Chicken Karahi or Chicken Kadai is a spicy, homestyle chicken curry with fragrant spices and fresh ginger. Here is an EASY recipe that explains how to make this flavor-packed and authentic-tasting chicken curry in just a few simple steps using Instant Pot or a skillet.
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Note: Original post published in Oct 2018 has been updated with new photos and a video.
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What is Karahi
Karahi also known as Kadai/Kadhai is a thick, circular, metal cooking pot, similar to a wok. It is used in Indian cooking for curries, sautéing vegetables, and especially deep frying.
Chicken Karahi is a popular North Indian and Pakistani curry, and you can find it on most restaurant menus. Often, the roadside dhabas will have this spicy, homestyle curry on the menu which is often enjoyed with hot naan or roti right from the tandoor.
Here are some more chicken curries that are easy to cook at home and make for a satisfying and delicious meal - Chicken Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken, and Achari Chicken.
Why Should You Make Chicken Karahi in the Instant Pot
This past summer, I taught young college students how to cook traditional Indian dishes with the Instant Pot. When I got a request for Chicken Karahi, I decided to try my stovetop recipe in the Instant Pot. The result was:
- a practical and easy curry, that my students could make and enjoy in under 30-minutes
- hands-free recipe compared to the original traditional stovetop recipe
- perfectly cooked chicken every time
- And best of all, authentic and hearty-tasting curry
Like the ease and convenience? Here are some more non-Indian Instant Pot recipes we have in repeat in my kitchen - Doro Wat, Massaman Curry, and Chicken Tortilla Soup.
Ingredients
- Chicken - Boneless chicken thighs work best for this recipe. You may use chicken breasts instead with the same pressure cooking time and allow full natural pressure release. If you decide to use bone-in chicken or chicken drumsticks increase the pressure cooking time to 8 minutes followed by natural pressure release.
- Spices - Garam Masala - I highly recommend my homemade garam masala, Kashmiri red chili powder that adds vibrant red color to the curry without adding too much heat, ground cumin and coriander add earthy tones and body to the curry while turmeric adds a peppery-woody taste and deep golden color to the curry.
- Ginger - Finely diced ginger adds a perfect zing and a lot of flavors to this dish. It is also used to garnish the dish along with cilantro.
- Tomatoes - I use Pomi chopped tomatoes in this recipe. Not only do they taste just like fresh tomatoes, but they are super convenient and add a vibrant red hue to the curry. Especially when fresh tomatoes are not in season, I like to stock up on these tomatoes that come in BPA-free cartons. Once you open the carton, you can store them for up to 5 days in the fridge.
How to Cook Chicken Karahi
- Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté mode and heat oil. Next, add onions, ginger, and garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the onions turn translucent. Use a glass lid to speed up the process. Add the chicken, tomatoes, and spices and stir well. Close the Instant Pot lid with the pressure valve to sealing and pressure Cook for 5 minutes. (photos 1 - 4)
- Allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes. Then release all remaining pressure. Open the Instant Pot lid and give a quick stir. Set to Sauté mode and cook for 5 minutes as the curry thickens. Garnish with cilantro and ginger (photos 5 - 6)
Serving
Serve chicken karahi with Roti, Parathas, or Naan and Raita. For a gluten-free meal serve with Jeera Rice, Basmati Rice, or Brown Rice. Serve with cauliflower rice for a low-carb ketogenic meal.
Tips and substitutions
- Kashmiri red chili powder can be substituted with any mild chili powder or paprika
- Make sure to dice the ginger very small
- To make the curry less spicy, half the red chili powder, garam masala, and ginger
- If you enjoy spicy curry, you can add a sliced jalapeño along with the onions
- Add 1-inch cubes of sweet onion, red and green peppers to the curry after it is pressure cooked. Cook on saute mode for 5 to 7 minutes as the peppers get slightly cooked and still have a nice bite to them
Stove Top Chicken Karahi
- Heat oil in a medium wok or a skillet. Then, add onions, ginger, and garlic, and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes on medium-high heat until the onions turn translucent. Use a glass lid to speed up the process.
- Add the chicken, tomatoes, and all the spices, and stir well.
- Cover the pot with a lid and lower the heat to medium. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked stirring frequently. Add a few tablespoons of water as needed if the curry starts to stick to the pot.
- Garnish with cilantro and ginger.
I often serve a cooling yogurt drink called "Mattha" in India with this spicy chicken curry. Lots of people asked for the recipe and here it is:
- 1 cup of plain yogurt
- 3 cups cold water
- 1-inch ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 green chili or ½ jalapeño
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions: Blend all the ingredients in a blender and enjoy chilled.
More Instant Pot Chicken Curries
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Recipe
Chicken Karahi
Equipment
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- ¼ cup ginger finely diced
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs patted dry and cut into 4 pieces each
- 1½ cups canned diced tomatoes **
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
Garnish:
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup ginger julienned
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté mode and heat oil. Add onions, ginger, and garlic, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the onions turn translucent. Use a glass lid to speed up the process. Tip: Make sure the bottom of the pot has no browning after sautéing the onions. If you see any browning, press Cancel on the Instant Pot and add 2 tablespoons of water and deglaze the bottom of the pot with a wooden or silicone spatula to remove all of the brownings.
- Add the chicken, tomatoes, ground cumin, ground coriander, garam masala, Kashmiri red chili powder, ground turmeric, and salt. Stir well.
- Close the Instant Pot lid on with the pressure valve to sealing. Pressure Cook (Hi) for 5 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes and then release all remaining pressure by turning the pressure release valve from sealing to venting.
- Open the Instant Pot and set it to Sauté mode. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes as the curry continues to thicken. Garnish with cilantro and ginger.
- Serve hot with naan or parathas and rice. For a low carb meal, serve mushroom masala over cauliflower rice. Add a side of cucumber salad for a delicious meal.
Notes
- Boxed or canned diced tomatoes can be substituted with 4 ripe plum or roma tomatoes.
- Substitute Kashmiri red chili powder with any mild chili powder
- Make sure to dice the ginger very small so you do get big pieces of ginger in the curry
- To reduce the spice in this curry, reduce the quantity of red chili powder, garam masala, and ginger by half
- To make the curry more spicy and hot, add a sliced jalapeño along with the onions
- You can either use fresh tomatoes or box/canned chopped tomatoes in this recipe
- Make sure the bottom of the pot has no browning after sautéing the onions. If you see any browning, press Cancel on the Instant Pot and add 2 tablespoons of water and deglaze the bottom of the pot with a wooden or silicone spatula to remove all of the brownings.
- Heat oil in a large wok or skillet. Then, add onions, ginger, and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes on medium-high heat until the onions turn translucent. Use a glass lid to speed up the process.
- Add the chicken, tomatoes, all the spices and stir well.
- Cover the pot with a lid and lower the heat to medium. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked stirring frequently. Add a few tablespoons of water as needed if the curry starts to stick to the pot.
- Garnish with cilantro and ginger.
Nutrition
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Charmi says
Hello!
Do you think I can substitute the 1 tsp cumin powder & 1 tsp coriander powder with 1 tsp of Dhana Jeeru?
Archana says
yes. You can add 2 teaspoons of dhana jeera.
Demi says
This turned out soooo good. I had to modify a tiny bit. I didn’t have coriander so I used cumin powder and cumin seeds, the added some dried basil and dried dill to make up for the flavor. I added a couple handfuls of spinach since I had some I needed to use up. I also cubed my chicken and used red onion cause I didn’t have yellow. I served it over rice mixed with moong dal (for extra fiber and protein) and then added lemon juice over the top. It is phenomenal. So much flavor! The best thing about curry of any type is that they are relatively easy to modify as long as you get the spices right. I’ll be making this over and over again.
Archana Mundhe says
This makes me so happy! I love how you made it your own with what you had on hand. I’m thrilled it’s a recipe you’ll be coming back to!
Amie says
Excellent recipe. Will be including in regular rotation!
Archana Mundhe says
Thank you!