Pakistani Chicken Karahi (Easy & Authentic)
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. Tested, perfected, and loved by thousands!
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“This chicken karahi recipe is out of this world!”
Talha
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.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This Chicken Karahi recipe requires simple ingredients commonly used in South Asian cooking. Here are a few things to note:
Oil/Ghee
I’ve used oil for fluidity and ghee for taste. This recipe doesn’t require as much oil as most Karahis, but you can increase the oil or ghee as desired for a more restaurant-like finish.
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 can sometimes add too much moisture while cooking the curry. When in doubt, go for the tastiest tomatoes available.
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. This is often called karahi cut, which is 1 chicken cut into around 18 pieces. Basically, try not to use a large chicken (this recipe calls for 2-2.2 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 2-2.2 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.
How to Make Karahi
Here’s what we’re trying to achieve at each step:
- Heat the oil and brown the chopped onions. Sauté the onions until they’re lightly golden. Then add garlic, ginger, and green chili pepper. The onions will deepen in color as the aromatics cook.
- Sauté the chicken. This technique, called ‘bhunai‘ sears the meat and gives it richer flavor and color. A sprinkle of salt here helps layer the flavor.
- Add the tomatoes, spices, and salt. The moisture from all the tomatoes will be enough to cook the chicken while keeping it moist.
- Cover & cook. Allowing the chicken to slowly simmer while covered results in tender chicken and well-developed flavors. This also helps the tomatoes break down well.
- Uncover and stir-fry on high heat to sauté out the water content. You’re done once the chicken taking on a glossy appearance as the ghee/oil starts to separate.
- Stir in the yogurt. I experimented with adding yogurt earlier but found I loved the pronounced taste and consistency it gives when added at the end. After adding the yogurt, continue to cook it through until the oil starts leaving the sides again.
How to Prevent Yogurt from Curdling in Curries
- Use full-fat, whole milk yogurt. Greek yogurt can curdle easier because of higher protein content.
- Let it come closer to room temperature before using it.
- Whisk it before adding it to the curry.
- Stir it in a little at a time.
- Finish off with freshly ground black peppercorns and garam masala and stir to mix. Garnish with green chili peppers, julienned ginger, and cilantro.
More Tips for Making the Best Chicken Karahi:
- Even though no water is used to cook the chicken, if you’re using a smaller/narrow 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 (like Classic Chicken Curry) go well with both rice and roti, and curries with minimal gravy (like Mixed Vegetable Curry) go well with roti. Since chicken karahi is a ‘dry’ curry, it goes incredibly well with Tandoori naan, paratha, roti, or other bread.
More Pakistani Chicken recipes you may like:
Pakistani Chicken Biryani (The BEST!)
Authentic Chicken Korma
Chicken Curry (Chicken Salan)
Easy Achari Chicken (similar to karahi!)
Pakistani Chicken Karahi
Watch the Video
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ghee, See Note for dairy-free
- 2-3 tbsp neutral oil, or sub more ghee
- 1 small (~150 g) onion, finely chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3/4 inch ginger, crushed
- 1-2 Serrano or Thai green chili peppers, whole
- 2-2.2 lbs (~907 g) skinless, bone-in chicken, cut up into small pieces
- 8 small (~600 g) 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 – See Note for dairy-free
- 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.
- Lower the heat to medium, cover, and allow the chicken cook for 20 minutes, stirring once in between.
- Uncover and raise the heat to high. 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. (I usually need another 1/8 tsp.) 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.
212 Comments on “Pakistani Chicken Karahi (Easy & Authentic)”
It’s great
Thank you, Farhan!
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!
Im not Pakistani but my favorite dish is lamb or chicken Karahi and I had really good ones only il a handful of times. All those times it was good because is was saucy which I loved because you can dip nan in it. This one looks dry with no sauce, is the dish made different ways?
Hi John! You can always increase sauce by not cooking it down fully, but make sure you can see the oil separated before you stop reducing. It might be a little less intense in flavor though. You can also try using less chicken and keep the remaining ingredient amounts the same.
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!