Chicken Karahi Recipe (Authentic Lahori Street Style) - Hinz Cooking - A Food Blog with Simple and Easy Dinner Recipes (2024)

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The authentic Chicken Karahi recipe will bring the salivating flavor of tender chicken cooked with tomatoes and spices. Here is a famous Pakistani style Lahori Karahi recipe that I took from a street chef while visiting the old Anarkali food street. Taste of tomatoes cooked with Pakistani spices to tenderize the chicken makes an appetizing karahi taste that no Pakistani can surely ignore.

"Chicken Karahi" famous as Kadai chicken is one of the most popular food street chicken masala recipe that people love to eat all across Pakistan, India, and every other corner of the world. If you are a true foodie then you must be in love with this Lahori karahi.

Today, I am making Old Anarkali Lahori food street style chicken karahi that must be a crowd puller due to the pleasant karahi aroma and tangy, sour taste of cooked tomatoes with tender chicken with bone. A perfect recipe to try at family functions (dawat) and dinner.

What is Chicken Karahi?

As the name signifies, chicken karahi is a form of chicken curry specially cooked in Karahi (wok). The chicken is cooked and simmered with ginger garlic and tomatoes by adding salt and chili powder and as the chicken gets tender then fried in oil to make a perfect curry. Garnish with Julianne ginger and green coriander giving it a mouthwatering taste.

Every region has a different recipe and flavor of karahi based on adding spices and herbs. But the common and non-skippable ingredient is tomatoes and green chilies that make the chicken scrumptious and aromatic.

There are so many places in Pakistan where you can eat famous karahi with different tastes.

Karachi burns road karahi is famous all across the world especially people who belong to old Karachi can't skip it.

Lahore, the city of heart in Pakistan is famous for Lahori Karahi. Nobody can leave Lahore without eating their mutton karahi, especially from the food street.

In the same way, Peshawari Charsi Karahi is another taste of Karahi from Khyber Paktunkhuan also famous as Namkeen karahi. So if you are going to visit Peshawar then don't forget to have a taste.

Ingredients

Chicken: Took 800g chicken with bone as it makes a better taste. Boneless chicken can also be used. The taste of chicken bones in karahi masala makes a perfect taste with tomatoes.

Oil: Used canola oil to cook the chicken. Ghee can also be used as an alternative. To reduce fat and cholesterol, I used 2 teaspoon ghee while cooking karahi on high heat as the final steps before serving.

Garam Masala: Added whole garam masala that will add a

Ginger Garlic: Used fresh ginger garlic paste.

Spices: Red Chili Powder, salt, garam masala powder

Tomatoes: Peeled the fresh tomatoes and cut into cubes to add in karahi

Yogurt: It will add a nice creamy, tangy, sour taste in chicken. Used fresh Pakistani yogurt.

Green Chilies - Thick jalapeno-style green chilies used for karahi (I used the simple chilies as didn't get them from my nearby store).

Julianne Ginger & Fresh Coriander For Garnishing

How to Make Chicken Karahi

• Heat up the pan at medium temperature.
• Pour oil in the pan.
• Add whole garam masala and let it pop for few seconds on medium heat.
• Now add ginger garlic paste and saute until it starts to change color.
• Add chicken and cook on high heat until chicken slightly changes color.
• Pour little water.
• Add tomato cubes and green chilies.
• Cover and cook chicken on medium/low heat for 10 minutes.
• After 5 minutes, remove the tomato skin as you can watch in the video. Avoid this step if you already peeled the tomato skin.
• Now mix the tomatoes in the chicken using a spoon to make a smooth curry.
• Cover again and cook for 10 minutes on medium to low heat.
• After 20 minutes, check the chicken. If there is much water then evaporate it but don't make it dry.
• Now add salt, red chili powder, and garam masala powder.
• Also, add yogurt and cook the chicken on high heat for few minutes until it starts to separate from the oil.
• As the chicken starts to separate oil, add 2 teaspoon ghee/butter and give it a good stir for few seconds.
• Now garnish with Julianne ginger and green coriander.

"Chicken karahi" is ready to serve! Make hot chapati, naan or soft phulka roti to serve it.

Chicken Karahi Video

Pakistani chicken karahi has a special flavor and aroma of perfectly cooked chicken in tomato gravy. A sprinkle of fresh coriander and Julianne ginger makes it mouthwatering. Here is a step-by-step video recipe of chicken karahi that you can easily cook at home kitchen. So if you are a beginner and looking how to make a chicken karahi recipe then watch this quick tutorial.

Quick Tips

Here are some secrets to making restaurant-style chicken karahi at home. These points will help you to make the best. All are tested and perfected in my kitchen.

1. Your wok (karahi) should be highly heat compatible.
2. To make a perfect taste of karahi, choose the golden pieces of chicken with bones.
3. Don't forget to cook chicken on high heat until it changes color. This step will relinquish the chicken rawness and make the chicken juicy and tender and you will get a perfectly cooked chicken taste.
4. Always use pulpy tomatoes.
5. Don't forget to remove the tomato skin.
6. Avoid tomato puree or ready-made tomato paste.
7. Avoid overspicing. Salt, red chili powder, and garam masala are enough to make gravy.
8. Cooked the chicken on high heat until it separates the oil.
9. My secret ingredient in this recipe is the addition of ghee while giving the final stir. You can also use butter to replace ghee.
10. Never skip garnishing with Julianne ginger.

In Pakistan, every street food is packed with chicken karahi lovers. In Karachi from Do Darya to Burns road you will find an exclusive flavor of karahi. I am a super foodie so karahi is on my priority list along with biryani which makes a perfect combination of the dinner meal. Summer or winter, whatever the season you have, hot and spicy chicken karahi always makes a difference in taste buds.

Serving

Ideally served with Pakistani roghni naan or homemade garlic naan. I love pairing up with tandoori naan (roti) which makes a perfect bite with karahi curry.

Alternatively, serve it with Garlic Butter Rice and it will surely make the best combo.

If you are planning to make a big platter with chicken karahi serving then these sides will add value as they complement each other to make a tasty bite. chickpea Salad, Chutney, Raita, dal, Shami kabab, tikki, and Firni as dessert.

More Karahi Ideas:
Lamb Karahi | White Karahi | Charsi Karahi

Q & A

How Chicken Karahi is Different From Chicken Curry?

Chicken karahi is cooked in a special form of tomato curry or masala on a very high heat that gives a special texture to chicken with thick gravy. While chicken curry makes with onion, spices, yogurt, and garam masala which makes a different flavor and texture.

Is it Necessary to Make Chicken Karahi in Wok (Kadai)?

Preferably it's been cooked in an iron karahi (wok). But you can also try it in a deep frying pan or a big skillet. Try to avoid aluminum or steel pans as it's been cooked on high heat.

Recommended Chicken Cutting for Karahi Chicken

The best and most recommended chicken pieces for karahi are with bone. You can also make with boneless but the actual and authentic flavor comes up with bones. You can use the golden pieces of chicken like breast and leg to make karahi.

What Types of Tomatoes are Recommended for Chicken Karahi?

Fresh Pulpy and juicy tomatoes are most recommended to make karahi. Make sure to remove the tomato skin. It's not recommended to try with ready-made tomato paste or puree as it will not give the karahi taste.

What is karahi cut chicken?
It's a 3 to 4 inches chicken piece with bone and without skin specially cut for karahi. Thighs, breast, and leg part is more recommended to get a good flavor of karahi masala.

What are chilies for karahi?

Special jalapeno-style thick green chilies are used for chicken karahi. Locally famous as moti hari mirch. I didn't find in my local grocery store so used regular green chili.

More Ideas To Serve