Easy Boneless Chicken Karahi (30 Minute Recipe)

Boneless Chicken Karahi is a popular Pakistani dish known for its rich flavors and quick preparation. This recipe brings the authentic taste of traditional Karahi to your kitchen in just 30 minutes.

Chicken Karahi, also known as Kadai chicken or Karahi chicken, stands out as one of the most beloved Pakistani curries. This popular household dish, frequently enjoyed in restaurants, features mildly spiced boneless chicken cooked in a rich tomato base with aromatic spices, beautifully garnished with fresh green chillies and thinly sliced ginger.

This particular recipe offers a quick and easy version of the traditional Pakistani Boneless Chicken Karahi, making it perfect for a delicious weeknight meal or an impressive chicken curry for entertaining, much like a quick Boneless Chicken Biryani recipe.

What is Karahi?

Essentially, a Karahi is the traditional pot or pan for cooking. It’s usually made from metal or cast-iron and looks quite similar to a wok – deep, with sloped sides. The design of a Karahi is allows the meat to be simmered and stir-fried evenly, giving the dish its signature texture and flavor.

Karhi Gohst (meat) can be either meat or chicken. If you prefer meat try out my Mutton Karahi recipe.

But don’t worry if you don’t have a traditional Karahi in your kitchen! You can absolutely achieve fantastic results using a wok or a board based pan as an excellent substitute. The key is to use a pan that can hold heat well and allows for good stir-frying.

Ingredients for Boneless Chicken Karahi

The ingredients required for boneless chicken karahi are fairly simple. You need basic spices that are easily available.

Boneless Chicken – You can either use thigh fillet or breast fillet. Both work equally well, its just a personal choice.

Garlic & Ginger – Preferably use fresh ginger garlic, it definitely taste better ! Julienned ginger is also used for garnish.

Tomatoes – I used canned crushed tomatoes. They break down easily resulting in smooth gravy. The other option is to blanch tomatoes in hot water, remove the skin and chop them finely. The skin of tomatoes don’t break down so its important to remove it.

Yoghurt – use any plain yoghurt.

Spices – Red Chilli Powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, cracked black pepper, Kashmiri red chilli and turmeric.

Kashmiri red chilli is mild chilli powder which is mainly used for colour. You can substitute it with sweet paprika.

Methi/Dried Fenugreek leaves – dried fenugreek leaves also called Methi is very fragrant and it gives beautiful earthy aroma to the chicken karahi. If you can’t find it easily it can be omitted it won’t break the recipe. But I highly recommend adding it as it does add depth and flavour to the dish

How to make Boneless Chicken Karahi

Boneless chicken Karahi is a fairly simple recipe. The secret to its authentic taste and rich flavor lies in properly stir-frying the chicken at each stage.

1. Marinate the chicken – add yoghurt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic and mix well with chicken. Allow it to marinate for 10-15 minutes. It helps the chicken to get tender and flavourful.
2. Cook the chicken – Heat oil in a karahi or wok. Cook for few minutes until the chicken changes its colour. Add red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric and Kashmiri red chilli . Fry this chicken well for 5-7 until you can see oil separating.
3. Build the Gravy – Add tomato puree and stir fry for at least 5 minutes until most of the moisture from tomatoes is evaporated. You will begin to see beautifully smooth gravy forming.
4. Simmer for flavour- Lastly add methi, cracked black pepper, green chilli and garam masala. Cover and leave it to simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. This allows all the flavors to meld together perfectly.
5. Garnish – Karahi is incomplete without vibrant garnish. Use chopped coriander/cilantro, julienned ginger and thinly sliced green chilli.

Watch how to make Easy Chicken Karahi

What to serve with Chicken Karahi ?

For an authentic Chicken Karahi experince, the ultimate pairing has to be with a warm, fluffy naan. You can even try our Easy Naan (Flat Bread) recipe for a homemade touch! It also goes wonderfully with homemade roti.

For a complete and heavenly meal, don’t forget to add some fresh salad and a cooling mint raita. If you’re more of a rice person, our Pea Pulao makes a fantastic accompaniment too!

Other Curries to try

Do try this recipe and let me know how it turned out in the comments below! I’d love to hear your feedback.