by Sarah Mirza · 18 Comments
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Follow thisrecipe tutorial and learn How To Make Authentic Pakistani-Style Chicken Karahi in under one hour. Prepared stovetop, this tomato-based chicken curry ismade with homemade Karahi masala, bone-in chicken quarters and warming spices. Ituses no yogurt. It’s deeply flavorful and perfect served with chapati or naan.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- What is Chicken Karahi?
- Video
- Ingredients
- How to make Chicken Karahi?
- With bone or without bone?
- With or without yogurt
- Tips
- Chicken Karahi Recipe
How To Make Authentic Pakistani-Style Chicken Karahi is a popular question. Well, Chicken Karahi is an extremely popular Pakistani chicken recipe. This is one of the most popular Pakistani dinner recipes. This recipe consists chicken in a wok-style pan called 'Karahi'. This recipe is rich in flavors and it's a tomato-based gravy with combination of an aromatic homemade Karahi masala. Chicken Karahi is a staple of pakistani cuisine and enjoyed both in restaurant and at home like: Chicken Biryani, Beef Nihari, Butter Chicken, and Mutton Korma.
VIDEO
INGREDIENTS
- Chicken- I personally think chicken quarters work well with this recipe.
- Tomatoes- Three tomatoes will do wonders for this recipe.
- Tomato paste- Just one tablespoon in this recipe will go along way.
- Onion- Make sure onion is chopped.
- Homemade Karahi Masala- Just few whole spices and powder spices makes a great Karahi Masala.
Katie E.
My husband loves this recipe! I have made it at least 3 times and we’re having it for dinner again tonight. It comes out great every time. [...] Looks fantastic, and can’t wait to eat it again.
WITH BONE OR WITHOUT BONE?
Commonly, Chicken Karahi is made using whole chicken but I prefer using leg quarter. Boneless chicken thighs are a great alternative. I personally find that chicken bone-in quarters work well for this recipe as they are juicy and packed with flavor.
WITH OR WITHOUT YOGURT?
If you're looking to try a yogurt-free version of this recipe, it's good to have alternatives that suit different dietary requirements and preferences. However, it's worth noting that yogurt can be useful in balancing out the heat in spicy dishes, so you may need to adjust the level of spiciness if you leave it out. A small amount of yogurt, even as little as one tablespoon, can be a good compromise for those who prefer a milder taste.
TIPS
- Dry roasting spices is to enhance their flavor and aroma. Grinding the spices when they are still hot can cause the oils to release too quickly and result in a bitter taste.
- Adding too many fresh tomatoes can make the recipe too watery and dilute the flavors, so using just four fresh tomatoes and relying on the tomato paste to bring in more tomato flavor is a good strategy.
- Adding a chicken bouillon cube is a great way to boost the savory flavor of your karahi.
Let's Make Chicken Karahi!!!
Print Recipe
5 from 8 votes
How To Make Authentic Pakistani-Style Chicken Karahi
Pakistani Chicken Karahi comes together in under an hour. It's a tomato-based curry made with homemade masala and no yogurt.
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Cook Time25 minutes mins
Total Time30 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian, Pakistani
Diet: Halal
Keyword: authentic, authentic chicken karahi, buffalo chicken pizza, chicken karahi, karahi, pakistani style chicken karahi, pakistani style karahi
Servings: 6 people
Calories:
Author: Sarah Mirza
Ingredients
Karahi
- 1 lbs chicken with bone
- 3 tsp homemade karahi masala
- ⅓ cup olive oil extra virgin
- 3 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- ½ medium onion finely chopped
- 2 serrano peppers slit
- 3 tomatoes chopped
- 1 tbsp tomatoes paste
- ½ bunch cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup water
- 1 chicken stock cube Maggie chicken flavored bouillon
Whole Spices
- 2 green cardamom pods
- 1 black cardamom
- 1 cinnamon stick
Powdered Spices
- ½ tsp salt
- a pinch garam masala powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
Garnish
- cilantro finely chopped (for garnish)
- fresh lemon juice (for garnish)
- ginger (julienne) for garnish
Instructions
Karahi
In a wok, on medium heat, add oil, and add in the slit seranno pepper, black cardamom, green cardamon pods, and cinnamon stick. Keep stirring as it sizzles for one minute.
Next add the onion, sauté it until they get translucent (make sure they don't turn brown).
Add ginger garlic paste and mix it for 30 seconds.
Next add chicken and 3 tsp Homemade Karahi Masala, coriander powder, and Garam Masala powder and mix well for 2-4 minutes.
Once the chicken is no longer pink (That's like 25% cooked).
Add finely chopped tomatoes, and mix well.
Cook it on medium heat for 7-10 minutes stirring occasionally until tomatoes are all infused. well with the chicken and the oil separates.
Add 1 tbsp tomato paste, ½ tsp salt, 1 tbsp lemon juice, ¼ cup water, cilantro and chicken cube. Mix everything well.
Now turn the stove on medium-low heat.
Let it cook for 5-7 minutes.
Cook it open it on low heat for 5 minutes.
Mix it well.
Garnish with ginger and cilantro.
Squeeze fresh lemon on top.
Serve it hot with naan.
Video
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Mahvish Shah says
I am a foodie person had many karahis in my life but this is a must try very easy steps doesn't take long and a authentic desi karahi very delicious chicken is tender enough the gravy and sauce is right amount not too dryReply
Sarah Mirza says
so glad to hear that. <3
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Katie E says
This looks great! I’m going to try making it tonight, but one quick question: I understand the chicken is with the bone, but is it skinned? Or do you leave the skin on? I am inclined to skin the chicken before cooking…
Reply
Sarah Mirza says
without skin. I can’t wait would love your feedback after you try it. Please feel free to message me if you have any questions.
Reply
Katie E says
My husband loves this recipe! I have made it at least 3 times and we’re having it for dinner again tonight. It comes out great every time. The first couple of times I made it, it was a little dry, but I think that’s because I don’t have a karahi or wok, so the oil was all spread out in a larger pan and didn’t cook the whole spice masala the same way it should have. Tonight, I used a smaller saucier to start with the oil, Serrano pepper, and whole spices, and then transferred it to the larger pot for the rest of the recipe. I think it made all the difference! Looks fantastic, and can’t wait to eat it!Reply
Sarah Mirza says
Omg! Sooo glad that you love this recipe! Thank you so much for this awesome review! 😍😍😍
Reply
Sephora Hassan says
Always thought couldn't ever make the perfect karahi at home, THIS recipe changed it allReply
Sarah Mirza says
aww thank you so much 🙂
Reply
asif jamal says
My wife made karahi with this recipe and I loved it 😍. She used to make very good karahi.last week she made karahi with this recipe and that was the best karahi she ever made.. really delicious.. I think no one can make better karahi than this..Reply
Sarah Mirza says
Thank you so much :*
Reply
Cass city says
The best I’ve ever had, words cannot describe how good this is, my mom made this last week but I still want it in my mouth. Just looking at the pictures makes my mouth water hehe☺️ We’ve been trying to find a good recipe for months and almost lost hope until my mother came across this page! All your recipes are helpful and easy to understand; it always ends up as spectacular dinner!! This one is my personal favorite❤️👌 If anyone is reading this, you guys HAVE to check out all their recipes because they are literal life savers.Reply
Sarah Mirza says
OMG!!! OMG!!! Thank you so much that means the world! We are speechless! <3
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Wazhma Awan says
Hi,
Can you confirm whether it’s 5 TABLEspoon or 5 TEAspoon ginger garlic paste for 500g (1 lb) chicken ?
Because 5 Tablespoon seems a lot ?Looking forward to a prompt response 😊
Reply
Sarah Mirza says
3 tbsp that was a typo, I just fixed it.
Reply
Faiza says
Hello, Ms. Sarah Mirza, thank you for sharing this recipe! I would like to make homemade chicken karahi using this recipe, but I would like to have some extra sauce (salaan) for 1 pound of chicken, my daughter likes to scoop up extra sauce with chicken pieces with her naan bread when we have karahi at restaurants. Unfortunately no one will give away their trade secrets, so can I please ask you what changes would one make to your recipe to create extra sauce but still have the depth of flavor of the karahi? I’m guessing to add extra onions and tomatoes but how much more whole and ground spices should one add to flavor the dish? Thank you in advance for your advice and help! 😊Reply
Sarah Mirza says
hi, thank you for stopping by our site. We don't keep any secrets we give our recipes how we make it at home
so don't worry about that.
so ya don't increase the onion in your karahi or will be on a sweeter side.
just increase the tomatoes like the recipe calls for 3 you can add 4-5
and add 4 tsp of homemade karahi masala instead of 3 tsp homemade karahi masala or please adjust according to your taste if needed more.
if you any further questions. please feel free to ask.
good luck can't wait for your feedback.Reply
Faiza says
Hello again, and thank you for your quick reply! I couldn’t wait to try out your recipe with the suggestions you provided, so I made the Karahi with whatever chicken I had available at home (I had boneless, skinless chicken thighs), and I cooked your recipe verbatim since I couldn’t taste the food until after breaking my fast for Ramadan; I also made the Karahi masala powder and your version of garam masala powder to stay true and to get the authentic taste of Karahi…WOW! I loved it! Husband loved it too, and daughter had the extra sauce (salaan) I was looking for! Thank you, I will make this again with some bone-in chicken like you did in your video… may God bless you and your family!!!
Reply
Sarah Mirza says
Thank you so much your feedback means a lot! <3 <3 <3
truly thank you for the review.Reply
