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.
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 dhaba's will have this spicy, homestyle curry on the menu which is often enjoyed with hot naan or roti right from the tandoor.
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
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.
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Recipe
Chicken Karahi
Equipment
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.
Video
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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Avis says
Hi there! I made this a couple of nights ago, and if I could rate it a 10 I would, it was fantastic! I originally was going to make a different curry that had coconut milk and then I realized I forgot to buy some, so went looking and found your recipe for Karahi curry and wow it was the BEST curry I've ever made! So tasty, even though I had to substitute one or two things. I only had fire roasted tomatoes (maybe that was better?) and I only had regular chili powder. I am having leftovers tonight and I can't wait! Thank you! ♥
Archana says
Thank you so much!!
Vandana Rao says
Can I make it with fresh tomatoes?
Archana says
Yes you can use fresh tomatoes.
Sarah Shaikh says
Super easy and delicious recipe!
Kal says
So easy that even a cooking newb like me can make it turn out delicious! I'm going to make it again tomorrow for a football party with some friends!
Monika Agwani says
Love love the recipe..super easy and quick to make with authentic taste.
Chris says
Hello,
I have made this recipe several times and my family and I love it! I always follow the recipe exactly, but somtimes, the minced onions and ginger start to stick to the instant pot and I get a "burn" notification. I have tried putting slightly more liquid, but it still happens. Do you have any advice to avoid that burning? Do you think the dish would come out decently if I sliced the onions instead of dicing? I am thinking maybe that would help. Thank you!
Archana says
Hi Chris, Newer Instant Pots display burn more frequently for some reason. Here is a tip to follow that I have also added to the instructions - 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 browning.
Amy says
Made this tonight and it was fantastic! I suspect this one’s going into regular rotation.
ism says
Hello, you don't add water to the chicken before you give it pressure?
Archana says
Chicken releases a lot of liquids during pressure cooking. In the recipe I call for adding 2 tablespoons of water to remove any browning of the pot and this is also just enough for the Instant Pot to come to pressure.
Libby says
Very easy and so tasty. Thank you for sharing your talent!
Neema says
I try North Indian dishes when I do takeout, but typically stick to making Kerala Chicken Curry at home, but after seeing so many of your posts and how delicious the food looks, decided to give this a try. The taste was amazing!! I didn't have chopped tomatoes so just used a small can of tomato sauce instead, but even with that modification, thought it was delicious!
Michelle says
If making w chicken breast should we adjust liquids? Also since breast is dryer should we marinate with yogurt?
Archana says
Good question!! So yes marinating is always a good idea. But in this recipe you can simple allow a full natural pressure release and you will be good with chicken breasts.
Erica Khan says
I did so good with this one! It didn’t taste like instant pot food it tasted like street food. I made my husband guess after tasting it and he guessed the dish correctly. One of my favorites
Maneesha says
Great recipe, Archana! Thank you! Loved it! So easy to make!
Archana says
You are most welcome!
Vivek Reddy says
I really loved this recipe. When I tried out the sauce while cooking, I felt it lacked acidity, something I like. However, when the cooking was done and I added in the julienned ginger and the cilantro, oof, that flavor just skyrocketed. It really reminded me of the chicken curry my mom would make. Thank you so very much 🙂
Archana says
I am glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for the feedback.
Anas says
This is an outstanding recipe. Please also check out my mom's recipe:
Archana M says
I am always in search for gluten free recipes. Easy and quick recipe for chicken curry with basic pantry ingredients. I have tried it multiple times and absolutely love it!! I have it with brown rice. This is a great gluten free and healthy option for me as makes life easier.
Archana says
Thank you!
Priya Trachtenberg says
I made this a couple of days ago and it was amazing. My 14 year old said it was the best chicken curry he’s had. This will go into our dinner rotation.
Archana says
Thank you Priya!
Nikki says
Looking forward to making this recipe for Diwali ! I plan on using chicken breast, do I need to change the recipe ? Or cooking time ?
Archana says
Use the same pressure cooking time and allow full natural pressure release.