A skillet chicken karahi turned into an oven-finished bake, with tomatoes and green chiles cooked down into a thick, ginger-spiked sauce.
Chicken karahi is normally cooked start to finish in the wok-like karahi pan it's named for, with bone-in chicken seared hard and simmered in a tomato-heavy masala until the oil separates and floats to the top. This bake keeps that same flavor base -- ginger, garlic, whole cumin, and a generous amount of fresh tomato cooked down to a thick paste -- but finishes the chicken in the oven, which suits home cooks without a dedicated karahi pan or the patience to stand over a wok. The defining move in real karahi cooking is reducing the tomatoes almost completely before the chicken goes back in, so the sauce clings to the meat instead of turning soupy. Julienned ginger and slit green chiles are added toward the end so they stay sharp and aromatic rather than melting into the sauce, which is what gives karahi its distinct bite compared to a milder curry. Finished with a scatter of cilantro and extra julienned ginger, this bake keeps karahi's hallmark thick, glossy, tomato-forward sauce and tender chicken, adapted for a casserole dish so it can go straight from oven to table.
Serves 5
Heat oil in a large oven-safe skillet over high heat. Sear chicken pieces in batches until golden on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Remove and set aside.
In the same skillet, add cumin seeds, crushed coriander seeds and ginger-garlic paste, stirring 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until they break down into a thick paste, 12 to 15 minutes.
Don't rush the tomato reduction -- karahi's signature texture comes from tomatoes cooked until nearly dry, not a watery sauce.
Stir in red chile powder and salt, then return the chicken to the skillet along with half the julienned ginger and the green chiles, coating everything in the tomato paste.
Transfer the skillet to a 400°F (200°C) oven, uncovered, and bake 25 to 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened and clings to the pieces.
Sprinkle garam masala, remaining julienned ginger and cilantro over the top. Serve straight from the skillet with naan or roti.
Use a heavy, oven-safe skillet or shallow Dutch oven so you don't need to transfer the chicken between pans mid-recipe.
Julienne the ginger by hand into thin matchsticks -- grated ginger disappears into the sauce and loses the sharp bite karahi is known for.
If the sauce looks thin after baking, return the skillet to the stovetop and reduce over medium-high heat for a few minutes.
Boneless version: use boneless thigh chunks and reduce bake time to 18 to 20 minutes.
Extra rich: stir in 2 tablespoons of cream or yogurt at the very end for a milder, rounder sauce.
Lamb karahi bake: substitute cubed lamb shoulder and extend the bake to 45 minutes, covering the pan for the first half.
Refrigerate up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding a splash of water if the sauce has thickened too much.
Karahi cooking takes its name from the wok-shaped pan used across Pakistan and northern India, and the tomato-forward, minimally spiced style associated with Peshawar and Lahore restaurant kitchens has become one of the country's most recognized ways of cooking chicken at home.
No, any heavy oven-safe skillet or shallow Dutch oven works fine; the pan shape matters less than reducing the tomatoes properly.
The tomatoes likely weren't cooked down enough before the oven step -- karahi sauce should look jammy and reduced, almost paste-like, before you add the chicken back in.
Yes, the base recipe has no dairy; just skip any optional cream or yogurt finish if you add one.
Per serving (320g / 11.3 oz) · 5 servings total
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