Quick Chicken Karahi (Spicy Chicken and Tomatoes With Chiles)

By Zainab Shah

Updated Aug. 24, 2022

Quick Chicken Karahi (Spicy Chicken and Tomatoes With Chiles)
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
35 minutes
Rating
4(830)
Comments
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Chicken karahi is emblematic of Pakistani cooking, with its concentrated flavors that come from tomatoes simmered down to their sweet and tangy complexity. It is traditionally made in a karahi, a wide-mouthed, high-sided pan similar to a wok, which makes the cooking process quick and easy. (A deep 10- to 12-inch skillet works well, too.) Myriad spices — Kashmiri chile powder, cumin, coriander and turmeric — adds layers of heat. Finishing with plenty of thin matchsticks of ginger provides cooling freshness. Typically made with bone-in chicken pieces, this recipe calls for cubed boneless chicken thighs for a quicker cook time, so this classic dish can be enjoyed often.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings
  • ¼cup ghee or neutral oil
  • 3dried whole round red chiles, preferably Dundicut (see Tip)
  • 1teaspoon garlic paste or freshly grated garlic
  • 1teaspoon ginger paste or freshly grated ginger
  • 1pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch cubes
  • 5Thai green chiles, 2 finely chopped and 3 slit down the middle with the root intact
  • 1teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder
  • 1teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½teaspoon ground coriander
  • ¼teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 5plum tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 1teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼cup full-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1 to 2tablespoons lemon juice (from about half a lemon)
  • 1teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • ½teaspoon garam masala
  • ¼cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1(2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
  • Roti or pita, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

387 calories; 21 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 28 grams protein; 799 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat ghee in a karahi, wok or high-sided 10- to 12-inch skillet over medium for 30 seconds. Add dried chiles and stir. Add garlic paste, ginger paste, chicken and the finely chopped Thai chiles. Stir-fry over high heat until the chicken is no longer pink, about 6 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Reduce heat to medium. Add chile powder, cumin, coriander and turmeric. Stir for 10 seconds or until everything is mixed well. Add tomatoes and salt. Stir. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Remove the lid, increase to high heat, and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid from the tomatoes and chicken has cooked off, about 7 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Reduce heat to medium. Stir in yogurt. Add remaining whole Thai chiles. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, and if the karahi is saucy, increase heat to high, and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has cooked off.

  5. Step 5

    Turn off the heat. Sprinkle with lemon juice, black pepper, garam masala, cilantro and julienned ginger. Serve with roti or store-bought pita.

Tip
  • Substitute dried round chiles with 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes if you like, and add them with the kashmiri red chile powder in Step 2.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
830 user ratings
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Comments

Steve

Substitution for Kashmiri pepper: Came across this online "the closest you can get to replicating the taste of the Kashmiri pepper is by combining either smoked or simple paprika with a little bit of cayenne. The paprika is very similar to the Kashmiri Chili in terms of taste while the cayenne pepper serves to add the spice."

Rick Ls

Penzy's suggests that Dundicut peppers are similar to scotch bonnet in heat and flavor

Sina

I'm from Pakistan and this was one of the best chicken karahi's I've had! I just used chicken legs which made it extra delicious.

I'm making this in my instapot

Let me first say i absolutely LOVE Pakistani food right now. It's no1 in all of my ethnic cuisines (beating long time title holder Japanese). When i have karahi it's hot in temp and spice level but incredibly deep and complex. I love the fact that it's made in a wok traditionally. So for mev the instapot is ab test only cause i want to walk away for 40min as my frozen goat chunks defrost and cook, melting this delicious fats and extracting the goodness from the bones and exposed marrow. I'm update once it's ready and I've tried it. Substitutions: Chinese red chili peppers, goat, ghee and coconut oil

I'm making this in my instapot

@I'm making this in my instapot It finished as i wrapped up my night, shut my tv down and proceeded to open the incredible explosion of flavours that awaited me. Initial impression. Good. I give it a 7/10. I think i just need to get the umamis up a notch. I don't know how my local karahi express kitchen does it but theirs is off the charts. For me, likely more salt, and/or perhaps fish sauce could do the trick. It certainly had high high temps to extract all the goodness from the goat marrow. But these things have a way of growing in complexity over night letting it sit in its juices over night in the fridge. Im willing to bet it'll be 8/10 tomorrow. I'll post back here to fill you in.

Anita

Good but needed 1 tsp salt & 2 tsp coriander & cumin, garlic

Brooklyn Cook

I'm not familiar with chicken karahi but WOW this was so good especially considering it's not a lot of ingredients or steps. I made some modifications based on supplies and personal preferences. Used gochugaru powder; didn't have dried chiles. Didn't cook down tomato in order to have more sauce for rice. Didn't add lemon because tomatoes added a lot of acid. Subbed 2 serranos and added with tomatoes; it was pretty spicy! Didn't have cilantro. Would make again!

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