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Chicken Karahi, or Kadai chicken, is undoubtedly one of the most popular curries in and out of Pakistan and India. This is a restaurant-style Pakistani Chicken Karahi recipe that can be prepared quickly and easily with no finicky steps.
What is Chicken Karahi?
Karahi is named after the pan in which it was originally cooked – a heavy, often cast-iron pan that’s similar to a wok, but rounder with a flatter base. Traditionally, meat would be simmered and stir-fried in this karahi in an open fire.
I’ve read in multiple places that karahi originates in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly Northwest Frontier) province of Pakistan, which makes sense given the cuisine’s heavy use of meat and black pepper.
Chicken karahi’s distinguishing features are its rich, tomatoey base and a fragrant finishing of green chili peppers, cilantro, and slivers of ginger.
Does chicken karahi include onion?
Most would agree that traditional Pakistani chicken karahi does not include onions. But, when I polled my Instagram community, I found that the majority preferred it with the onions.
After several trials, I decided to include a small onion simply because I just can’t get enough of karahi’s ‘masala’ and onions help produce more of the good stuff. Nonetheless, it is totally up to you if you want to add onions or not, so feel free to omit.
Type of Tomatoes Used in Karahi
The tomatoes are the star ingredient in chicken karahi, so it’s important to use ripe, tasty ones. I’ve tried this recipe with both Roma and vine tomatoes and they both work well. However, I prefer Roma because vine tomatoes will often add too much moisture and sometimes you’ll have to sauté it out separately.
Chicken Cuts and Using Boneless Chicken
Traditionally, Karahi is made from a cut up whole chicken. One tip regarding the chicken cuts is to make sure your chicken pieces are small. That is – try not to use a large chicken (this recipe calls for 2.2 lbs), or large cuts.
You may use boneless chicken as well, though you’ll cook the chicken for a shorter time and spend a longer time sautéing out the moisture.
Note: This recipe calls for around 2.2 lbs of chicken. Adjust salt, spices, etc. according to the amount of chicken you have. Also, if you’re only serving 2-3 people, you can use around 1 pound of chicken and halve the rest of the ingredients.
More Tips for Making the Best Chicken Karahi:
- Even though no water is used to cook the chicken, if you’re using a smaller pan, you may end up with too much liquid after the chicken has cooked. If that’s the case, carefully take out the liquid into a smaller saucepan and cook it down. Then add the reduced liquid back to the chicken. This will prevent the chicken from getting too tender and falling off the bone.
- If you don’t like julienned ginger in your curry (but why?), add more crushed ginger in the beginning and less, if at all, at the end.
- Freshly ground black pepper is an essential finishing touch and helps bring together the beautiful depth of flavors. Try not to use pre-ground black pepper, unless you’ve ground it yourself…fresh..preferably minutes ago. Heh. You get my point.
What to Serve with Chicken Karahi
Typically, curries with lots of gravy go well with both rice and roti, and curries with minimal gravy go well with roti. Since chicken karahi is a ‘dry’ curry, it goes incredibly well with Tandoori naan, roti, or other bread.
More Pakistani chicken recipes you may like:
Pakistani Chicken Biryani (The BEST!)
Authentic Chicken Korma
Instant Pot Butter Chicken
Instant Pot Pakistani Chicken Curry with potatoes
Instant Pot Chicken Pulao
Pakistani Chicken Karahi
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 2 tbsp neutral oil or sub more ghee
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 8 garlic cloves crushed
- 3/4 inch ginger crushed
- 1-2 Serrano or Thai green chili peppers whole
- 2.2 lbs skinless, bone-in chicken
- 8 small (around 600 grams) tomatoes (I use Roma or Vine) diced
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp red chili powder or to taste
- 2 tsp kosher salt divided
- ¼ cup plain whole-milk yogurt whisked
- 1 tsp black peppercorns freshly ground, or more to taste
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 2-3 green chili peppers slit in half
- 1-2 tbsp fresh ginger julienned
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan over high heat, and add the ghee and oil. Once hot, add the onions and sauté for 5-6 minutes, or until lightly golden. Add garlic, ginger, and whole green chili pepper and sauté for about a minute.
- Add the chicken and ½ tsp salt and sauté for 5 minutes, or until the color of the chicken changes and it has stopped releasing water. Add the tomatoes, coriander, cumin, red chili pepper, and remaining salt and sauté for another minute.
- Lower the heat to medium, cover, and allow the chicken cook for 20 minutes, stirring once in between.
- Raise the heat to high and continue to sauté for 10 minutes to finish cooking the chicken and reduce excess liquid.* You will notice the chicken taking on a glossy appearance as the ghee/oil starts to separate.
- Lower the heat to medium, add in the whisked yogurt, and gently sauté for 2-3 minutes. Taste and add more salt, if needed. Add freshly ground black peppercorns and garam masala, and stir to combine. Top with green chili peppers, julienned ginger, and cilantro. Serve hot with roti, naan, bread, or rice.
Hi there!
Just wanted to drop in to say that this recipe is hands down one of the BEST chicken recipes we’ve ever tried at home! The consistency, the flavours – verything was spot on, and my husband and I polished off the entire batch very gleefully Indeed.Thank youuu for this wonderful recipe and please do post more such amazing ones !
What a wonderful comment to receive. Thank you, Milna! I hope you get a chance to try more from the blog!
Wow , this has got to be the tastiest meal I’ve ever made ! So delicious . I also made your biryani the other day and loved it ! Thank you Izzah so much for your step by step instructions and recipes . My dad is from Pakistan and I grew up eating all his families tasty dishes but they lived in Dubai so never learnt to cook them myself . Will you be doing any other curry recipes ? I don’t have an instant pot . I did add some spinach to this and a tad bit of lemon was super yummy . : )
What a nice comment. Made my morning. Thank you, Ria! And a big yes to more curry recipes! Hope you get a chance to try more.
İt’s a good recipe, thank you for sharing!
Thanks so much, Abdullah!
Made this karahi recipe for the first time along with some tahdig rice. Was surprised how excellent, yet simple it is. Very delicious! Will make again for sure and will try additional recipes on the site. Thanks Izzah!
Thank you, Zola! I’m happy you tried it and hope you get a chance to try other recipes as well!
Dear Izzah
I’m a fan of your cooking.I love Pakistani food but could never get the spices and flavours right until I found Tea for Turmeric. I have always loved home-made Karahi that my friends have served in the past. Even though they shared their recipes with me, I could never get it right. This was the first time it turned out better than what I was aiming for. I’m so grateful for your recipe. All the flavours and heat were just right for our family. The recipe is very well-explained. The effort you put into creating and testing your recipes is evident in the way you explain and also in the results. Since I made this recipe, I have been visiting your website everyday for meal ideas. Thank you! ‘Jazak Allah Khayr’ for sharing your recipes with us.
Wish you the best!
Aamna <3
Can’t believe I missed this wonderful comment earlier. Thank you very much, Aamna! I’m so honored and happy to share!
Salaam! Firstly your recipes are amazing, jzk for sharing! They have completely transformed my Pakistani cooking ????????. I have a few questions:
1) have you ever tried batch cooking and freezing the onion tomato base for curries? if so, any tips on doing this? Trying to prepare my freezer for the arrival of baby iA.
2) Do you find a difference in the taste/ quality of food if you use fresh tomatoes vs tinned italian tomatoes?
Thank you ????????
Sorry all those question marks were actually emojis that didn’t post properly on the website! haha
W.S. Sana! Thank you for such a nice compliment!
1 – Congratulations on your baby! 🙂 I have never tried batch cooking + freezing masala though I know many people do. Here’s a blog post with tips for batch cooking & freezer meals that may help.
2 – I rarely use canned tomatoes in my cooking because I find fresh ones to be more natural and vibrant in taste. I think when it comes to curries like this karahi which is so dependant on tomatoes, try to use fresh.
thank you, will stick with fresh!!
I already left a comment but have got to leave another after making it again tonight… This chicken karahi recipe is out of this world!
Aw, so nice of you to say that. Thank you very much, Talha!!!
I love this recipe! You have made it so easy to make. This version was simple and so delicious. I make it for my big family and they love sauce. But, the sauce always cooks down and there is never enough to go around. Do you have any suggestions to make the sauce more plentiful, while cooking it to meld the flavours. Or is there another sauce that equals the taste but it larger quantity.
Thanks so much, Ashly!! I can relate to this comment haha! Try increasing the onion, tomato, & yogurt, thus increasing the curry/sauce. Adjust the salt and spices accordingly. Because of the increased water content, you may have to reduce some of the curry down in another pan and add it back to the chicken.
I didn’t have yogurt, and this came out amazing!
Thank you, Huda!
I loved making this recipe. It was so easy to make and it tasted just like the one I had at a restaurant.
So so delicious! Tasty! Heaven on earth lol.
I really loved it.
I could eat this every day.
Aw how wonderful to hear that, Esme. Thank you so much!!
This is the most amazing Karahi chicken recipe ever. 10 out of 10! I make this once a week now. Thank you!!
Thanks so much, Sanam! Delighted to hear that!
Excellent recipe. I’m a first timer and it tasted great!
Thank you, Sameer!
I’m always looking for new curry recipes. This is a keeper! Thank you. I split the yoghurt, I think because it was half fat. I think it works quite well enough without it. I also used tinned tomatoes and 3 smallish onions – I don’t think I would use any less next time. I did sprinkle 3 curry leaves for the last 10 mins and think that worked. Other than that pretty much stuck rigidly to the recipe and was really happy/excited with this new recipe find!! …and this website!
Sounds amazing, Brent! Thanks for sharing your substitutions and review!
I’m 41 years old and for the first time ever, my father likes something I made enough to ask me to make it again!! Yes hats a great testimony to how delicious this was! I’ll be making it again tomorrow.. thank you
Hello,
Very well explained. Thank you. I understand this post is over a year old. Can you modify this recipe if made with beef or lamb. Thanks
Thank you! I haven’t tried it with beef or lamb but I’d suggest increasing cooking time. You may need to add water if the tomatoes don’t have enough water content to cook the beef.
You should boil beef or mutton prior to adding it to this recipe as they take longer to cook.
Great tip! Thank you!
As someone who does not eat spicy food at all cooking this for a Pakistani friend was interesting! He said he was taken back home, so I’m counting that as a massive win. Thank you for making it so easy to follow, that in itself is a skill.
I love this comment, Denise. Thanks so much for your thoughtfulness and for taking the time to share your review!
Sooo delicious and easy to prepare. Do you have other chicken/seafood recipes. My Pakistani friend and I are looking forward to hearing from you
Thanks so much, Anne! I do have several chicken but not many seafood. Just use the search bar or choose categories and you’ll see the ones I have.
AsSalaam Alaikum… My taste buds took a non-stop flight straight back to Pakistan.
Thanks for the great recipe!
W.S. aH That is awesome! Thank you!
One word. Amazing!!!
Thank you, Kezia!!!
Can I use tomato purée mixed with regular plum tomatoes I don’t have enough plum tomatoes
Yes Farrah, that would work just fine!
My husband was a fan, and he only likes his mother’s cooking.
Thanks, Margie!
Hello there, what can I substitute for the yogurt ? I am lactose intolerant.
Nandhini, you can just omit it.
This was a fantastic recipe. My kiddos loved it!!
That’s awesome! Thank you!!
I’m vegan so can’t review this recipe from my personal experience but I made it for my dad and he said it was absolutely lovely! Thank you s much for the recipes – my family has been loving them during lockdown!
So nice of you to make it for him and I’m honored to hear that you like them. Thank you very much for your review!
I’m vegetarian and I was missing my father’s karahi chicken that I used to eat – I made this recipe with cauliflower instead of chicken and it was actually quite good! And I imagine you could keep it vegan by omitting the yogurt and using oil rather than ghee
That’s a great tip, Omar. Cauliflower sounds delicious – I’ve heard of others using tofu as well. Thanks for sharing and leaving a review!
originally tried a curry from one of our locals a few years ago. it was perfect for my palette. Tried for years to replicate but to no avail… until now. Superb.
Love it!! Thanks so much, Dave. VERY glad to hear that!
My husband was a fan, and he only likes his mother’s cooking. 🙂
So awesome! Thank you!
Very very good recipe and very well explained.
Thanks very much!
Salaam. I tried this recipe during Ramadan. For me, it was the best chicken karahi I’ve ever tasted. But the best part is that my mother in law approved of it, she is difficult to get praise from, so yes yours is the best recipe and I will be making this more often. Thanks a lot!
So happy to hear that, Asra. Aren’t all mother in law’s? 😉 🙂 Thanks for your review!
I tried making this for my family. Tastes very authentic and just like my moms recipe! Super delish, will definitely make again!!! ????
Thank you, Samrah! So glad you enjoyed it!
Hi! I’m ready to try yet another recipe of yours! Just a little confused- I have bone in chicken legs. Is that ok to use?
That’s certainly okay, Sarah! Apologies for the delay in response!
Assalaam O Alikum. I am a white lady married to a pakistani man. My husband made this once for us and I wanted to surprise him by making it too. I followed your recipe and he said it was exactly like the way he made his. Thank you for helping a wife make her husband happy
Never had this scrumptious home cooked karahi in my life. Amazing receipe to keep forever.
Yay! Thank you!
Izzah, thank you for sharing this incredible recipe. I’ve been searching high and a low for an authentic, restaurant-quality Karahi recipe, and was so excited to stumble upon your take. I’ve already made this twice, and it tasted even better the second time – the freshly ground black peppercorns definitely made a difference. My mom even mentioned that this was better than her version, which had me floored! I’m new to cooking and am so excited to try out your other recipes – thinking of attempting the Instant Pot Nihari next. Thanks again!
I’m honored to hear that, Anam! Thanks so much for trying and sharing such a kind review!
Izzah, I cook Indian food from scratch loads and was looking for a chicken karahi recipe after needing a change from all the other recipes I do. As soon as I looked at the ingredients And read the method I could tell it was authentic and from someone who knew what they were doing. I usually veer away from American recipes as I’m usually disappointed and don’t like ‘cup measurements ’ of everything. All I can say is the method was perfect giving details about what to look out for happening in the pan not just a time. I did double the chilli as I love heat and it was spot on for me and my family. I did Home made Roti breads and incLauded the Ginger julienne Which was delicious. I’m printing off the recipe for future Occasions. That’s so much Izzah, I’ll be checking out your other recipes and looking out for you on Facebook & Instagram xx
What a wonderful comment, Damian. South Asian cuisine is very nuanced and you’ve examined well why it’s hard to capture recipes for them. Honored that you enjoyed it so much. Thank you!!
Just made this for my family for the very first time. It turned out absolutely perfectly – I would even say it’s as good as my mother-in-law’s recipe! We’ll definitely make this again!
That is awesome! Thank you, Ameenah!!
The karahi was delicious…. great recipe!!! Probably the best I’ve ever made or tasted. Thank you for sharing
What a day-making review. Thank you, Fawaz!!
Superb! Absolutely delicious karah????
Thank you so much for sharing ????
Assalamualaikum. I’m still in the making. Left with the last step and I tasted the dish. It’s really going to be something great!
So glad to hear that, Bushra. Hope you enjoyed it!!
I made this last night. It was absolutely delicious! Better than any restaurant chicken Karachi I’ve had and I love chicken Karachi. Making more tonight to freeze. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Love this, Agnes! You’re welcome and thank you for your review!
I am not much of a cook but you have inspired me to try out your recipe and so many more!
Love the step-by-step videos!
Thank you,
Sheri
Thanks so much, Sheri!
Hey, i tried it today..Really amazing!…perfect restaurant taste????…evry1 loved it
Awesome! Thanks so much, Sumi!
Better than any chicken karahi I have had at a restaurant! This turned out purely divine! Thank you! 🙂
Thanks so much, Anna!!
I am so delighted to see such a great website with such descriptIve Info about Pakistani authentic food recipes
Thank you so much!!
Thank you, Naheed!
Ok… I rarely leave reviews for anything- even things I buy. But this… this was AMAZING!! I made it and had it last night, and again for breakfast with paratha this morning. Thank you so much for the clear notes and instructions too- all on point. I’ll definitely be sharing this with my fam fam, and checking out what other recipes you got.
SO happy to hear that and thanks for such an awesome review!
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe. So well written recipe and allows for so much experimentation..
First time, I made it as is. Second time, I used dried dundicut pepper chilies because I didn’t have green chilies on hand and didn’t use any yogurt. Still came out so so good. And added some julienned ginger in the last 10 minutes of cooking along with three tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Sounds delicious and I love the use of dundicut! Thanks so much for sharing your review, Fes!
Just made this and it is sooo good. Exceeded my expectations. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for sharing.
Yay! That’s always the goal. Thanks so much for sharing your review!
Brilliant. I like the initial pointers like the black paper one.
Thanks a lot!!
I didn’t have a lot of tomatoes so I added tomatoe paste.
So glad to hear that, Farah! Thanks for taking the time to review!
Can I use sour cream if I don’t have yoghurt?
Hi Sehar, I haven’t tried using sour cream in curry. I suppose it would give a thicker and richer texture.
This recipe is SO good and authentic! I made this last night and it took me back to my mom’s chicken karahi. This is my absolute go to now. Thank you so much for sharing! Your recipes always turn out amazing. 🙂
Ah, so nice to hear that. Thank you for taking the time to share!
This chicken karahi was so good! Totally tasted like something you would eat at a nice restaurant. As always when making your recipes, I was surprised I made something so delicious!
Thank you, Eshi!! 🙂
At Butt Kadhai in Lahore, they pressure cook the chicken first with tomatoes, onions, etc., large desi murgis ( free range birds) then stiry fry with more stuff, esp black pepper, on high heat. In India kadhai chicken is bird stirfried in greasy gravy with capsicum. Your timatar only version looks delish – and appears to be from the Pathan areas
I have often read the Indian version has capsicum but wasn’t sure! Great info. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!!
OI so love this recipe
Thank you, Celine!
Well done.keep it up