Kali Mirch Karahi (Black Pepper Chicken) 

By Zainab Shah

Updated Oct. 12, 2023

Kali Mirch Karahi (Black Pepper Chicken) 
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
30 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Rating
4(236)
Comments
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This chicken dish with deep fiery flavor is traditionally made with bone-in chicken pieces and, like chicken karahi, its more common counterpart, it’s served in restaurants and homes across South Asia. Unlike chicken karahi, though, this dish is particularly convenient to make if there aren’t fresh tomatoes laying around. This recipe, which uses boneless thighs, can be made with pantry staples and comes together in 30 minutes for a weeknight meal that layers heat and packs a punch. Malabar pepper, grown and commonly used in the south of India, has a delicate lingering heat. (You could use regular black pepper, but if the former is an option, try it.) Lemon juice, julienned ginger and Thai green chiles add freshness; Greek yogurt cools it all down.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings 
  • ¼cup ghee or neutral oil 
  • 1½teaspoons garlic paste or freshly grated garlic (from about 2 large cloves)
  • 1½teaspoons ginger paste or freshly grated ginger (from a 1-inch piece)
  • 2pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2tablespoons malt vinegar (optional) 
  • 1medium onion, finely chopped
  • 4Thai green chiles, thinly sliced 
  • 1teaspoon ground cumin 
  • 4teaspoons coarsely ground Malabar black pepper or 3 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper 
  • 1teaspoon fine sea salt 
  • ¼cup full-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1 to 2tablespoons lemon juice
  • ½teaspoon garam masala (optional) 
  • 1(2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
  • Roti or cooked rice, for serving 
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

522 calories; 24 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 49 grams protein; 813 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 garlic, ginger and chicken. Cook on high, stirring frequently, until the chicken changes color, 5 to 7 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Add vinegar (if using), onion and chiles. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Add the cumin, pepper and salt. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. If anything starts sticking to the pot during this time, add a splash of water, and, if necessary, reduce the heat slightly.

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the yogurt. Top with lemon juice, garam masala (if using) and ginger. Serve with rice or roti.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
236 user ratings
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Comments

Wine Country Cook

Used one large Serrano pepper and long with black pepper as that was what was available. Plenty hot for us and we like hot. Vinegar is essential not optional. Overall excellent.

Durham cook

Made with regular black pepper and 2 jalapeños. I doubled the ginger and garlic because why wouldn’t you? Used an entire small container of yogurt. The lemon juice was a great finish. I also added cilantro and mint. Very spicy but my teenagers and I loved it.

AstroTurk

Delicious dish. I cooked it with regular black pepper. It was spicy, but not overwhelmingly hot. If you like your food on the hotter side, you can probably increase the amount of Thai peppers by one or two. I think leftovers would do well in a toasted baguette with melted cheese, kind of like an Asian version of a Philly cheese steak sandwich.

Eeveestay Artinmay

I find most NYT four star rated recipes to be mediocre, but not this, this is delicious. But I can’t understand why anyone would cook chicken thighs cut it up bite-size pieces for 28 minutes ipas recommending this recipe. You’re doing it in a WOK, , you stirfry on fairly high heat and 12 minutes is plenty. The vinegar is essential. Double the yogurt or more. And add the garam masala for sure,but add it with the other spices because, like all Indian spices you want it to bloom. go ahead and sprinkle extra extra on at the end if you want. And yes, double the ginger and garlic. The stuff in the tubes works perfectly. And finishing with cilantro and mint sounds good to me!

ShelleyW

I read all the comments. Of all the millions of chicken recipes this was blah. Doubled ginger and garlic, used vinegar, way too long to cook the chicken. I will try again (maybe) and see if I can spice it up.

Jennie

This is a quick and most palatable recipe. Perhaps it was the amount of flavor-bomb ingredients specified (and I just eyeballed them), but the cumin, garam masala, garlic, ginger, chiles (I used two crumbled dried red chiles), and even black pepper (which I admittedly skimped on) were practically undetectable. Nevertheless, we found the finished dish absolutely delicious and filling. Just wondering what the point of adding those other flavor elements was ...

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