Rich and creamy with just the right amount of spice, white chicken karahi is an easy chicken curry that comes together in a snap.
Typically cooked in a wok, this quick recipe packs in all the flavors, and barely takes any time to cook.
While the curry is a traditional Pakistani curry, you’ll actually find it in a lot of Indian restaurants too.
There’s something about digging into a bowl of curry and some steaming hot rice. It just makes your day so much better.
And while I have tried my hands at quite a few popular curry recipes recently, the rich and aromatic flavors of this white karahi recipe has truly won my heart.
My bhuna gosht and achari gosht have been total crowd pleasers, but I really wanted to try more chicken curry recipes, and here I am!
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
My favorite part about this recipe has to be the fact that it is actually a great recipe to make for the entire family.
The yogurt and cream can tone down the heat, and you can easily team up this creamy chicken curry with some bread or rice, and serve it as a weekend or even weeknight dinner.
With under 30 minutes of cooking time, this can be a quick recipe that you can make for lunch too!
Ingredients For the White Chicken Karahi Recipe
To make this version of chicken karahi, here’s what you’ll need.
Chicken: Start off with some bone-in chicken. Keep the cuts medium-sized.
Cashew paste: Cashew paste will bring some richness to the curry and lend it that creamy white color you’re looking for.
Heavy cream: Heavy cream is another must, and forms the base of the creamy white sauce.
Yogurt: Yogurt brings some beautiful tanginess to the curry, and helps the chicken pieces get tender too.
Aromatics: I used onion and some ginger garlic paste to bring that incredible flavor to the curry.
Spices & seasonings: I used a mix of whole spices including black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, dried fenugreek and some fresh green chili. You can also add some coriander seeds if you want to.
Lime juice: A squeeze of lime juice (or lemon juice) can jazz up the flavor of the curry and take it to the next level.
Oil: Use any oil of your preference. Canola oil works well too!
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make White Chicken Karahi
Ready to make this delicious chicken white karahi? Here’s what you’ll need to do.
Step 1: In a pot over medium high heat, add the chopped onions and whole spices and cook for a few minutes.
Step 2: Take off heat, allow it to cool down and blend it until you get a coarse mixture. Transfer it back to the pot.
Step 3: Now add in the chicken along with the yogurt and heavy cream, cover with a lid and cook for 7-10 minutes on low heat.
Step 4: Now add in the cashew paste, give it a good mix and cook until the oil separates and the chicken is done.
Garnish with chopped coriander and a squeeze of lemon juice and serve hot.
Substitutions & Variations
- If you don’t have the whole spices that I used for this recipe, you could just add garam masala powder instead. Half a teaspoon should be just fine.
- If you don’t have black peppercorns or just want to keep the curry nice and white in color, you can add white pepper instead.
- To amp up the flavor of this chicken curry, you can also choose to dry roast some cumin seeds, grind it, and then add the ground cumin into the curry along with the onions.
💭Top Tip
Ginger and garlic are an absolute staple for this recipe. I would recommend sticking to using them fresh instead of choosing the dried or powdered versions.
Equipment
How to Store Leftover Chicken Karahi
If you have any leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container or a small container, and cover it up with a lid.
The curry can stay fresh when refrigerated for up to 3 days.
You can then reheat the curry in the microwave or in a small pot over low heat.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Remember to sauté the onion paste for a few minutes before you add in the chicken.
- Depending on your personal taste preference, you can choose to reduce or increase the amount of chili you’re adding in.
- After you add in the cashew paste, you’ll need to keep stirring the white chicken karahi to make sure it doesn’t settle down at the bottom of the pot and burn.
- To make a dairy-free version of this recipe, you can skip the heavy cream and yogurt, and use coconut cream or coconut milk instead.
- You can also choose to make this recipe using mutton and make mutton karahi or even lamb karahi!
How to Serve Chicken White Karahi
This white karahi chicken tastes best when served with some Basmati rice or warm naan bread.
I personally love topping it with some julienned ginger, ground black pepper, lots of fresh coriander and teamed up with my spicy bullet naan.
To make it a complete Indian meal, you can also serve it with some masala buttermilk and finish it up with Gulkand- a sweet Indian mouth freshener.
FAQs
You sure can! Use any chicken cut of your choice. In fact, you can also use boneless chicken if you want to! Chicken breast and thighs are both great choices!
The easiest way to make this spicy chicken curry thicker is to add in another spoonful of cashew paste, give it a mix and allow it to simmer for 2-3 more minutes.
To thin down the creamy white chicken karahi, you can add a splash of water or chicken stock and allow it to simmer for a few extra minutes.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
White Chicken Karahi
Ingredients
- 500 g chicken
- 7-8 black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 onion
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek
- 3-4 cloves
- 2 cinnamon
- 2-3 cardamom
- 1 cup yogurt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup cashew paste
- 2-3 green chilies
- 1 lime juiced
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon coriander chopped
- salt to taste
Instructions
- In a pot over medium high heat, add the chopped onions and whole spices and cook for a few minutes.
- Take off heat, allow it to cool down and blend it until you get a coarse mixture. Transfer it back to the pot.
- Now add in the chicken along with the yogurt and heavy cream, cover with a lid and cook for 7-10 minutes on low heat.
- Now add in the cashew paste, give it a good mix and cook until the oil separates and the chicken is done.
- Garnish with chopped coriander and a squeeze of lemon juice and serve hot.