Karahi Chicken

Kadai Chicken served in a copper kadai with tandoori roti and onions on the side

Spicy, smokey, karahi chicken gets its name from chicken cooked in a karahi or wok and simmered with ground spices and large cubes of onions and capsicum.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Diet Halal

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Servings people

Calories 390kcal

Author Richa

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

500 grams Chicken
¼ cup Curd
1 teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste
¼ teaspoon Turmeric
½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Chilli Powder

Karahi Masala (makes 4 tbsp)

1 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
2 teaspoon Black Peppercorns
2-3 Dry Red Chillies

For the curry

4 tablespoons Mustard Oil
1 Bayleaf
5-6 Peppercorns
1 teaspoon Jeera
½ inch Cinnamon
1 medium Onion finely chopped
2 teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste
¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1 teaspoon Red Chilli
1.5 teaspoon Coriander Powder
½ teaspoon Jeera Powder
2 tablespoons Karahi masala ground earlier
¾ - 1 teaspoon Salt
1 inch Ginger julienned
1 tablespoon chopped Garlic
2 large Tomatoes roughly pureed
1 teaspoon Ghee
2 whole Red Chillies
8-10 Sambar Onion Pearl Onions, sub with onion petals
1 Capsicum cubed
½ teaspoon Garam Masala
1 teaspoon Kasuri Methi roasted and ground
1 tablespoon Butter
1 tablespoon chopped Coriander

Instructions

Marinate chicken for 15-20 minutes by mixing together all the ingredients mentioned under chicken marinade.
On a low flame, dry roast ingredients mentioned under karahi masala for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the spices. Cool and grind to a powder
Heat mustard oil in a kadai and add whole spices (bay leaf, peppercorns, cinnamon and jeera). Once the jeera starts spluttering, add onions and saute for a minute or two. Then add ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, jeera powder and 2 tablespoon of the karahi masala (dry powder ground earlier) and cook for another minute or two till the raw smell disappears.
Add salt, julienned ginger and chopped garlic and saute on high heat for a minute. Then add the tomato puree and mix well. Cook the tomato puree for two minutes on high heat till it starts leaving oil on the sides and add the marinated chicken.
Stir fry the chicken for 2-3 minutes on high heat to roast the chicken and cook the curd.
Add ½-¾ cup water and cover and cook on low for 25 minutes.
In another pan, heat ghee and add whole red chillies, sambar onions and capsicum and stir fry on high for 2-3 minutes till the onions and capsicum look blistered. High heat cooking adds smokiness.
Once the chicken has been simmering for 25 minutes, add the roasted onions and capsicum to the chicken and mix well. Add garam masala, kasuri methi and butter and cook for another 5 minutes. Add chopped coriander and turn off the flame. Let this sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

Do not skip the curd chicken marinade. The curd marinade tenderises the meat gently and effectively as compared to acidic marinades like lemon or vinegar which toughens the meat.
Cook the tomatoes until the oil separates i.e., there is a thin layer of oil on top. The oil separating is an indicator that the spices have combined and are cooked through. It also indicated that the excess moisture has evaporated.
Do not skimp on the coriander - it really elevates the flavour of the dish!
Karahi Chicken tastes best with parathas, tandoori rotis or chapatis. The gravy is thick and jammy and the chicken remains juicy and tender. The bits of onions and capsicum help cut through the spice because of their sweetness and smokiness.

Nutrition