Restaurant-style Chicken is one of our favorite house specialty. It is rustic, flavorful and so easy to prepare.
Kadhai or Karahi is actually a cooking utensil, a style of wok, used extensively in Indian/Pakistani homes and restaurants. Kadhai is a heavy(cast-iron/ aluminum and other modern versions), often round, deep pan and sometimes with a flat base. Traditionally used for stir frying, sautéing vegetables or small pieces of meat to quickly cook food over an open fire.
Chicken Kadhi is a rustic chicken dish made with roughly chopped onions and tomatoes, black pepper, coarsely ground coriander seeds, whole green chillies, dried fenugreek leaves and most importantly slivers of ginger to garnish.
Ingredient Highlights
- CHICKEN: Traditionally, whole cut up chicken is best. The chicken cuts need to be small, best done at butchers. If you happen to have halal butchers(traditional Indian or Pakistani butchers)ask for Karahi Cut, or Curry Cut! If that’s not possible I would recommend boneless, skinless chicken thighs, each thigh trimmed and cut into 4-5 pieces.
- TOMATOES: Use fresh, ripe tomatoes for this recipe, makes a huge difference. I like to use easily available Vine or Roma, cut each tomato into half and then into 4s.
- GINGER: fresh ginger is an essential herb/spice in this curry and has a dominant flavor. If you don’t like julienned ginger in your curry, you may add more crushed ginger in the sautéing step. But thin juliennes of ginger makes the curry “Kadhai Chicken”.
- FAT: I like a combination of avocado(any neutral) oil and ghee for taste.
- SPICES: roughly pounded coriander seeds, coarsely ground black pepper, crushed dried fenugreek leaves are the distinguishing features of this curry giving depth of flavor.
How To Make Chicken Kadhai
THE ONIONS: Sauté the onions until they’re lightly golden. Then add garlic, ginger, and whole green chili pepper.
- THE CHICKEN. to achieve beautiful browning the chicken pieces are seared to give it flavor and beautiful color.
- AROMATICS add the spices, then tomatoes to cook. There is no need for added water tomatoes provide enough water to keep the chicken moist. (see image below)
- COOK. The chicken will simmer covered until tender and the flavors have well-developed.
- SAUTE once the chicken has done cooking, turn up the heat and sauté out the moisture until desired sauciness is desired. You’re done once the chicken curry is thicken with some fluidity a, tomatoes have totally broken down and have become part of the curry.
Kadhai Chicken
Equipment
- Wok or Saute Pan
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs(see Notes) or boneless skinless whole cut up chicken
- 1 large or small-medium onions, chopped
- 2 tbsp avocado or any neutral oil
- 1 tbsp ghee optional
- 1 tbsp minced garlic 5-7 cloves
- 1 tbsp minced ginger about one fat inch
- 5 medium fresh tomatoes, chopped
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 heaped tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½-1 tsp ground chili powder use as needed or omit for mild flavor
- 1-2 small thai chillies, slit for hot curry chop the chillies
- 1 tsp sea salt or as needed
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp garam masala optional
- 1 tbsp Kasuri methi/ dried fenugreek leaves crushed between your palm
- 1 inch fresh ginger, julienned
- 1 tbsp chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Warm a heavy-bottomed wok/kadhai or sauté pan. Add avocado or any neutral oill+ ghee. Once the oil had warmed add the onions and sauté untilll lightly browned around the edges about 5-7 minutes. Add the minced garlic, ginger, split up green chili pepper and sauté for an another minute.
- Add the cubed chicken and ½ tsp salt and sauté for 5 minutes one high heat. The chicken pieces should start changing color from pink the pale white color and has stopped releasing water.
- Lower the heat to a medium and add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric, ground cumin and coriander, red chili pepper powder, black pepper, (garam masala if using )and remaining salt and sauté for another minute.
- Once the curry starts to bubble drop the heat to a medium, cover, and cook the chicken for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add another 7-8 minutes if using bone-in pieces.
- Uncover, turn up the heat to high. Sauté for 7-8 minutes. This should help reduce the moisture, thicken the curry and adds a shimmer. Turn off the heat , taste and adjust the salt if needed, garnish with julienne ginger, dried fenugreek leaves, cilantro leaves. Gives a final stir and serve with naan, chapati, roti, or basmati rice.
Notes
The chicken pieces need to be small, best done at butchers. If you happen to have halal butchers(traditional Pakistani/Indian butchers) ask for Karahi Cut, they will know! If that’s not possible I would recommend boneless, skinless chicken thighs, each thigh trimmed and cut into 4-5 pieces.
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