with familiar tastes, and amps it up with spice like only Eastern food can do.
How Do You Make Chicken Jalfrezi From Scratch?
I do think this dish is more popular outside of India than it is in India, and it is most definitely not made in an air fryer if made the traditional way. Traditionally, you'd cook this in a wok on the stovetop.
- In a large bowl, mix together Chicken, onions, peppers, oil, salt, turmeric, garam masala and cayenne.
- Place the chicken and vegetables in the air fryer basket.
- Cook. Stir and toss half way through the cooking time.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a small microwave safe bowl, combine tomato sauce, water, garam masala, salt, and cayenne.
- Microwave. Remove and stir. Microwave some more. Set aside.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove and place chicken and vegetables in a large bowl. Pour the prepared sauce over them, and toss to cover the chicken and vegetables evenly with the sauce.
I love using my air fryer for a variety of recipes and air fryer chicken jalfrezi sounded amazing. And let me tell you, it was.
Want To Make Jalfrezi Shrimp?
I love shrimp as much as I love chicken and it's another great meal option if you're eating low carb. If you want to make a shrimp jalfrezi, simply follow the steps to make chicken jalfrezi but reduce the cook time to 5-7 minutes.
What Can You Serve With This Air Fryer Chicken Jalfrezi?
I am a big believer in mixing up cuisines so these other suggestions aren't Indian food per se. But they are dishes that I think would go well with the Chicken Jalfrezi.
- Rosemary Roasted Potatoes is absolutely scrumptious and made quick and easy in your air fryer.
- Keto Flourless Chocolate Brownies are absolutely to die for while being surprisingly low carb.
- Air Fryer Huli Huli Chicken. It's a sweet and slightly spicy chicken dish with a tropical flair!
This Chicken Jalfrezi is a really flavorful curry dish that we enjoy a lot. If you're not doing low-carb you could serve it with rice or naan bread. If you are doing low carb you can serve Jalfrezi curry with a side salad of sorts to make it a whole meal. The sauce is tomato-based and pairs really well with the peppers and onions and has just the right amount of heat to make the sauce flavorful without being too spicy.
Want More Air Fryer Recipes?
- Air Fryer Zucchini
- Air Fryer Corn on the Cob
- French Toast
- Keto Shrimp Scampi
- Air Fryer Mushrooms
- Fish Nuggets
If you love this Chicken Jalfrezi as much as I do I hope you share it with your friends on Facebook and Pinterest so they can try it too.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (453.59 g) Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs, cut into large, 2 inch pieces
- 1 cup (160 g) onions, chopped
- 2 cups (298 g) Chopped Bell Peppers
- 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) Oil
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Turmeric
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Garam Masala
- 1/2-1 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
For the Sauce
- 1/4 cup (61.25 g) tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) Water
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Garam Masala
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together Chicken, onions, peppers, oil, salt, turmeric, garam masala and cayenne.
- Place the chicken and vegetables in the air fryer basket.
- Set the air fryer for 360F for 15 minutes. Stir and toss half way through the cooking time.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a small microwave safe bowl, combine tomato sauce, water, garam masala, salt, and cayenne.
- Microwave for 1 minute. Remove and stir. Microwave for another minute. Set aside.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove and place chicken and vegetables in a large bowl. Pour the prepared sauce over them, and toss to cover the chicken and vegetables evenly with the sauce. Serve with rice, naan, or a side salad.
- You can also cook this dish stovetop. You would stirfry the chicken, onion, and bell pepper until they were mostly cooked, and then add the sauce along with a little extra water. Then, you'd cover the pan and let it simmer until the sauce had thickened, and the chicken and veggies were cooked through. Leave a little bite in the veggies and you're all set.
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Nutrition
Originally published October 5, 2018
And don't forget to check out my air fryer cookbooks! Every day easy air fryer, and Air Fryer Revolution.
Lori Whited
I’ve made this recipe a dozen times. The flavor is perfection
Si Galbraith
By Tomato Sauce, do you mean Tomato Ketchup?
Karen
Could you provide directions for making this in an Instant Pot ? (really just the settings/timing).
Lee Ann
I just got the Cosori Air Fryer Toaster Oven for my birthday and am looking forward to trying it out.
I'm assuming that I will have to place the regular cooking tray under the air fryer tray so that a recipe like this won't drip onto the cooking elements. Is that right, and does that affect the cooking time?
Thanks for the help - I'm new to this whole air frying thing!
DaisyCalico
Looks good! I'm considering purchasing an air fryer in part because of this dish.
Question, what are the tomato and cucumber side dishes? Both look good as well.
chasland
Such a simple, easy recipe. My wife doesn't like spicy hot, so I used just a pinch of cayenne. Used the Garam masala recipe from Petra's Indian PT Cookbook.
We usually split an entree, so with a pound of chicken and "serves 4" I thoroughly expected to have two meals for two. It didn't work out that way; neither of us could quit eating until it was all gone.
Yes, it's that good.
Can't wait for the new Air Fryer Cookbook.