Spicy Chicken Karahi is considered a national dish of Pakistan by some fans of the dish! Full of chilli heat and complex flavours of garam masala, our version of this Pakistani Chicken Curry is both quick to make and easy to eat, as we use boneless chicken! A perfect weeknight dinner for those who enjoy a bit of spice in their food!
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If you are reading this article you are probably a curry lover! Why not try our delicious (and super easy) Chicken Pasanda, Chicken Bhuna and Chicken Rogan Josh next?
What is Karahi Chicken?
Chicken Karahi refers to a well-known Pakistani Chicken curry cooked in a spicy tomato-based sauce. The word Karahi doesn't describe the flavour of the curry though. It is actually a method of cooking. Karahi is a type of metal pan/ wok in which the chicken is cooked.
Popular dish across Pakistan and Northern India, the traditional recipe is typically made with pieces of bone-in chicken and a deliberate amount of chilli and ginger.
Reader Review
"Delicious and simple! Just what I was looking for! I recently moved and no longer had access to middle eastern restaurants. So it was great to make it from home!"
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How is Our Pakistani Chicken Karahi Recipe Different?
There seem to be as many different recipe variations as there are families! But we have decided to share a simple version of the Pakistani Chicken Curry that can be made quickly, but without compromising on flavours.
- We used boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of more traditional karahi made with bone-in chicken pieces.
- We dialled down the chillies in this recipe to make it more manageable for Western pallets. You can adjust the spice level further by adding extra green chillies or red chili powder.
- Our Chicken Kahari has some yoghurt stirred in at the end to cool the dish down further.
- It's a little bit saucier, so you can scoop up the thick gravy with roti or naan bread!
Ingredients and Substitutes
- vegetable oil: or any other odourless oil.
- fresh garlic clove: peeled and finely chopped.
- chilli peppers: we used green chilies, but red will work just fine. Make sure to eliminate most (if not all) of the seeds in your chilli peppers if you cannot handle spicy food.
- root ginger: use fresh ginger that's peeled and very finely chopped.
- ground cumin.
- chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs: cut into 2 x 2cm cubes.
- salt
- tinned chopped tomatoes: or use tomato passata instead. You can also use finely chopped fresh tomatoes (choose firm tomatoes with fewer seeds, like Roma tomatoes). If you want richer flavour, add an extra tablespoon of concentrated tomato puree.
- garam masala powder.
- coriander: leaves and stalks roughly chopped.
- ground almond or plain flour to thicken the sauce.
- Greek yoghurt: can be replaced with sour cream or creme fraiche.
Method
Heat vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan. When hot, add the garlic, julienned ginger and chopped green chillies. Fry for 30-40 seconds on medium heat.
Add the chicken pieces, and carry on cooking for approximately 8 minutes, until the pieces are almost cooked through. Towards the end of cooking add the spices and salt and mix to combine.
Pour the tinned chopped tomatoes into the chicken pan, increase it to medium-high heat and boil for 5 minutes until the tomato sauce has reduced by about a third. If your sauce is too thin, dust ½ tablespoon of flour all over and mix (alternatively stir in 2 tablespoon of ground almonds).
If you want a drier curry, you can reduce the sauce further. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
Garnish the spicy curry with coriander and some chilli. Serve the finished dish with rice and/or Homemade Peshwari Naan (we have more suggestions in the section below)!
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! Traditionally this Pakistani curry is made with either chicken or lamb/ mutton (called Kahari Gosht). However, you will have to prolong the cooking times significantly, as lamb takes longer to cook.
Oat cream or coconut-based yoghurt works well in this recipe.
The two names for this delicious curry are used interchangeably depending on the region.
Tips for Best Results
- If you have a whole chicken, follow this guide on how to butcher your chicken.
- Add some more veggies to your karahi chicken curry. Whilst it is not traditional, you may add onion and green bell peppers - Indian version of this curry in our local restaurant actually do that!
- Use whole spices to make your own garam masala.
- If you have some fenugreek leaves (a.k.a kasuri methi) in your cupboards, make sure to add 1 teaspoon of it together with the other species. It will add a lot of unique flavor to your Karahi chicken curry.
Storage
Let the leftover Pakistani chicken curry cool down to room temperature, then scoop it into an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Reheat Chicken Karahi in a microwave or on the stove over medium-low heat until piping hot, and serve with extra yogurt.
What to Serve With Chicken Karahi?
This boneless Chicken Karahi goes very well with jeera rice (rice with cumin seeds) and various flatbreads. Our favourite ones include:
Other Delicious Chicken Recipes From Around The World
We love making things interesting by cooking recipes from around the world. Chicken is enjoyed in every corner of the planet, and here are some of our favourite recipes:
- Chicken with Grapes in Cream & White Wine Sauce
- Ras El Hanout Chicken with Tahini Drizzle
- Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry
- Senegalese Chicken Yassa
- Chicken Rogan Josh
Easy Chicken Karahi | Pakistani Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 10 g (2 tablespoon) root ginger peeled and julliened
- 2 chilli peppers finely chopped, seeds removed
- 600 g (1.32 lb) chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs cubed
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 5 g (2 tablespoon) coriander roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan. When hot, add the garlic, ginger and chopped chilli peppers. Fry for 30-40 seconds on medium heat.
- Add the chicken pieces, and carry on cooking for approximately 8 minutes, until the pieces are almost cooked through. Towards the end of cooking add the spices and salt and mix to combine.
- Pour the tinned tomatoes into the chicken pan, increase the heat and boil for 5 minutes until the tomato sauce has reduced by about a third. If your sauce is too thin, dust ½ tablespoon of flour all over and mix (alternatively stir in 2 tablespoon of ground almonds).
- Garnish with coriander and some chilli. Serve with rice and/or flatbreads!
Nutrition
Priya Srinivasan says
Healthy and a hearty curry, perfect with rice/roti! Love your detailed post and suggestions to make it dairy-free! Lovely share!
Josef says
Delicious and simple! Just what I was looking for! I recently moved and no longer had access to middle eastern restaurants. So it was great to make it from home!
Ieva says
Thanks so much for such lovely feedback, Josef! So glad you enjoyed our recipe 🙂
Gina Abernathy says
I'm always looking for new way to prepare chicken for dinner. My family loves food with spice and this was great.
Mirlene says
We absolutely loved this with white rice. It is a constant rotation in my home.
Ieva says
So glad to hear! 🙂
Toni says
Such a perfect comforting meal!! I love it and my whole family enjoyed it, too!
Ieva says
That's lovely, Toni! So glad the whole family likes a bit of spice in their food!
Jess says
I love spicy meals so this is perfect for me! The bonus is how easy it is.
Beth says
This looks and sounds so good, and I LOVE that I can have it all done in less than 30 minutes. With my schedule, that's a big deal.
Chenee says
I loved this dish! I did add a little extra sour cream at the end because it was still a tad spicy for the kids, but it was so good! Thanks for sharing!
Ieva Greber says
You are most welcome, gald you managed to adjust the recipe to suit all of your spice tolerance 🙂
Ali says
Wow this curry was incredible! Ate it with rice and naan — this is the perfect comfort food meal!
Ieva Greber says
Two most perfect side dishes to go with this curry 🙂 Glad you liked it!
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
Such a great flavour in this curry and I took your advice and used ground almonds to thicken the sauce. So easy and great for leftover chicken too.
Paula says
Our whole family loved the rich flavors of this Pakistani Chicken dish. Delish!
Katherine says
We loved the flavors of this curry - though we went easy on the chili and only added one!
Ieva Greber says
Great you adjusted the recipe to your personal preferences - that's the beauty of home cooking 🙂
Charah says
Great recipe, adding this to my list now. Thanks for sharing
Heather says
One of the best chicken curry recipes I have ever made at home! Beautiful rich flavors with a fiery kick, perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. We all loved it, thank you!
Ieva Greber says
Thanks, Heather! Very kind of you 🙂
Tayler says
I made this chicken curry for dinner last night and it was fantastic! Super flavorful!
Ieva Greber says
Thanks, Tayler!