- Country of origin
- 🇵🇰 Pakistan
- Category
- Main Course
- Difficulty
- ●●○ Medium
- Preparation
- 20 min
- Cooking
- 35 min
- Servings
- 4 servings
Nutrition, per serving
Calculated from the raw ingredient quantities in the recipe below, divided by four servings.
Karahi cooking removes water from the equation almost entirely: the sauce is a tomato-ginger-chili reduction rather than a diluted gravy, so nearly every calorie in the dish comes from the chicken itself and the oil or ghee used to sear and finish it. Protein runs high at 39 g per serving and carbohydrate stays low at 7 g, since the recipe carries no rice or bread of its own — those come as a separate side.
History
Chicken karahi takes its name from the karahi, the steel or cast-iron wok with a rounded bottom and two handles used throughout the Indian subcontinent for searing and simmering over high heat. Born in the regions of Pakistan and northern India, this dish stands out for its near-total absence of added water: the chicken cooks in its own juices, mixed with a reduction of fresh tomatoes, ginger and green chilies.
Popularized in the restaurants of Lahore and Peshawar before spreading to Karachi and then to Pakistani communities around the world, chicken karahi today comes in more or less creamy versions depending on the family: some add fresh cream or yogurt at the end of cooking, which purists consider a departure from the original recipe, drier and spicier.
Ingredients — serves 4
- 800 g (1.75 lb) free-range chicken, cut into pieces
- 4 ripe tomatoes
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 cm (1 in) fresh ginger
- 3 green chilies
- 4 tbsp oil or ghee
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp chili powder
- Fresh coriander and sliced ginger, for garnish
Step-by-step Pakistani chicken karahi recipe
- Heat the oil or ghee in a karahi or wok over high heat, then sear the chicken until golden on all sides.
- Add the crushed garlic and ginger, and let them release their aroma for a minute without burning.
- Stir in the chopped tomatoes and spices, mixing to coat every piece.
- Let simmer covered over medium heat until the tomatoes reduce into a thick sauce and the oil rises to the surface.
- Add the split green chilies and continue cooking a few more minutes.
- Scatter with fresh coriander and sliced ginger before serving with naan or basmati rice.
Cooking method
Technique: dry reduction in the karahi, with no added water, to concentrate the cooking juices.
Traditional equipment: steel or cast-iron karahi with a rounded bottom and two handles.
Tips: the sauce is ready when a thin film of oil separates and rises to the surface.
Economic context
Chicken karahi is restaurant food as much as home food in Pakistan — a dish built around a whole chicken and fresh tomatoes rather than the lentils, wheat and vegetables that make up the bulk of a typical daily food budget. It sits closer to an occasion meal than a baseline one, carried to the table straight from the karahi it’s cooked in.
Source: World Bank / FAO, Food Prices for Nutrition database (Cost and Affordability of a Healthy Diet) v4.0, 2024 data, CC BY 4.0, DOI 10.57966/41AN-KY81. Retrieved 29 July 2026. This figure describes the cost of a healthy diet in Pakistan generally — it is not a costing of this specific recipe.
Who this dish suits
Fits well with
- High-protein eating patterns — 39 g per serving before any bread or rice
- Low-carbohydrate approaches, since no starch is cooked into the sauce itself
- Diets built around a whole cut of chicken rather than processed meat
Worth knowing
- 44 g of fat per serving, including 17 g saturated, mostly from the ghee or oil used to sear and finish the dish
- Chili and ginger are used in real quantity, not as a background note — heat runs moderate to firm depending on the household
- Traditionally eaten with naan or basmati rice, which adds significant carbohydrate on top of the figures above
What about you?
In your opinion, where’s the best place or restaurant to enjoy good chicken karahi?