Chicken Jalfrezi Meal Prep
Also inHigh Protein Recipes
Chef Jack Ovens
Qualified Chef · 1.63M Subscribers
Updated October 2026
Jalfrezi is a stir-fry curry at heart, so the capsicum and onion get charred in a hot pan on their own and go in at the end. That keeps them smoky with some bite, instead of soft and boiled in the sauce.
The sauce cooks down until the oil splits at the edges. It takes a few extra minutes, but it means the curry stays thick and doesn’t water out when you reheat it midweek. The rice gets toasted with cumin, cardamom and turmeric in ghee.
This makes five meals at 646 calories and 48g of protein each. It takes just over an hour, and one serve goes straight into the freezer on day one.
Chicken Jalfrezi Meal Prep
CHICKEN · MEAL PREP · MEDIUM
Why You'll Love This Chicken Jalfrezi Meal Prep
Thick Sauce, Smoky Veg
The chicken gets a hard sear in batches, then finishes cooking in the sauce. Thigh holds its moisture, so it stays juicy through every reheat.
Cooking the tomato until the oil separates is the step that makes this a proper meal prep curry. The water is gone, the flavour is concentrated, and the sauce still clings to the rice on day four.
The turmeric cumin rice is built the same way as the curry. The spices go into ghee first, so the grains pick up colour and flavour before any water goes in.
Chicken Jalfrezi Meal Prep with Turmeric Cumin Rice
Ingredients
Chicken
- 15 ml Neutral Oil
- 1 kg Chicken Thigh, Boneless & Skinless Diced
- 15 ml Lemon Juice
- 4 g Kashmiri Chilli Powder
- 2 g Ground Turmeric
- 4 g Garam Masala
- Salt To Liking
Turmeric Cumin Rice
- 300 g Basmati Rice Washed
- 14 g Ghee Clarified Butter
- 2 g Cumin Seeds
- 3 Green Cardamom Pods
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 2 g Ground Turmeric
- 600 ml Cold Water
- Salt to Taste
Charred Vegetables
- 5 ml Neutral Oil If Needed
- 1 Brown (Yellow) Onion Diced
- 450 g Mixed Capsicums (Bell Peppers) Diced
- 60 ml Water For Deglazing
Jalfrezi Sauce
- 30 ml Neutral Oil
- 2 g Cumin Seeds
- 1 Brown (Yellow) Onion Sliced
- 3 Garlic Cloves Grated
- 10 g Ginger Grated
- 2 Green Chillies Halved
- 8 g Ground Coriander
- 4 g Ground Cumin
- 4 g Kashmiri Chilli Powder
- 2 g Ground Turmeric
- 32 g Tomato Paste
- 800 g Diced or Crushed Tomatoes Canned
- Salt to Taste
To Finish
- 4 g Garam Masala
- Fresh Coriander (Cilantro) Chopped
- 1 g Kasoori Methi (Dried Fenugreek Leaves) Optional
Method
- Combine the chicken with the lemon juice, salt, chilli powder, turmeric and garam masala and marinate for 20 minutes. While it marinates, rinse the basmati under cold water until the water runs almost clear, then drain well.
- Melt the ghee in a saucepan over medium heat, add the cumin seeds, cardamom and bay leaf and toast until the cumin crackles. Stir in the turmeric for 10 seconds, add the rice and stir to coat every grain. Add the salt and water and bring to a boil, then reduce to the lowest heat, put the lid on and cook for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to steam, lid on, for a further 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and cardamom and fluff with a fork.
- While the rice cooks, heat the oil in a large, deep pan or pot over high heat until it just starts to smoke lightly. Sear the chicken in batches until deeply coloured on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side, then set aside with its juices. It finishes cooking in the sauce.
- In the same pan over high heat, adding the extra oil only if the pan is dry, stir-fry the onion and capsicum for 3-4 minutes until charred at the edges but still crisp. Set aside. Pour the deglazing water into the hot pan, scrape up all the browned bits from the base, then tip the liquid into a small bowl.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the neutral oil to the same pan. Add the cumin seeds and, once they crackle, the sliced onion. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until deep golden. Add the ginger, garlic and green chillies and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the ground coriander, ground cumin, chilli powder and turmeric. Stir through the tomato paste for 1 minute, then add the diced tomatoes, the reserved deglazing liquid and salt. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring regularly, until the sauce is thick and the oil separates at the edges.
- Return the chicken and its juices to the pan and simmer for 8-10 minutes, until cooked through and at least 74°C (165°F) in the centre. Stir through the charred vegetables and garam masala, then finish with the fresh coriander and kasoori methi (if using).
- Divide the rice evenly between 5 containers and spoon the jalfrezi alongside. Garnish with additional chopped coriander (optional).
Private Notes
Chef's Tips
Bloom the spices in fat. Most of the flavour compounds in spices, and the colour in turmeric, are fat-soluble. Toasting them in oil or ghee first gives deep flavour and golden rice.Cook until the oil separates. This is the bhuna stage: the water has cooked out of the tomato, and the sauce is concentrated, so it won’t go watery when reheated.Char the vegetables separately. Jalfrezi is a stir-fry at heart. Capsicum cooked in the sauce steams and goes soft. A separate hot pan keeps it smoky with some bite.
Storage & Reheating
Cool within 1 hour of cooking, then refrigerate at 4°C (39°F) or below and eat within 4 days. Freeze the 5th serve on day one, and it keeps for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. To reheat, sprinkle 1 Tbsp (15ml) water or chicken stock over the rice and microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway, until it reaches 74°C (165°F) throughout.
Serving 600gCalories 646kcalCarbohydrates 70.6gProtein 48gFat 20.2gSaturated Fat 5.2gPolyunsaturated Fat 3.26gMonounsaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0.2gCholesterol 194.6mgSodium 402.5mgPotassium 1274.4mgFiber 6.6gSugar 11.5gVitamin A 538IUVitamin C 156.02mgCalcium 121.9mgIron 6.6mg
Common Questions
Can I use chicken breast instead of thigh?
Yes, but breast cooks much faster and dries out easily. Sear it for 1-2 minutes per side, then add it back to the sauce for only the last 5-6 minutes of the simmer instead of 8-10. Check it reaches 74°C (165°F). Thigh is the better choice for meal prep because it stays juicier through reheating.
How spicy is this chicken jalfrezi?
Medium. Kashmiri chilli powder adds colour more than heat, so most of the kick comes from the two green chillies. Remove the seeds for a milder curry, or add an extra chilli if you want more heat.
What if I can't find kasoori methi?
Leave it out. It's optional. It adds the savoury, slightly bitter note you get in restaurant curries, but the jalfrezi still tastes great without it.
Can I freeze this meal prep?
Yes. Freeze the 5th serve on the day you cook it and it keeps for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, then reheat until steaming hot. The rest of the batch keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days.
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