Restaurant Style Kadai Chicken (Chicken Karahi Curry)

Kadai Chicken (Chicken Karahi Curry) is a delicious Indian chicken curry where chicken is cooked with freshly ground spices. This restaurant-style spicy curry goes well with naan or any other Indian bread.

Jump to:

• About Kadai Chicken (Chicken Karahi Curry)
• Ingredients
• How To Make Kadai Chicken (Chicken Karahi Curry)
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage Suggestions
• You Might Also Like
• Recipe Card

About Kadai Chicken (Chicken Karahi Curry)

Kadai Chicken (Chicken Karahi Curry, Karahi Murgh) is a North Indian and Pakistani style chicken curry where chicken is cooked in a spicy freshly ground spice mix.

This dish is traditionally made in an Indian vessel called kadai, a heavy-bottomed pot or a wok, hence the name.

You can replace chicken with other ingredients and make different versions of this kadai curry. Some of my other favorites are Kadai Mushrooms, Kadai Paneer, Kadai Mutton, etc.

Karahi Chicken is also a popular recipe on the menu of most Indian restaurants. It is a great curry for special occasions, festivals, or get-togethers.

The key to making a delicious Kadhai Chicken is its masala powder (spice mix), made fresh by roasting and grinding a few Indian spices.

You get readymade kadai masala powder in the market these days, but I always prefer to make my own at home. Firstly, homemade is made using high-quality ingredients. It tastes much better than the store-bought masala. The homemade spice mix is free of added chemicals, colors, or flavors. It is much more economical to make it at home too.

If you are looking for more chicken curry recipes, here are some more that can be prepared for everyday meals

• Butter Chicken
• Chicken Angara
• Chicken Masala
• Achari Chicken
• Fresh Methi Chicken Curry
• Badami Chicken Curry
• Dahi Chicken Curry
• Chicken Salna
• Chettinad Chicken Curry
• Chicken Vindaloo

Ingredients

Chicken – I always try to use bone-in skinless chicken to make curries as the bones add a lot of flavors. Having said that, you can go ahead and use boneless chicken if you prefer that.

For Marination – Chicken is marinated with ginger garlic paste, Kashmiri red chilli powder, salt, and freshly squeezed lime juice.

The marination makes the chicken super juicy and tender.

For Kadai Masala – To make homemade kadai masala, you will need whole coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds (saunf), whole black peppercorns (kali mirch), and whole dry red chilies.

Yogurt & Heavy Cream – These two ingredients make the gravy creamy and add richness.

Onions and Green Bell Peppers (Capsicum) give the chicken karahi recipe a nice crunch.

Other Ingredients – To make the base curry, you will need some everyday ingredients that include vegetable oil, black cardamom (badi elaichi), cinnamon (dalchini), bay leaves (tejpatta), red onions, fresh tomatoes, Kasuri methi, ginger garlic, green chillies, all-purpose flour (maida), garam masala powder, salt, and turmeric powder.

You can replace grated fresh tomatoes with canned tomato puree too. Use a little less, as the canned puree is much more concentrated.

To make the curry tangier, you can add some lime juice (or lemon juice) or dry mango powder (amchoor) to it.

Add some cashew paste or melon seeds paste to the curry to make it richer.

Garnish this delicious chicken curry with chopped cilantro (fresh coriander leaves).

How To Make Kadai Chicken (Chicken Karahi Curry)

Marinate The Chicken

Rinse 26 oz (750 g) bone-in skinless chicken (cut into 1 and ½-inch pieces) with water.

Mix the chicken with

• 2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
• 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

in a large mixing bowl.

Cover the bowl and let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes.

Make The Kadai Masala

Dry roast

• 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 2-3 Kashmiri dry red chilies (stalks removed)

on medium-low heat until they are browned and fragrant. Stir continuously for even roasting.

Remove the pan from the heat and let the spices cool down for 5 minutes.

Add the roasted spices to a grinder and grind to make a slightly coarse powder.

Make The Curry

Heat 3 tablespoon ghee and 2 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat.

Once the oil is hot, add

• 2 whole black cardamom
• 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick
• 2 whole bay leaves

and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.

Add 1 cup of chopped onions and fry until it turns light brown (6-8 minutes), stirring frequently.

Now add the marinated chicken and the kadai masala powder and cook on high heat for 5-6 minutes.

Add

• 1-inch piece of ginger (julienned)
• 2 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1 cup of grated tomatoes
• 4-5 green chilies (slit into half)

and cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir frequently.

Add ¼ cup of plain yogurt (whisked with 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour) to the pan and mix well. Whisking yogurt with all-purpose flour prevents it from splitting.

Now add ½ cup of water and ½ teaspoon salt and mix well.

Cover the pan with a lid.

Reduce the heat to low.

Cook the chicken for 30-35 minutes or until it is almost cooked.

Add

• 1 cup of cubed green bell pepper (1-inch cubes)
• 1 cup of cubed onions (1-inch cubes, petals separated)
• ½ teaspoon garam masala
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder

and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Finally, add ¼ cup of unsweetened heavy cream and 1 tablespoon crushed Kasuri methi and mix well.

Check for salt and add more if needed.

Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Serving Suggestions

This curry, just like any other curry, tastes best the next day. So try to cook it a day in advance for the best flavor.

This flavorful curry goes well with any Indian Bread, such as Naan Bread, Tandoori Roti, Phulka, Tawa Paratha, Laccha Paratha, Missi Roti, Rumali Roti, and any other bread that you like to eat with.

It tastes great with Steamed White Rice, Jeera Rice, or a mildly flavored Pulao.

Storage Suggestions

Kadai Chicken stays good for 2 to 3 days when refrigerated in an airtight container.

You can freeze it for 2 to 3 months in a freezer bag or an airtight container. Just thaw, reheat, and serve.

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