In less than 30 minutes, reproduce an authentic restaurant quality Pakistani Karahi Chicken Recipe at home. This low carb Keto chicken recipe is a breeze to make and is also a Pressure cooker, Instant Pot Gem, or stovetop recipe, which makes it extremely versatile.
The first thing I want to do is to thank Saira Ahmad for not only sharing her mother’s Pakistani Karahi chicken recipe with all of us, but also putting up with me when I first completely screwed it up. As it happens I ended up making a delicious Dry Chicken curry recipe with it, but I was aiming to replicate her traditional recipe.
So then Saira had to explain what we were looking for—which was a karahi chicken with lots of ginger and tomato, and I tried again.
WHAT IS A KARAHI? OR IS IT KADHAI? KADAI? WHAT?! I’M SO CONFUSED
Kadhai or Karahi or Kadai refers to a wok. Spell it however you want since Indians certainly do! Wok chicken sounds so simple–and it is indeed simple to make. But the rich spiced taste belies the simplicity of the name as well as the ease of cooking.
Many kadhai chicken recipes include sliced onions and bell peppers. You can certainly add those into this karahi chicken toward the last few minutes of cooking.
Basically, however, this is a great keto chicken recipe which takes almost no time to make, and for those of us who are tired of eating chicken, this doesn’t really taste like chicken all that much, thanks to all the other yummy ingredients.
Look how little you need to make this fabulous Pakistani Karahi chicken recipe.
Looking for more delicious Pakistani dishes to try? Check out my Instant Pot Pakistani Haleem! It’s an amazing comfort food with a nourishing mix of grains, lentils, and meat.
Another great Pakistani recipe is my Instant Pot Pakistani Zarda Sweet Rice. It’s a delicious and beautiful international dessert recipe that you’re sure to love!
If you’re looking for more great chicken recipes to make in your Instant Pot or pressure cooker, check out my 37 Best Instant Pot Chicken Recipes post!
WHAT IS THIS INSTANT POT GEM OF WHICH YOU SPEAK? AND DO I NEED ONE TO MAKE THIS PAKISTANI KADHAI CHICKEN?
An Instant Pot Gem is my latest kitchen gadget love, and one that I think will be around for a long time. It’s not a pressure cooker, it’s a multi-cooker. It can sauté, steam, roast, bake, slow cook and stew at low temperatures. I’ve made a few other Instant Pot Gem recipes all of which have been, somewhat surprisingly, super popular amongst readers including a Butter Chicken Pizza , a French Garlic Chicken, Lebanese Hashweh, and I’m sure I’ll be making more.
Must you have it for this recipe? No, you don’t have to. All you need is a wide 12-inch saucepan and you should be good to go. I used my Greenpan Magneto the second time and it cooked fabulously.
EQUIPMENT YOU MAY NEED TO MAKE THIS INSTANT POT, INSTANT POT GEM OR STOVETOP KETO LOW CARB PAKISTANI KARAHI CHICKEN RECIPE:
- Instant Pot Gem or Greenpan Nonstick Skillet
- Measuring Cups
- My favorite Cutting Board
- Good set of Kitchen Knives
- Coffee Spice Grinder to make the garam masala
? Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below! Just click on the stars in the recipe card to rate.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ cup diced or grated ginger that is not a typo, it’s really half a cup #trusturvashi
- 1.5 pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs cut into 4 pieces each
- 2 cups Canned Tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne (okay I used 2 teaspoons and love it but don't start there)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
For Finishing
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
- 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- Fresh ginger cut into very thin matchsticks.
Instructions
For Instant Pot Gem or Stovetop
- Heat your Instant Pot Gem on sear/Sauté to 400F or on the stovetop, heat a nonstick 12-inch pan and when it's hot, add in the oil. You want a wide saucepan.
- To the hot oil, add the ginger.Note that I cut the ginger quite small. I made coins, then I made matchsticks, then I cut the dice. You want to do this so you don't get a huge chunk of ginger in any one bite. Cook the ginger for 2-3 minutes until the sides start to brown.
- Add the chicken and let the chicken sear on one side and then flip over.
- Add tomatoes and stir well.
- Mix in all the spices and stir.
- Cover the pot. Now, you're going to cook this lovely, fragrant mixture until it is all well-cooked. Do NOT add water. Stir once in a while.
- As the chicken and tomatoes cook, you're going to see the tomatoes mushing down, the chicken cooking and the sauce, or the gravy as we would call it, getting thicker and more homogenous.
- Soon, you will see a thin film of oil forming on the top. Some of this oil is what you added, some of it is what's being rendered out of any fat that was on the chicken. This is your best sign that the dish is ready to eat. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
- Add all the finishing ingredients and have at it!
Directions for the Instant Pot
- Heat your Instant Pot and when it's hot, add in the oil. To the hot oil, add the ginger. Note that I cut the ginger quite small. I made coins, then I made matchsticks, then I cut the dice. You want to do this so you don't get a huge chunk of ginger in any one bite. Cook the ginger for 2-3 minutes until the sides start to brown.
- Add the chicken, tomatoes, and spices, and stir well. You do not need to add any more water.
- Close the lid and cook at high pressure for 5 minutes, and let it release pressure naturally for 10 minutes. Then release all remaining pressure.
- Add all the finishing ingredients and have at it!
Video
Notes
- You can use fresh tomatoes but if you do that in the Instant pot, add ¼ cup of water just in case your tomatoes aren’t juicy enough.
- Do not use dried ginger for this dish
- Omit cilantro if you hate it. You can substitute parsley if you’d like
Nutrition
WATCH THE VIDEO ON HOW TO MAKE THIS EASY PAKISTANI KARAHI CHICKEN
Pakistani Karahi Chicken Recipe
In less than 30 minutes, reproduce an authentic restaurant quality Pakistani Karahi chicken curry recipe at home.
Don’t forget to check out my Instant Pot Fast & Easy Cookbook!
This book is full of all kinds of boldly flavored and internationally-themed recipes—Mexican, Thai, Moroccan, and more—with Instant Pot Fast & Easy, fully authorized by Instant Pot. Just like you have come to expect, my recipes will work perfectly every time, and of course taste great too. And because these are Instant Pot recipes, dishes like Japanese Chicken Curry, Chinese Steamed Ribs, and Mexican Pulled Pork are ready in a fraction of the time they would take using traditional cooking methods. As with all of my recipes, the focus is on whole foods instead of artificial convenience ingredients, so the recipes are delicious, easy, and healthful too.
Samantha
Would I be able to substitute mutton for the chicken? My Pakistani husband Leo’s asking me to learn to make karai gosht I was wondering, do the spices stay the same?
URVASHI PITRE
Spices stay the same yes. Cook times may be 10-15 minutes
Geri
The video says coriander was added but it wasn’t listed in listed in ingredient list. And conversely in the video Garamond Marsala isn’t mentioned but is listed in ingredient list. Please clarify…
URVASHI PITRE
The fact is, it’s very flexible and you can make however you like. I cook by feel. So the first time I made it, I made it as written. The second time I made it, I made it as video’ed. Either way will work. But. I will try to do a better job keeping the two consistent so I don’t confuse everyone! Thank you for pointing out the discrepancy to me. I will pay closer attention.
kiara
Hi Urvashi,
Can I omit the cayenne in this recipe? I tried it for the first time in your Rajma recipe and unfortunately, it was too spicy for me 🙁 Was wondering if this recipe would still taste the same without the cayenne.
PS: Your instant pot recipes are the best!
URVASHI PITRE
I think it would. Glad you’re liking them!
URVASHI PITRE
I should be specific. I meant you could delete cayenne and yes I think it would still taste good. Not the same but good.
kiara
Thanks!
Sue
Wow, absolutely devine and an easy recipe to make. I only had chicken breast but I think thighs would have been even better. Thank you.
Suchi
How to do you calculate per serving? if it half a cup or 1 cup of the recipes?
Snehal
I had time on hand and made this in a wok and it turned out so good.thank you for this easy peasy authentic recipe.
Joan
Made this tonight. Extremely easy and flavorful. To extend the meal I sautéed about a tsp of diced ginger in coconut oil and then added my rinsed basmati rice . Cooked for 15 min on stovetop. Perfect meal for the 2 of us plus leftovers!!! Will make this again and again!!!!
Meredith
Made this last night in the instant pot. Wow is this dish flavorful and easy! The sauce did not really thicken up like anticipated. I did include the liquid from the canned tomatoes. Was I supposed to drain? Either way, will definitely make again. Will probably simmer down the sauce at the end after removing chicken to have a yummy thick gravy to dip the naan into to. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!!!!
URVASHI PITRE
No you shouldn’t drain it. I think the IP does make lots of liquid compared to cooking it stove top or in an electric skillet. Glad you enjoyed the flavor!
Bob
Any reason this wouldn’t work if I replaced the thighs with breasts?
I prefer white meat over dark, though for something like this I’m not sure how critical the meat is. Dark meat has a lot more oil than white, so I’m wondering if changing it would mess with the sauce.
URVASHI PITRE
I’m a little concerned that it might. One compromise Might to be to do half and half? Alternatively I wonder if It would
work with additional vegetable oil added? I’m guessing a little on these, not having tried it.
Abha
So I made it vegetarian with paneer and made some errors. I used paneer which is not the best substitute for chicken. Next time I should use young jackfruit (kathal) or any other substitute with a more meaty texture. Garam masala was a bit overwhelming, again because vegetarian version might need a more subtle taste. Other than those minor tweaks, this recipe is a keeper, Saira Ahmad and Urvashi Pitre. Thank you both.