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The Hairy Bikers' Chicken Jalfrezi

A culinary triumph for curry-loving dieters – what’s not to like? We’ve reworked this classic to encourage your ever-decreasing waistline, so get shopping and chopping.
Jalfrezi is a curry dish popular in Britain. It was created in Bengal during the British Raj to use up leftover meat by stir frying. 
In a 2011 survey, jalfrezi was rated the most popular dish in UK Indian restaurants, having taken over from chicken Tikka Masala. The dish is rare in restaurants in India.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Servings: 4
Author: Hairy Bikers - from "The Hairy Dieters"

Ingredients

  • 6 long green chillies (such as Serrano or Anaheim)
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 Tbsp sunflower oil or vegetable oil
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
  • 3 ripe tomatoes chopped
  • 1 Tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 Tbsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt or sea salt flakes
  • 1 cup (~7 fl. oz.) cold water
  • 2 Tbsp low-fat plain yoghurt
  • 1 medium onion cut into 12 wedges
  • 1 green bell pepper deseeded and cut into rough 1-inch chunks
  • 2 tomatoes quartered
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 Tbsp water

Instructions

  • Prep the Ingredients: Finely chop 4 of the chili peppers – deseed a couple or all of them first if you don’t like very spicy food. Split the other 2 chillies from stalk to tip on 1 side without opening or removing the seeds. Cut each chicken breast into 7 or 8 bite-sized chunks.
  • Build the Sauce Base: Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a large, fairly deep, non-stick frying pan (or wok) over a high heat. Add the garlic, chopped chillies, chopped tomatoes, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, sugar and salt, then stir-fry for 3–4 minutes until the vegetables soften. Don’t let the garlic or spices burn or they will add a bitter flavour to the sauce.
  • Cook the Chicken: Next, add the chicken pieces and whole chillies and cook for 3 minutes, turning the chicken regularly. Pour over the 200ml of water, stir in the yoghurt and reduce the heat only slightly – you want the sauce to simmer. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until the chicken is tender and cooked through and the sauce has reduced by about a third. (Note: The yoghurt may look separated at first, but it will smoothly incorporate into the sauce as it cooks.)
  • Sauté the Vegetables: While the chicken is simmering, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a clean pan and stir-fry the onion and pepper over a high heat for 3–4 minutes until lightly browned. Add the quartered tomatoes and fry for 2–3 minutes more, stirring until the vegetables are crisp-tender. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with the tablespoon of water to form a smooth slurry.
  • Thicken and Combine: When the chicken is cooked, stir in the cornstarch mixture and simmer for a few seconds until the sauce thickens, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat, add the hot stir-fried vegetables and toss together lightly. Serve immediately.
    And just in case you were wondering – don’t eat the whole chillies!