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7 Chicken karahi recipes for all the spice lovers

Chicken karahi
Chicken karahi
Table of contents

    Chicken karahi recipe – the regal pride of authentic Indian cuisine!

    If I had to note down a specific savoury Indian subcontinent dish for its spicy taste, then there is no other lovely option than the traditional chicken karahi; this dish is primarily known as gosht karahi when the use of lam meat or goat has done, and the great spiciness with a lot of aromas and regal flavors have been glorifying this unique dish in North Indian and Pakistani cuisine. Though the Pakistani version consists of many different combinations and traces of spices, it does not contain pepper or onions. In contrast, the Indian version of the karahi recipe has a dominant use of capsicum. ‘Karahi’ is the leading equipment that is required to cook this savoury curry dish, that’s why commonly known as chicken karahi. One you are familiar with the recipe procedure, you can make it between 30 and 50 minutes.

    Chicken karahi recipe
    Chicken karahi recipe

    You can even prepare it ahead and store for consumption later. Indian continent has an array of gourmet side dishes that cheer up the allure of this spicy curry even more, such as naan, roti, or rice. No doubt, chicken karahi is one of the hallmarks of Indian and Pakistani cuisine that shines its yumminess throughout the globe.

    Though it is profoundly known that every version of chicken curry is known for its ultimate unique taste, once you fall in love with the tang of Indian spices, nothing can even come closer to the flavor that spicy, savory karahi chicken gives! Usually, the small boneless chicken chunks are preferred to make this delicious cuisine.

    Once you try it, you will undoubtedly agree that karahi chicken is one of the most acclaimed curries worldwide. Though newbies might find it trickier to work with distinct spices, a traditional restaurant-style karahi recipe is relatively easy to make, with no complicated procedure.

    KNOW MORE ABOUT THE CLASSIC CHICKEN KARAHI?

    CLASSIC CHICKEN KARAHI
    CLASSIC CHICKEN KARAHI

    Karahi is a massive, often cast-iron pan that resembles a wok, and the curry is named after the pan in which it is primarily cooked; this Indian equipment has a flatter base and circular shape. In ancient times, meat was mainly simmered, and an open fire was used to stir fry the meat.

    If you don’t have your roots in the Indian subcontinent, you might wonder that what has influenced the heavy use of meat and black pepper in this cuisine; well, as far as what I have heard, the karahi recipe has been mainly originated from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly Northwest Frontier) province of Pakistan, so this might unfold the clue!

    The rich tomato base and a topping of aromatic spicy green chili peppers, refreshing cilantro, and slivers of ginger add up more visual appeal to this savory meal.

    DOES CHICKEN KARAHI INCLUDE ONION?

    Though many urged that the authentic Pakistani chicken karahi does not contain onions, later on, I found out that the majority of varieties are prepared with the onions when I scrolled through the social media karahi chicken recipes.

    After several trials, when I initially gave an attempt to chicken karahi recipe, I thought of pouring small onions simply because I didn’t feel that ultimate intense karahi’s ‘masala’ vibe, and I thought onions could help me produce the stuff that I desire. But, it is basically up to you whether you would like to add onions or not. 

    TOMATOES FOR CHICKEN KARAHI RECIPE

    TOMATOES FOR CHICKEN KARAHI RECIPE
    TOMATOES FOR CHICKEN KARAHI RECIPE

    While making this curry, keep in mind, the tomatoes are the shining ingredient that shapes up the whole recipe into the beautiful sour, savory, taste, so it is quite essential to use only ripe, tasty ones. Once I attempted the recipe with Roma and vine tomatoes, and both of them turned out very well. As Vine tomatoes might elevate too much moisture and many times you have to sauté them too much, I generally prefer Roma.

    USING BONELESS CHICKEN AND CHICKEN CUTS FOR RECIPE

    A cut-up whole chicken is used for karahi traditionally. Always make sure that your chicken pieces are small, and this one tip about ingredients will help your recipe a lot.

    KARAHI CHICKEN RECIPE INDIAN RESTAURANT STYLE

    KARAHI CHICKEN RECIPE INDIAN RESTAURANT STYLE
    KARAHI CHICKEN RECIPE INDIAN RESTAURANT STYLE

    Here is the Indian version of chicken karahi and all the great tastes of thick, rich gravy that you think you can taste only in fancy restaurants; this is the classic Indian chicken karahi recipe; your pals will adore this restaurant-style version if they love rich, savory food! It is a Northern Indian traditional street food carved up as per restaurant-style cooking. When you taste this spicy, alluring curry, you will be delighted by the exotic feel of a regal and rich Indian restaurant.

    I love this chicken karahi with home style. Trust me; it’s a very simple curry that has an excellent balance of taste and aroma. But it has little difference in it; the classic restaurant-style is much more liked by my family.

    INGREDIENTS

    THE SPICE MIX

    • Ground coriander – 1 teaspoon
    • Ground cumin – 1 teaspoon
    • Kashmiri chili powder – ½ teaspoons
    • Kasoor Methi (Dried fenugreek leaves) – ½ teaspoons
    • Black pepper – ¼ teaspoon, coarsely ground
    • Turmeric – ¼ teaspoons
    • Kosher salt – ½ teaspoons

    THE CHICKEN

    • Boneless and skinless chicken – 12 oz.  (3 thighs or one large breast)
    • Curry powder – 1 teaspoon
    • Kosher salt – ½ teaspoons
    • Chicken stock – to cover

    KARAHI CHICKEN

    • Vegetable oil – 3 tablespoons
    • Onion – 2 tablespoons, finely diced
    • Tomato paste – 1 tablespoon
    • Fresh tomato – 4 tablespoons, diced
    • Garlic ginger paste – 1 tablespoon
    • Green chili – 1-2 sliced
    • Curry base – 15 oz.
    • Lemon – 1/6 juiced
    • All of the spice mix
    • The pre-cooked chicken
    • Cilantro leaves – 1 tablespoon, finely diced
    • Heavy cream – 2 tablespoons

    INSTRUCTIONS

    THE SPICE MIX

    1. Take all the spice mix ingredients and combine them all. Keep it aside.
    2. Keep the chicken ready by pre-cooking the chicken.
    3. Take a small pot and pour the curry powder, chicken, and salt in it. Cover up with chicken stock and wait till it gets a light simmer.
    4. Cook the chicken to the point it is completely tender.
    5. Afterward, drain the chicken and keep aside.

    CHICKEN KARAHI

    1. Keep your curry base ready simmering on the stove. Mix whole spices. Finely chop all ingredients. This all should be done very fast. And you won’t have much time.
    2. Heat up a frying pan over medium heat. Stream some the oil.
    3. Now, mix the green chilies and onions when the oil shimmers. Keep cooking, and continuously stir, until all the onions start to take up the brown shade on all edges. This procedure can take 2-3 minutes.
    4. Now, pour the garlic ginger paste and until it stops sputtering, keep cooking about 1-2 minutes.
    5. Turn down the heat flame to medium-low. Now mix up the spice mix. Keep cooking and stir it continuously for 30-45 seconds. Keep in mind, you just want your spices to be bloomed in oil, and you don’t want them to get burned out. Start over again if your spices are burned, as there is no way of fixing.
    6. Afterwards, mix up the tomato diluted paste. Combine it by stirring well and cook it for a minute.
    7. Raise the heat flame to medium and stream the curry base of 3 oz., combine well by stirring and cook until it begins to crater. Some small holes will appear later. Prefer to Indian curries to fully understand what this thing means if you get confused.
    8. Pour extra curry base of 6 oz. Stir well to blend it and keep cooking until it craters.
    9. Afterward, pour the leftover curry base. Continue cooking until it craters and then turns down the heat flame to low. Add up the chicken stir to mix. Keep simmering for 3 minutes.
    10. Pour the fresh chopped tomatoes, lemon juice and cilantro and cook for 2 minutes extra or so. Stream a bit more curry base if the gets dried up.
    11. Mix the cream. Stir it well and combine. Serve the curry!

    SHIKARPURI CHATKHANA CHICKEN KARHAI RECIPE

    SHIKARPURI CHATKHANA CHICKEN KARHAI RECIPE
    SHIKARPURI CHATKHANA CHICKEN KARHAI RECIPE

    This Pakistani style karahi chicken recipe is the rich blend of yoghurt of an array of aromatic spices to delight your spicy desire. A host of masalas and yogurt are amalgamated to make this rich classic chicken karahi. This curry is served with piping hot Rotis. Trust me; it is delicious and mouth-watering as much as its name suggests!

    INGREDIENTS

    • Chicken, with the bone (12 pieces) – 1 kg
    • Ginger paste – 2 tablespoons
    • Garlic paste – 1 ½ tablespoon
    • Desi ghee – 150 gm
    • Red chili powder – 1 teaspoon
    • Turmeric powder – 1 teaspoon
    • Black pepper – 1 teaspoon, crushed
    • Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
    • Red chili – 1 ½ teaspoon, crushed
    • Dry ginger powder – 1 teaspoon
    • Salt – for taste
    • Tomato – 500 gram
    • Onion – 1
    • Green chilies – 4
    • Yogurt – 1 cup
    • Garam masala powder – ½ teaspoons
    • Green coriander – 100 grams, for garnishing

    HOW TO MAKE SHIKARPURI CHATKHANA KARHAI

    1. Rinse the chicken completely.
    2. After that, pour ginger and garlic and saute in ghee, and then pour in the chicken.
    3. Fry it for 2 minutes and stream all of the spices with onion, tomato, and green chilies except garam masala. Turn on the slow heat flame to cook them all.
    4. Afterward, stream yogurt and saute it until it gets a little dry and mixes garam masala, continues cooking for 2-3 minutes.
    5. Use green coriander to garnish and serve it with warm rotis.

    KALI MIRCH CHICKEN KARAHI (BLACK PEPPER CHICKEN)

    The first time I had this kali mirch chicken karahi, I was thrilled by its distinct flavour. After that, I made several attempts to cook this dish. My folks and I are still guessing whether it was authentically tasty! Thought the dark traces wouldn’t make this dish most visually appealing, the exceedingly yummy flavour and luscious, moist chicken will strike upon the correct taste spot!

    Previous trying the recipe, I only had the blank idea of what kali mirch chicken karahi is, and after I had it personally, I had this inner thought chirping in my mind that this recipe can be one of the go-to curry recipes for me! This curry can go well when you arrange light full course dinner parties and shed off much burden!

    INGREDIENTS

    • Oil – ½ cup, neutral
    • Crushed garlic – 1 teaspoon
    • Whole chicken cut in small parts – 2.2 lbs
    • Salt or to taste – 2 teaspoons
    • Yellow onion cut in half rings – 1 (medium-sized)
    • Crushed ginger – 2 teaspoons
    • Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon
    • Coriander powder – 2 teaspoons
    • Black pepper – 1 tablespoon
    • Full fat yogurt – ½ cup
    • Garam masala powder – 1/8 teaspoons, (garnishing)
    • Ginger julienned for garnishing (optional) – 1-inch
    • Bird’s eye chiles – 2, (thinly sliced for garnish)

    INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Take a wok or karahi and heat some oil in it, and add crushed garlic. Fry it on low heat flame for 30 seconds.
    2. Turn up the heat flame, and pour chicken and salt. Fry it till it is no longer pink on high heat flame.
    3. Now, mix sliced onion, ½ cup of water, and crushed ginger, continue cooking it while keeping uncovered for 25 minutes till the chicken pieces get completely soft and tender, and where much water has been evaporated.
    4. Decrease the heat flame, mix cumin powder, coriander powder, yogurt, and black pepper. Keep stirring continuously for about 5 minutes on medium heat flame till the chicken gets wholly coated in the spice mix, and the oil is separating for a dish.
    5. Use julienned ginger and chili to garnish it and stream a dash of garam masala powder. Serve with naan or roti.

    LAHORI CHICKEN KARAHI RECIPE

    LAHORI CHICKEN KARAHI RECIPE
    LAHORI CHICKEN KARAHI RECIPE

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    This dish is one of the most popular in Pakistani cuisine. When there is a special occasion, no menu gets completed without this savory, sour curry! Though this dish is not much spicy, it has traces of tart, tangy flavors in it that evoke the unique aroma and taste as compared to other curries!

    INGREDIENTS

    • Chicken – 1
    • Gram Yoghurt – 100
    • Gram Garlic ginger – 15 paste
    • Salt
    • Red chili powder – 1 teaspoon
    • Cumin – 1 teaspoon
    • Coriander (crushed) – 1 teaspoon
    • Lemon juice – 15 ML
    • Ginger garlic paste – 15 Gram
    • Tomato – 200 Gram, chopped

    INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Mix all of the spices with chicken and afterward stream lemon juice and marinade.
    2. Pour butter, garlic-ginger paste, tomatoes in a kadhai, and saute it well.
    3. Pour the chicken pieces and sauté, pour finely chopped garlic, and ginger saute. Mix small chicken stock to give the finish to the dish and to make it juicier.
    4. Garnish it nicely.

    DAHI MASALA CHICKEN IN KARAHI

    DAHI MASALA CHICKEN IN KARAHI
    DAHI MASALA CHICKEN IN KARAHI

    Dahi masala chicken karahi is the chicken marinated in yoghurt and robust spices. It is made with the help of heavy wok; this curry is a genuinely spicy treat! The Indian staple food roti or paratha taste amazing with this curry.

    INGREDIENTS

    • Chicken Legs and Thighs – 6
    • Yogurt Plain – ½ cup
    • Chopped Ginger – 1 Teaspoon
    • Chopped Garlic – 1 Teaspoon
    • Kosher Salt – 1 Tablespoon
    • Corriander Powder – 1 Tablespoon
    • Cumin Powder – 1 Tablespoon
    • Chilli Powder – 1 Tablespoon
    • Tumeric Powder – ½ Tablespoon
    • Freshly chopped tomatoes – 2
    • Bunch Cilantro – ½

    INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Peel of the skin of the chicken. Now, detach legs and thighs at the joint. Make some slits in the legs and thighs. In 2 groups, mix all the spices and make two equal parts. Take only a single portion of mixed spices and season the whole chicken with it.
    2. From Group 1, add remaining 1/2 of spices, ginger, and garlic in yogurt. Blend it well and stream the mixture on the chicken and keep it marinating for 1 hour or 4 hours.
    3. After that, heat a Wok. Pour a little oil and dash of cumin seeds. Mix all chicken and cook it on high heat flame, flip the chicken pieces only once – until they become dark brown—mix tomatoes from group 3. Turn down the heat flame and continue cooking for 30 minutes, covering it properly. Flip the chicken pieces at regular intervals. Sprinkle up some finely chopped cilantro to increase its appeal.

    CHICKEN TIKKA KARAHI – (MURGH TIKKA KADAI)

    CHICKEN TIKKA KARAHI
    CHICKEN TIKKA KARAHI

    Many times I only cook based on what my taste buds are craving as I am the only one who does the pantry art whenever I am hungry, and home-cooked desi food can never fail to satisfy your stomach when you want a full coursed yummy spicy lunch! A few months ago, I tried making this simple version of chicken tikka karahi for a change. This amazing curry has aromatic Pakistani flavours of chicken tikka as well as chicken karahi.

    Chicken Tikka is especially famous in the South-Asian region, ‘Tikka’ basically stands for small chunks of chicken, so don’t get confused! These small chunks are marinated in whole spices and yogurt, then acquires a nice smokey flavor after the char-grilling process.

    INGREDIENTS

    For Chicken Tikka

    • Chicken (bone-in) – 500 grams
    • Chargha Masala – 1 tablespoon
    • Chaat Masala – ½ teaspoons
    • Dried Fenugreek Leaves (Kasuri Methi) – 1 teaspoon
    • Turmeric – ½ teaspoons
    • Red Chili powder – 1 teaspoon
    • Black pepper crushed – ½ teaspoons
    • White Vinegar – 1 tablespoon
    • Orange food color – ¼ teaspoons
    • Natural Yogurt (beaten) – 3 tablespoons
    • Ghee or Oil – 1 tablespoon

    Karahi

    • Ghee or Oil – 2 tablespoons
    • Butter – 1 tablespoon
    • Ginger Paste – ½ tablespoons
    • Garlic Paste – ½ tablespoons
    • Tomatoes (chopped) – 3
    • Salt – 1 teaspoon
    • Red Chili powder – 1 ½ teaspoon
    • Turmeric – ½ teaspoons
    • Coriander Seeds (roasted and coarsely ground) – ½ tablespoons
    • Cumin Seeds (roasted and coarsely ground) – ½ tablespoons
    • Red Chili Flakes2-3 Green chilies (sliced) – ½ tablespoons
    • Ginger (julienne) – 1 inch

    For Garnish

    • Chopped Coriander
    • Green Chilies finely chopped
    • Lemon juice

    INSTRUCTIONS

    Chicken Tikka

    1. Whisk complete ingredients of marinade in a medium sized bowl. Pour the chicken and season it well with the marinade mixture. Cover up the bowl and keep it to marinate for 30 minutes, or you can even keep it overnight in the fridge.
    2. Take a grill pan or non-stick pan and heat ghee or oil on high heat flame and lay the chicken pieces on it. Make sure the pan isn’t overcrowded, and stream the remaining marinade over it. Cook it on each side for 5-6 minutes or until the chicken is completely charred on all sides. Place it in a bowl after removing gently.

    Preparing the Karahi

    1. Heat some ghee/oil and butter in the karahi on medium-high heat flame, add ginger and garlic paste when it melts.
    2. Stir it at regular intervals to keep the ginger and garlic from burning; when it becomes fragrant and slightly golden, mix chopped tomatoes with red chili powder, salt, and turmeric. Mix and stream 1/2 cup water.
    3. Turn down the heat flame to medium when the tomatoes are soft and pour in the leftover chicken tikka marinade, blend it well. Add coriander, coarsely ground cumin, and red chili flakes. Blend them properly.
    4. Now, add up all-ready chicken tikka with ginger and green chilies, blend everything and cover up the pan for 5 minutes. Keep it for cooking on medium heat.
    5. Check the taste after 5 minutes and adjust any seasoning and salt.

    Garnishing

    1. Use green chilies, fresh coriander, and ginger for garnishing along with a dash of lemon juice.
    2. Serve it with tandoori Roti or naan.

    PAKISTANI STYLE CURRY (EASY & AUTHENTIC)

    Chicken karahi

    chicken karahi - PAKISTANI STYLE CURRY (EASY & AUTHENTIC)

    If you ever step up in Pakistan, you find that chicken karahi never fails to make its way in any royal celebration in Pakistani culture; the fragrant and creamy curry is genuinely one of the most popular curries and out of Pakistan and India. This classic Pakistani chicken karahi recipe creates the aura of the restaurant yet has no finicky steps and can be prepared quickly.
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 30 minutes
    Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
    Course main
    Cuisine Indian
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 492 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 tbsp Ghee
    • 2 tbsp Neutral oil or sub more ghee
    • 1 Nos(finely chopped) Small onion
    • 8 Nos Garlic cloves (crushed)
    • ¾ inch Ginger (crushed)
    • 1 tbsp fresh cilantro (chopped)
    • 1-2 whole Serrano or Thai green chili peppers
    • 2.2 lbs Bone-in chicken
    • 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
    • ¼ cup,, whisked Plain whole-milk yogurt
    • 8 small Tomatoes (I use Roma or Vine) diced
    • 2 tbsp Coriander powder
    • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns freshly ground (more to taste)
    • ½ teaspoons Garam masala
    • 2-3 Nos Green chili peppers slit in half
    • 1 teaspoon Red chili powder or to taste
    • 2 teaspoon,divided Kosher salt
    • 1-2 tbsp Fresh ginger julienned

    Instructions
     

    • Take a heavy-bottomed large-sized pan and heat it over high heat, and pour the ghee and oil. Once it gets hot, stream the onions and sauté it until slightly golden, for 5-6 minutes. Pour garlic, whole green chili pepper, and ginger sauté for an extra minute.
    • Now, pour the chicken along with ½ salt and sauté until the chicken changes its colour for 5 minutes and it stops releasing water. Add the cumin, red chili pepper, tomatoes, coriander, and leftover salt, again sauté for a minute.
    • Turn down the heat flame to medium, cover it up, and let the chicken cook entirely for 20 minutes, stir it only once at a random interval.
    • Increase the heat flame to high and sauté continuously to finish cooking the chicken for 10 minutes and discard any extra liquid. You will be able to see chicken takes up glossy shade coat as the ghee/oil begins to separate.
    • After lowering the heat to medium add the whisked yoghurt and sauté for some time gently, for 2-3 minutes. Taste it and pour extra salt if you like. Mix up freshly ground black peppercorns along with garam masala (search online to buy if you are confused) and continues stirring to blend. Use julienned ginger, green chili peppers, and cilantro to top it. Serve it while hot with a side dish of roti, naan, bread, or rice.

    Notes

    Keyword Chicken karahi
    AbigailBradley
    Hello everyone, this is Abigail! First of all, I would sincerely thank you for giving me a valuable moment to discover my food blog! Though I am not a professional chef, food blogging and cooking have always been in my veins. I found the magic and creativity I can evoke through different pantry arts!