You are going to love this air fryer chicken jalfrezi. So easy and a lot less messy than a pan.
Making chicken jalfrezi like they do at Indian restaurants at home is a great way to do it. This air fryer chicken jalfrezi is a great cheat for when you don’t have the time or prepared base gravy to do it the restaurant way.
Yes… you really can cook jalfrezi curries completely in your air fryer and they taste amazing. This is my air fryer chicken jalfrezi but you could use any protein of your choice such as beef, lamb or paneer. The cooking times may vary but you’ll see when you read this recipe with step by step photos that it is a great way of cooking this famous curry house style curry.
You will need a small cake tin or another metal pot that fits into the cooking chamber of your air fryer.
About this air fryer chicken jalfrezi recipe.
Many people are getting into the air fryer craze at the moment. Air frying can be a lighter way of cooking but it doesn’t need to be if you want a curry closer to what you find at restaurants.
In this air fryer chicken jalfrezi recipe, I give you both options.
Other good reasons why people are using air fryers more often is that they are much more economical to use than a stove or conventional oven and you can cook with a lot less mess.
The information you find below will demonstrate how you can use your eco friendly air fryer to make this amazing jalfrezi. I spent a lot of time getting this just right. I bet you can’t taste the difference between this and more traditional ways of cook the curry!
Can you work ahead?
Yes! You can prepare this air fryer curry up to 3 days ahead of time if you want to. As it sits in the fridge, the flavours will develop and it will be even better when you serve it.
You can also work in stages. Air fry the onions, bell pepper and garlic and ginger paste and place it in the fridge until you are ready to complete the curry, for example.
If you like, you can make and blend the sauce or pre-cook the chicken. Whatever is most convenient for you, do it.
Although the recipe calls for raw chicken that is then cooked in your air fryer, I like to use air fryer tandoori chicken tikka for this recipe. That too can be cooked ahead of time.
What pan do you need to make this curry?
All you need is a metal cake tin or another metal pan that fits into the cooking basket of your air fryer.
Small cake tins are already popular accessories for air frying casseroles and stews. I use this one <– Affiliate link, which comes in several sizes.
For my air fryer I use a 7 inch diameter pan but you will want to measure your basket before placing an order.
You can use any metal pan though as long as it fits into your air fryer basket.
Although silicone pans have their air fryer uses, I don’t recommend them for cooking curries as they don’t get hot enough and it will mean needing to cook the curry much longer.
Can this jalfrezi be made in any air fryer?
Although I have personally tested quite a few, there are some air fryers that may not be large enough to cook a curry. Most can though.
I have a Ninja Foodie FledDrawer Air Fryer (<– Affiliate Link) which works perfectly for this style of air frying. It has two cooking chambers so you can air fry two different things at once which greatly reduces the cooking time.
I have used smaller air fryers with fantastic success. The cooking time below is for an air fryer with a single cooking chamber so if you have two or more, you will be able to cook these curries faster.
Safety notice.
Air fryers were not developed to cook curries, soups and stews. You should never heat only water or stock in an air fryer.
As the liquid comes to a simmer, it can splatter and also steam. This can ruin your air fryer and/or make a mess. It can also be a fire hazard.
This air fryer chicken jalfrezi recipe was developed with this in mind. You don’t need a lot of sauce for a curry that serves 1 to 2 people.
Heat the sauce for 10 minutes. It will probably still not be boiling hot and spitting. Keep a close eye on it though as you continue to cook. If the curry begins to steam or spit, it probably won’t, cover it tightly with foil or a lid to finish cooking.
How long can you store this air fryer chicken jalfrezi in the fridge?
You should be able to safely store this curry, covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
If you have a reheat option on your air fryer, you can reheat the curry that way. You could also simply air fry again at about 200°C/400°F until hot. That or throw it in your microwave.
Can you freeze this curry?
Yes and it will freeze well for up to 3 months.
To reheat it, just let it defrost and reheat as you would the refrigerated curry above.
If your air fryer has a reheat function, you can even reheat it from frozen. Just be sure to read the manufacturers guidelines for doing this.
Step by step photographs.
Be sure to get all your ingredients prepared and at the ready before starting. It makes cooking this air fryer jalfrezi much easier.
Mix the sliced onions, bell pepper, chillies and salt with 2 tbsp oil. If you are on a reduced calorie diet, spray it to coat with cooking oil instead.
Fry for 10 minutes at 190°C/375°F, shaking or stirring at least once.
After 10 minutes, carefully coat it all with the garlic and ginger paste and cook for one more minute.
Pour these fried veggies into a mixing bowl and add the passata and ground spices. Then stir in the stock.
Blend the sauce until smooth. You can use a countertop blender or stick blender for this.
Cook the chicken, bell peppers, tomatoes and onions for 10 minutes. I sprayed the veggies with cooking oil spray.
Transfer the cooked chicken and vegetables to a plate and set aside.
This is optional but delicious. Pre-heat your air fryer to 200°C/400°F and add the oil. Heat for 2 minutes and then stir in the cumin seeds and curry leaves to infuse which should take about a minute.
Pour your prepared curry sauce into the pan and stir well to combine. Continue cooking for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. If you see spot of caramelisation around the edges of the pan, stir them in.
Add the roasted veggies but don’t stir them in. Cook for another 3 minutes or until the chicken and sauce are hot.
To finish, season the jalfrezi with salt to taste and stir in the kasoori methi, garam masala and lemon juice. Garnish with the coriander (cilantro).
Enjoy!
If you like this air fryer chicken jalfrezi recipe, you might like to try some of these too.
Air Fryer Whole Tandoori Chicken
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What do you serve with air fryer chicken jalfrezi?
Why not try my new air fryer Basmati rice and/or air fryer naan recipes?
Air Fryer Chicken Jalfrezi
This air fryer chicken jalfrezi will get you amazing results. It really does taste like a traditional pan cooked jalfrezi but without all the oil splatter and mess. Be sure to read my notes below before starting. This recipe cooks everything from scratch but for more flavour, use my air fryer chicken tikka instead of raw chicken and add it at the end of cooking. You will need a metal pan like this air fryer cake tin <-- Affiliate Link, or another metal pan that fits into your air fryer basket.
Ingredients
- 3 - 4 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil (optional) or oil spray
- 300g (10.5 oz) chicken thighs or breasts cut into bite sized pieces or tandoori chicken tikka
- FOR THE SAUCE
- 2 medium onions (approx. 250g/9oz), thinly sliced
- 3 green finger chillies, sliced lengthwise in half
- 1/2 red bell pepper, cut in half, seeks and membrane removed
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
- 125ml (1/2 cup) passata
- 2 tsp mixed powder or curry powder
- 2 tsp tandoori masala
- 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 250ml (1 cup) warm chicken stock, stock cube stock is fine
- FOR THE TEMPERING (optional)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 15 curry leaves
- TO FINISH
- ½ green bell pepper, cut into roughly 4cm (1 ½ in) squares
- ½ red or yellow bell pepper, cut into roughly 4cm (1 ½ in) squares
- ½ red onion, cut into roughly 4cm (1 ½ in) squares
- 2 small tomatoes, quartered
- 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- Salt to taste
- 3 tbsp coriander (cilantro) to garnish
- 2 limes or lemons, quartered
Instructions
- If you have already cooked tandoori chicken tikka, you can skip this step and keep it aside for later. If cooking either raw plain chicken or raw tandoori marinated chicken, preheat your air fryer to 200°C/400°F.
- Lightly spray your cooking basket with oil spray and place the chicken in one layer in the cooking basket and air fry for 10 minutes, turning halfway through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Now place the thinly sliced onions, bell pepper and salt into a mixing bowl and add the 3 to 4 chillies. Top this with 1 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil and mix it well to coat the veggies with the oil. If you are on a reduced calorie diet, just spray them with cooking oil spray until coated.
- Pour it all directly into the air fryer basket and air fry for 10 minutes, shaking the basket half-way through the cook. Carefully spread the garlic and ginger paste over these veggies for the last two minutes of the cook.
- Pour it all into your mixing bowl and remove two or the air fried chillies and keep aside for later.
- Add the passata, mixed powder or curry powder, tandoori masala, chilli powder and stock to the bowl. Then blend it all to a smooth sauce using a stick blender or countertop blender, whichever is more convenient and set aside.
- To finish, air fry the bell peppers, onion, tomatoes in the basket for 10 minutes. Be sure to shake the basket a couple of times during cooking for a more even cook. You need to watch this closely as you don’t want to overcook the veggies but rather air fry them until they are just cooked through. After 10 minutes, transfer it all to a plate and set aside.
- This next step is optional but good. Place a cake tin or similar into the basket and add 1 to 2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil to it. Set your air fryer to cook for 6 minutes at 200°C/400°F and begin heating the oil for two minutes.
- After two minutes, add the cumin seeds and curry leaves and stir them into the oil. Cook for 1 to 3 minutes checking after one minute. If the cumin seeds and curry leaves are sizzling in the oil and fragrant, stop cooking. If not, continue air frying until they do. You will be able to smell the fantastic aroma of the curry leaves and cumin infusing into the oil. You can take a few of the crispy fried curry leaves out to use as a garnish if you like.
- Now pour the blended sauce over this. Air fry at 200°C/400°F for 10 minutes. If you infused oil, your sauce will be quite hot after 10 minutes. If not, it will still be getting warm. You will notice that the sauce has browned some on top and around the sides. Stir that in for added flavour and then add the pre-cooked chicken and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Add the kasoori methi by crumbling it between your fingers, the garam masala and salt to taste. Stir in the pre-cooked bell peppers, onions, fried whole chillies and tomatoes along with lemon or lime juice to taste.
- Air fry for a further two minutes or until the sauce curry is hot enough to serve. Season with salt to taste before serving.
Notes
Cooking Sauces in an Air Fryer Safely.
Air fryers were designed as a substitute to cook crispy food that is similar to deep fried food. They were not designed to make sauces or soups.
The first few times you cook a curry like this in your air fryer, it is important to ensure that the sauce is not spitting or that there is too much steam. This could get messy and the water droplets could also be a fire hazard.
This is the reason why I developed this recipe to serve 1 to 2 people as the pan is usually less than half full. I have cooked at least a hundred curries this way in my air fryer without any issues. It takes at least 10 minutes for the sauce to heat up so spitting and steam is not an issue. If you find that it is with your air fryer, be sure to cover the pan tightly with a lid or foil which will solve that issue.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 629Total Fat: 39gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 29gCholesterol: 203mgSodium: 2052mgCarbohydrates: 67gFiber: 13gSugar: 27gProtein: 62g