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    Home » MAINS » MEAT & POULTRY

    Lazy Chicken Karahi | Pakistani Chicken Curry

    Published: November 2, 2022 · Updated: November 9, 2022 by Ieva · This post may contain affiliate links · 9 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    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!

    Take Me To:
    • What is Karahi Chicken?
      • How is Our Pakistani-Inspired Chicken Curry Different?
    • Ingredients and Substitutes
    • Method
    • Recipe FAQs
    • What to Serve With Chicken Karahi?
    • Other Delicious Chicken Recipes From Around The World
    • Recipe Card

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    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 across Pakistan and North East India, this chicken dish is typically made with pieces of bone-in chicken and a deliberate amount of chilli and ginger.

    How is Our Pakistani-Inspired Chicken Curry 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 bone-in chicken pieces.
    • We dialled down the chillies in this recipe to make it more manageable for Western pallets.
    • Our Chicken Kahari has some yoghurt stirred in at the end to cool the dish down further.
    A pan with Karahi chicken on a wooden table with green teatowel on it.

    Ingredients and Substitutes

    • vegetable oil: or any other odourless oil.
    • garlic clove: peeled and finely chopped.
    • chilli peppers: we used green chillies, 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: 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.
    • garam masala.
    • 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.
    Ingredients for Pakistani Chicken curry on a wooden chopping board.

    Method

    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.

    Chilli, garlic and ginger in a large frying pan.

    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 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 almond)

    Pouring tinned tomatoes into the pan with cooked chicken breast.

    Garnish the curry with coriander and some chilli. Serve with rice or flatbreads (we have suggestions in the section below)!

    Recipe FAQs

    Can Karahi Be Made With Other Types of Poultry or Meat?

    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.

    What Can I Substitute Greek Yoghurt With To Make This Dish Dairy-Free?

    Oat cream or coconut-based yoghurt works well in this recipe.

    What to Serve With Chicken Karahi?

    Chicken Karahi goes very well with rice and various flatbreads. Our favourite ones include:

    • Easy 4-Ingredient Rotis
    • Simple Naan Bread
    • Sourdough Naan Bread

    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

    Recipe Card

    Chicken Karahi in a large black pan with a swirl of yoghurt and coriander scaterred on top.

    Lazy Chicken Karahi | Pakistani Chicken Curry

    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!
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Dinner, Main Course
    Cuisine Pakistani
    Servings 4 portions
    Calories 273 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
    • 10 g root ginger peeled and julliened
    • 2 chilli peppers finely chopped, seeds removed
    • 600 g chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs cubed
    • 1 teaspoon garam masala
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
    • 5 g 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 almond).
    • Garnish with coriander and some chilli. Serve with rice and/or flatbreads!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 273kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 34gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 909mgPotassium: 853mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 475IUVitamin C: 45mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword Karahi Chicken, Karahi Curry, Karahi Curry With Chicken Breasts, Pakistani Chicken, Pakistani Chicken Curry, Spicy Chicken Curry
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Pin for Pinterest.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Priya Srinivasan

      November 01, 2022 at 1:08 pm

      5 stars
      Healthy and a hearty curry, perfect with rice/roti! Love your detailed post and suggestions to make it dairy-free! Lovely share!

      Reply
      • Josef

        February 06, 2023 at 2:31 am

        5 stars
        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!

        Reply
        • Ieva

          February 06, 2023 at 12:10 pm

          Thanks so much for such lovely feedback, Josef! So glad you enjoyed our recipe 🙂

          Reply
    2. Gina Abernathy

      November 21, 2022 at 2:23 pm

      I’m always looking for new way to prepare chicken for dinner. My family loves food with spice and this was great.

      Reply
    3. Mirlene

      November 22, 2022 at 7:59 pm

      5 stars
      We absolutely loved this with white rice. It is a constant rotation in my home.

      Reply
      • Ieva

        November 23, 2022 at 8:44 am

        So glad to hear! 🙂

        Reply
    4. Toni

      November 25, 2022 at 4:35 am

      5 stars
      Such a perfect comforting meal!! I love it and my whole family enjoyed it, too!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        November 25, 2022 at 7:54 am

        That’s lovely, Toni! So glad the whole family likes a bit of spice in their food!

        Reply
    5. Jess

      December 21, 2022 at 2:07 pm

      5 stars
      I love spicy meals so this is perfect for me! The bonus is how easy it is.

      Reply

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    Hi, I am Ieva – the face behind this blog. I live in North Wales with my husband Seb and our golden retriever Sawyer. It’s safe to say that I live and breathe food: from researching and reading about food to creating new recipes and growing vegetables to use in my cooking.  The great thing is, Seb appreciates all the good meals that are also essential at his worst ‘hangry’ moments! Somebody HAS to feed Seb…

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