Chicken .curry.

 Chicken  curry .

Ingredients .

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

2 cumin seeds

1/2 small to medium (~ 75-85 grams) yellow onion, almost chopped

4 small (5 grams) green chillies like Thai pepper, chopped.

1/4 cup (~ 8 grams) red pepper leaves

2 tablespoons (~ 2 grams) mint leaves

1 pound (454 grams) of ground beef (20% fat - not lean), or ground beef of choice

2 teaspoons kosher salt (I used diamond crystal - use less if using Mortens) or 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt / table salt

1 tablespoon (6 cloves of garlic) crushed garlic.

How to make chicken  karachi.

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.

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.

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.

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.

HOME

BROWSE RECIPES

SHOP

ABOUT

CONTACT

Follow Me:

Home Recipe Type »Main Dishes» Chicken Main Dishes

PAKISTANI CHICKEN KARAHI (EASY & AUTHENTIC)

JUMP TO RECIPE JUMP TO VIDEO5 (99 ratings)

This post may contain affiliate links.

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!

Holding Chicken Karahi in a Karahi

LATEST VIDEOS

"This chicken karahi recipe is out of this world!"

TALHA

NAVIGATION

What Is Chicken Karahi?

Does Chicken Karahi Include Onions

Ingredients You’ll Need

Oil / Ghee

Types Of Tomatoes Used In Karahi

Chicken Cuts And Using Boneless Chicken

How To Make Karahi

How To Prevent Yogurt From Curdling In Curries

More Tips For Making The Best Chicken Karahi

What To Serve With Chicken Karahi

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.

Chicken Karahi with green chili peppers and lemon with garnishing and water

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.

Chicken karahi in a pan with garnishing and glass of water next to it

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED

This Chicken Karahi recipe requires simple ingredients commonly used in South Asian cooking. Here are a few things to note:

Ingredients for Chicken Karahi such as tomatoes, garlic, ginger, onion, and spices placed on a marbled surface

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 ifrom 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.

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.

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.

Chicken  karachi is good for health .

Desi chicken good for health?

Desi chickens are tastier and more nutritious as they feed in the open. Since these birds are active, they are able to take care of themselves and hence are not prone to diseases. Thousands of farm birds are culled every year to prevent the spread of bird flu.

I

Which chicken type is good for health?

Darker cuts like the thigh and drumstick contain higher caloric content than lighter cuts like the breast. Keeping the skin or frying chicken will also add saturated fat. If you're switching out red meat for chicken, you'll want to stick with chicken breast, as it's the healthiest cut of the bird.

Is chicken harmful for health?

Chicken products contain cholesterol, carcinogens, and contaminants. Cholesterol, carcinogens, pathogens, and even feces found in chicken products increase the risk of heart disease, breast and prostate cancers, urinary tract infections, and foodborne illness.

Karahi a Punjabi?

A Punjabi Chicken Karahi is an onion and tomato based dish with plenty of garlic and ginger added as well. This Punjabi recipe carefully blends spices for a subtle yet tasty dish.

Pakistani or Indian?

What is groaning? Karahi (pronounced kar-ah-hee) is the Hindi name for a two-handed, deep cooking pot that looks like a wok with steep sides. This utensil, which can also be called kadai, korai, or curry, is used in many Indian and Pakistani kitchens.

What is karahi taste?

Chicken karahi masala (sauce) gets much of its flavor from garlic, ginger, and red chilies. There are lots of warming spices in this dish, as well as chiles. But, it doesn't have to be mouth-flaming hot. Choose your chili based on your heat preference.

Nutrition 

What is the nutritional value of chicken?

A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of chicken breast provides 165 calories, 31 grams of protein and 3.6 grams of fat (1). That means approximately 80% of the calories in chicken breast come from protein, and 20% come from fat. Keep in mind that these amounts refer to a plain chicken breast with no added ingredients.