A super quick and easy chicken karahi recipe full of spice and flavour. This delicious Pakistani chicken curry has a tomato and cream base that will have you going back for seconds.
As far as curries go this one is quick to whip up. Which makes this karahi curry the perfect midweek meal to feed your hungry loved ones.
Normally I spend hours cooking curry. Leaving it to bubble slowly away on the stove, letting the flavour develop. Which, when you have the time or have planned ahead, isn't a problem.
Sometimes we don't plan ahead and sometimes we simply have the craving for a delicious and satisfying curry. This is where my chicken karahi recipe comes into play.
Curry on the table in 35 minutes!
It will take you 5 minutes to pre the ingredients for cooking. Simply chop some chicken thigh, an onion and mince some garlic and ginger. The rest is measuring out spices to add to the pan.
While the curry cooks, prepare some basmati rice, cook up some papadums or reheat some roti you have picked up from the supermarket.
If you are really keen you could also prepare a simple side of seeded and diced cucumber, yoghurt and mint.
Is this a Traditional Chicken Karahi Recipe?
Nope, I have tweaked it a little. All in your favour. Reduction in preparation and cooking time with maximum flavour.
Chicken Karahi Recipe Steps
- There are a couple of tricks to this recipe that add an extra depth of flavour in the short cooking time.
- First step is rubbing some curry powder into the chopped chicken thigh meat.
- Leave this sit and infuse while you prepare your other ingredients.
- Make sure you wear gloves to avoid staining your hands.
- In a large non stick pan brown the chicken thigh pieces.
- Make sure you do this in a few batches as you want to brown the chicken not "stew" it.
- The idea is to get some nice caramelisation on the chicken as this equals flavour. You are not cooking the chicken through.
- Put your browned chicken to the side and use the same pan to sauté the onion, garlic and ginger.
- Do not wipe down the pan. You may need to add a little extra oil.
- Then it is a simple case of adding spices and frying them until fragrant.
- Be careful not to burn the spices.
Then add the remainder of your ingredients and browned chicken to the pan, except for the cream. Cook over a low simmer until the sauce thickens.
Make sure you stir every so often to ensure the karahi curry does not catch on the bottom of the pan. You know it is ready when your spatula can separate the curry when moved over the bottom of the pan.
Then it is time to add the cream. Stir in well and simmer for a few minutes until the curry is the same consistency it was before you added the cream.
What to do with Left Over Chicken Curry?
If you happen to have any of the Chicken Karahi recipe left over you are in for a treat. Of course you could simply freeze for another meal, or a work lunch. Or you could get creative with some of these left over chicken curry ideas.
- Jaffle filling
- Pancake filling
- Fill leftover roti and bake in the oven, serve with salad
- Stuff large field mushrooms and bake in the oven
- Filling for pies in your pie maker
- Make some puff pastry hand pies
- Make a karahi chicken sub
With the cooler months coming I know you will be adding this chicken karahi recipe to your repertoire.
Sara xxx
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Chicken Karahi Recipe
Ingredients
- 600 grams chicken thigh fillet approximately 4 fillets, no bone, no skin
- 2 teaspoons curry powder mild, use your favourite
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 brown onion finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 long green chili optional, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 410 gram tin crushed tomatoes
- 375 mls 1½ cups chicken stock
- 65 mls ¼ cup thick cream
- chopped fresh coriander/cilantro leaves to serve
Instructions
- Chop thigh pieces into large chunks and place in a glass bowl. Sprinkle with curry powder and mix with hands to coat well. I suggest wearing a disposable glove to avoid staining your hands.
- Place 2 tablespoons of olive in a large nonstick fry pan. Over a medium high heat brown half the chicken thigh pieces.
- You are quickly browning the pieces, not cooking them through. Once they are golden remove from the pan, place in a bowl and set aside.
- Make sure to brown the chicken in two batches in order not to "stew" the chicken.
- Once the chicken has been browned and set aside, turn down the heat of the stove top to medium-low and add the remaining olive oil to the frypan. Do not wipe out the frypan after frying the chicken.
- Add onion to the frypan and cook for a few minutes until soft and translucent. Do not brown the onion. They will turn a slightly golden due to the residual curry powder tainted oil from cooking the chicken.
- Add ginger, garlic and optional chili to the pan. Cook for a further minute or two until ginger and garlic become fragrant. Again do not brown.
- Once fragrant add cumin, coriander, garam masala, and pepper. Cook for a further couple of minutes until the spices become fragrant. Be careful not to burn the mixture.
- Add tomatoes and stock and stir. Add chicken pieces and bring mixture to a slow simmer.
- Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often. After 15 minutes the mixture will thicken and chicken will have cooked through.
- Add cream, stir well and cook for a further two minutes and it is ready to serve.
- Top with freshly chopped coriander/cilantro to serve. Serve with basmati rice, and roti or papadums.
Notes
- Jaffle filling
- Pancake filling
- Fill leftover roti and bake in the oven, serve with salad
- Stuff large field mushrooms and bake in the oven
- Filling for pies in your pie maker
- Make some puff pastry hand pies
- Make a karahi chicken sub