Chicken Karahi: What It Is, How It’s Cooked and Where to Get a Proper One

Read down a curry menu and you will usually find a karahi sitting between the bhuna and the balti, with nothing to say how it differs from either. The name does not tell you how hot it is, or what is in it. It tells you what it was cooked in. The same dish turns up as karahi chicken, kadai chicken, chicken kadai and even chicken karai, depending on the menu and the spelling.

That is where this guide begins. It explains what a chicken karahi is, how it is usually cooked, how it compares with a balti and a bhuna, and what to serve alongside. It also covers the one we make in our Batley kitchen, which is blast chilled and delivered across mainland UK, so you can have a restaurant style chicken karahi at home without cooking it yourself.

What is a chicken karahi?

A karahi, also spelt kadai or karai, is a deep, round-bottomed pan with two handles, usually made of iron and shaped a little like a wok. The dish takes its name from the pan. A chicken karahi, or kadai chicken, is simply chicken cooked in a karahi. It sits somewhere between a stir fry and a chicken curry, because the chicken is cooked quickly in a hot pan but finishes in a sauce.

Because the pan gives the dish its name rather than a fixed recipe, there is no single chicken karahi recipe, and versions differ from one cook to the next. Home recipes might start with chopped onions and chopped tomatoes, add green chillies or cumin seeds, or use bone in chicken rather than boneless chicken thighs. What most have in common is the way they are cooked: quickly, in one pan, over a high heat, starting with spices in hot oil and often served in the pan itself. The spicing is up front.

Here is how ours sits alongside the two dishes it is most often confused with.

The ratings are on our one to four chilli scale, where one is mild and four is X hot. Two is a medium heat, which is where our Chicken Masala and Chicken Tikka Masala sit as well. Our curry heat guide puts every curry in the range on that scale in one table.

All of our curries come with plenty of sauce, so what sets these three apart is flavour, not how much sauce is in the tub.

How a karahi is cooked

Recipes for karahi chicken vary a good deal, and so do the methods. Every cook has their own order of work, so treat what follows as an outline rather than a chicken karahi recipe.

Most versions are cooked in a hot, heavy pan. The oil goes in first, and whole spices such as cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaves are often added early so that they release their aroma. The chicken pieces are usually browned lightly before the ground spices go in with finely chopped garlic and fresh ginger, and then everything is stirred constantly, because a hot pan catches quickly. Some cooks add tomatoes early and others add them later, and the quantities, cook time and heat depend on the cook and the pan.

The pan matters as much as the method. Iron holds heat well, and a dish cooked in an iron pan has a flavour of its own. If you want to cook one at home and do not own a karahi, a wide, heavy cast iron pan with plenty of surface area will give you the closest result. A wok, which is also used for stir fry cooking, is the next best thing.

The same goes for reheating. If you heat our Chicken Karahi in an iron pan, it will give it that karahi taste.

What makes a good one

A good karahi announces itself before the first mouthful. The first thing you notice is the smell of whole spices, not chilli. Then the chicken should be tender and the spicing should come through in every mouthful.

It also should not be hot for the sake of it. Heat in a karahi varies from kitchen to kitchen, which is why menus rarely agree about it. Ours is a medium two, a medium heat curry, so there is warmth, but the spicing is aromatic rather than fiery.

Our Chicken Karahi: restaurant style at home

Every CurryOut dish is cooked fresh, in small batches, in our HACCP-compliant kitchen in Batley, from the family recipes we have used since 1996. Straight after cooking it is blast chilled, packed with ice packs in insulated packaging and delivered cold. All of our meat is halal.

Our Chicken Karahi is a medium heat curry built on whole spices. The ingredients list on the product page starts with chicken at 55 per cent, then cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, green cardamoms and peppers, with coriander powder, garam masala, tandoori masala, garlic and ginger alongside other spices and seasonings. It rates two chillies and comes in a 280g tub, which serves about one to one and a half people. Like every curry in our range, it comes with plenty of sauce.

It arrives fully cooked, so all it needs is reheating. It is made to be reheated at home, which is why we give you instructions for the pan and the microwave rather than treating it as leftover takeaway.

If you have an allergy or an intolerance, check the full ingredients and allergen list on the product page before you order. That is the place to look, not this guide.

Karahi, balti and bhuna: how they differ

A karahi is also not quite the same thing as a general chicken curry. Chicken curry is the broad name for chicken cooked in a spiced sauce, and a karahi is one style of it, named after the pan and built on whole spices.

The quickest way to tell all three apart is the flavour. Our karahi is whole-spice led, with cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaves. A balti is also named after its pan, a round steel bowl, and ours is garlic-led, with tomato, yoghurt and peppers. Our bhuna is tomato and onion with tandoori spicing, and it is the mildest of the three.

If you are deciding between the karahi and the Chicken Tikka Garlic Balti, both rate two chillies. Choose the karahi if you like the aroma of whole spices, and the balti if you like garlic. The Chicken Bhuna is the one to pick if you want a rich flavour with less warmth. If you want another medium dish, Chicken Masala also rates two chillies.

What to serve with a chicken karahi

Because there is plenty of sauce, a karahi suits something to scoop it up with. Chappaties are the simplest, and Garlic Naan or Plain Naan work just as well. If you would rather have rice, Pilau Rice or Boiled Rice both do the job.

Something cool on the side balances the warmth. Indian Raita is the usual choice, and Indian Salad and Mint & Onion add freshness. All three are best served chilled, straight from the fridge.

For a table of four, a karahi works well next to a milder dish such as the Chicken Korma, so that everyone can find something they like. Our portion guide shows how many tubs to order for your numbers.

How to heat it

For best results, reheat gently in a heavy pan or traditional karahi, stirring regularly. A pan on a low heat is the method we recommend for every curry, and the karahi is no exception. Heat it, stirring as you go, until it is about to boil. Add two tablespoons of water, stir it in, turn the heat down, cover and simmer for around five minutes. Serve once it is hot throughout.

If you have an iron pan, such as a karahi or a cast iron pan, use that. It gives the curry that karahi taste, and the method is the same.

Keep the heat low and steady, because a high heat reduces the sauce too quickly. Our curries come with plenty of sauce, but if you would like it thicker, leave the lid off for the last few minutes and let it reduce gently, stirring as it thickens.

The microwave is the quick alternative. Keep the lid half open and heat for three to four minutes, making sure it is hot all the way through, and follow the instructions on the pack. Serve hot with chappaties or rice. Our reheating guide has the full method for curry, rice, naan and starters.

A karahi for a bigger table

Chicken Karahi is one of the chicken dishes you can choose for a catering order, so it can sit on a buffet alongside your other choices. Catering is drop-off only and we deliver across West Yorkshire and the surrounding areas, as far as York. The three packages, Essential, Celebration and Signature, let you pick from the dish list on our dish options page, and the catering page explains how to enquire.

Because a karahi is a medium heat dish, it sits comfortably between a mild korma and something hotter, which is how a mixed buffet is usually balanced.

Frequently asked questions

What is a chicken karahi?

It is chicken cooked in a karahi, a deep, round-bottomed, two-handled pan. The dish is usually cooked quickly over a high heat, with the spices doing most of the work. Ours is built on whole cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaves with peppers.

What is a karahi pan?

A karahi, or kadai, is a deep pan with a round base and two handles, similar in shape to a wok and usually made of iron. It is used for cooking the dish that shares its name, and it suits stir fry style cooking. If you do not own one, a heavy cast iron pan is the best substitute.

What is kadai chicken?

Kadai chicken, chicken kadai, karahi chicken and chicken karai are different names and spellings for chicken cooked in a karahi. Menus and cooks use them interchangeably. Our Chicken Karahi is our version of the dish.

Is chicken karahi the same as chicken curry?

Not quite. Chicken curry is the broad name for chicken cooked in a spiced sauce, while a chicken karahi is named after the pan and built on whole spices. Ours is a medium heat curry that rates two chillies and comes with plenty of sauce.

What is in a chicken karahi?

Recipes differ, so there is no single list. Ours is made with chicken at 55 per cent, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, green cardamoms and peppers, with coriander powder, garam masala, tandoori masala, garlic and ginger, and other spices and seasonings. The product page has the full ingredients and allergens.

Is there a single chicken karahi recipe?

No. The dish is named after the pan rather than a fixed recipe, so every cook has their own version and their own method. Ours is cooked in our Batley kitchen and arrives ready to reheat, so you do not need a recipe at all.

Is karahi like a stir fry?

It has something in common with one: a hot, wide pan, quick cooking and constant stirring. The difference is that a karahi finishes in a sauce, and ours comes with plenty of it.

Is chicken karahi spicy?

It depends on the cook. Ours rates two chillies on our one to four scale, which is a medium heat, and the flavour comes mainly from whole spices rather than chilli.

What is the difference between karahi and balti?

Both are named after the pan they are cooked in. Our Chicken Karahi is whole-spice led, with cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaves, while our Chicken Tikka Garlic Balti is garlic-led, with tomato, yoghurt and peppers. Both rate two chillies and both come with plenty of sauce.

What does karahi taste like?

The spices come first and the heat comes after. Ours leads with cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaves, with peppers, garlic and ginger behind them.

Does your Chicken Karahi come with sauce?

Yes. All of our curries come with plenty of sauce, and the karahi is no exception. If you would like it thicker, reheat it in a pan, leave the lid off for the last few minutes and let it reduce gently.

Can I reheat Chicken Karahi in an iron pan?

Yes. An iron pan, such as a karahi or a cast iron pan, gives it that karahi taste. Use the same method as for any pan: reheat gently, stirring regularly, until it is about to boil, then add two tablespoons of water, turn the heat down, cover and simmer for around five minutes.

Can I freeze Chicken Karahi?

Yes. It is suitable for home freezing on the day of purchase and keeps for up to two months. Defrost it in the fridge, reheat it once and do not refreeze it.

What is a chicken tikka karahi?

It usually means a karahi made with chicken tikka. We do not make a dish under that name. Our Chicken Karahi is the whole-spice dish described above, and our tikka curries are the Chicken Tikka Masala and the Chicken Tikka Garlic Balti.

Is the chicken halal?

Yes. All of our meat products are halal, and everything is cooked in our HACCP-compliant kitchen in Batley.

Try the Chicken Karahi

Order the Chicken Karahi with the rest of the curries by 12pm for next-day delivery across mainland UK, with a £30 minimum order and free delivery over £80. You can also collect from our shop at 100 Upper Commercial Street, Batley. If you are planning a buffet, call the kitchen on 01924 359300.