Chicken karahi

Name: Chicken karahi
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 plates
Cuisine: Pakistani
Ingredients: 1 kg Chicken, whole bird jointed into small bone-in pieces, skin off; 700 g Tomato, ripe, quartered; 4 tbsp Ghee, or neutral oil; 40 g Ginger, half grated, half fine matchsticks; 6 clove Garlic, crushed; 6 piece Fresh chilli, green, slit lengthways; 2 tsp Black pepper, coarsely crushed; 1 tbsp Coriander, seeds, coarsely crushed; 1 tsp Cumin, seeds, crushed; 1 tsp Chilli powder; 1 tsp Chilli flakes; 1.5 tsp Salt; 1 handful Coriander, leaves, chopped; 3 tbsp Yoghurt, whisked

چکن کڑاہی

Bone-in chicken cooked fast in a wok with tomatoes, ginger, green chilli and black pepper. No onion, no cream.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: چکن کڑاہی.

Start cooking

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 40 min
Rest: None
Total: 55 min
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Hot
Cost: Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

About

Chicken karahi is cooked in the pan it is named after, a two-handled wok, over high heat. Bone-in chicken is seared in ghee, then tomatoes go in and are cooked down hard until they split and the oil comes back out. Ginger, garlic, green chilli, crushed coriander seed and a lot of black pepper finish it. There is no onion and no cream, which is what separates it from restaurant curries. The whole thing takes about 40 minutes and should look glossy and a little rough, with the tomato skins curling in the oil.

What you'll need

14 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 14 ready

4 servings

Ingredients

Servings

Chicken, whole bird jointed into small bone-in pieces, skin off1 kg
Tomato, ripe, quartered700 g
Ghee, or neutral oil59 ml
Ginger, half grated, half fine matchsticks40 g
Garlic, crushed6 clove
Fresh chilli, green, slit lengthways6
Black pepper, coarsely crushed9.9 ml
Coriander, seeds, coarsely crushed15 ml
Cumin, seeds, crushed4.9 ml
Chilli powder4.9 ml
Chilli flakes4.9 ml
Salt7.4 ml
Coriander, leaves, chopped1 handful
Yoghurt, whisked (optional)44 ml

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Heat the ghee in a wok over the highest flame. Add the chicken in one layer and leave it until the undersides brown, then turn. About 8 minutes total.
8 min
Step 2
Add the garlic and grated ginger. Stir 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and salt, cover, and cook 10 minutes until the tomatoes collapse.
11 min
Step 3
Uncover. Pull out the loose tomato skins if they bother you. Cook hard, stirring and scraping, until the liquid has gone and the ghee separates and pools at the edges, 12 to 15 minutes.
15 min
Tip: The dish is done when the sauce clings to the chicken rather than sitting around it.
Step 4
Stir in the crushed black pepper, coriander seed, cumin, chilli powder and flakes. Add the yoghurt if using and cook 2 minutes more.
3 min
Step 5
Scatter over the green chillies, ginger matchsticks and coriander leaves. Cover 2 minutes off the heat so the chillies soften. Serve from the wok with naan.
2 min

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 591 kcal
Protein: 80.6 g
Carbs: 13.1 g
Fat: 22.9 g
Saturated fat: 10.9 g
Fibre: 3.1 g
Sugar: 5.8 g
Sodium: 981 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Milk

Gluten-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.

Substitutions

Chicken → Lamb or goat on the bone
Mutton karahi needs the meat simmered tender first, about an hour, before the tomato stage.

Tips

Small bone-in pieces matter. Boneless breast dries out before the tomatoes reduce.
Do not add water at any point. The tomatoes provide all the liquid the dish needs.

History & culture

Karahi is highway food in Pakistan, sold by the kilo at roadside dhabas where you pick your chicken and watch it cooked. In cities it is the default order for a group dinner. Eaten with naan, torn and dipped, never with rice.

The dish belongs to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Pashtun grilling tradition, where meat was cooked in a wok with little more than tomato and salt. Punjab added more spice. It spread across Pakistan after the 1970s with the dhaba trade, and the name now covers a whole family of wok-cooked dishes.

Traditional — Peshawari karahi skips the ground spices entirely. This is a Lahore-style home version with a little chilli powder and cumin.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Chicken karahi take?

55 min all in — 15 min prep, 40 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 4 plates. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Easy.

How spicy is it?

Hot.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Gluten-free.

6 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Wok, Chef's knife, Mortar and pestle.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at 1½ tsp.

What can I use instead?

Chicken → Lamb or goat on the bone. Mutton karahi needs the meat simmered tender first, about an hour, before the tomato stage.

Any tips from this recipe?

Small bone-in pieces matter. Boneless breast dries out before the tomatoes reduce. Do not add water at any point. The tomatoes provide all the liquid the dish needs.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.