Cholistani Chicken Karahi Recipe (Street Style, No Onion)
Cholistani chicken karahi is a street-style karahi built on tomatoes, not onions. It is cooked fast on a roaring flame in a black iron karahi, with crushed red chilli, a few ground spices and whole green chillies. This is our most-watched recipe on YouTube, with more than 11 million views. Below is every step from the video in the order the cook adds them.
Serves: 4–5 people (1 kg chicken) | Prep: 10 min | Cook: about 30 min
Difficulty: Easy | Best for: quick dinners, guests, weekend karahi nights
Heat level: Spicy, from crushed red chilli, black pepper and green chillies
Watch the Cholistani Chicken Karahi Video
The full video plays inside the recipe card below. To jump straight to one step, open it on YouTube:
What Makes Cholistani Chicken Karahi Different
Tomatoes, no onion. The whole gravy comes from fresh tomatoes cooked down into the chicken. With no onion, the karahi tastes brighter and more tangy, and it cooks much faster.
Whole tomato halves. The tomatoes are not chopped. They go in as halves over the chicken, soften in the heat, and are then mashed in while the loose skins are pulled out with tongs. That gives a smooth gravy without a blender.
Very high flame. Street karahi is cooked on a high flame from start to finish, with flames licking the sides of the pan. The fast cooking gives it a slightly smoky taste.
Yogurt only at the end. A spoon or two of yogurt goes in right at the end and is cooked in quickly. It rounds off the chilli without turning the karahi into a creamy curry.
Ingredients for Cholistani Chicken Karahi
| Ingredient | ½ kg chickenserves 2–3 | 1 kg chickenserves 4–5 |
|---|---|---|
| Base | ||
| Chicken, karahi cut (bone-in) | 500 g | 1 kg |
| Cooking oil | 6 tbsp, plus a little more later | ¾ cup, plus a little more later |
| Salt | ¾ tsp | 1½ tsp |
| Ginger garlic paste | 1 tbsp | 2 tbsp |
| Tomatoes, halved | 3 medium (about 375 g) | 6 medium (about 750 g) |
| Spices, in this order | ||
| Crushed red chilli | 1–1½ tsp | 2–3 tsp |
| Coriander powder | ½ tsp | 1 tsp |
| Garam masala | ¼ tsp | ½ tsp |
| Cumin powder | ½ tsp | 1 tsp |
| Black pepper, crushed | ½ tsp | 1 tsp |
| Finish | ||
| Whole green chillies | 3–4 | 6–8 |
| Yogurt, whisked | 2 tbsp | 3–4 tbsp |
The video names every ingredient in its captions but gives no quantities. The order above is exactly the order in the video; the amounts are our suggestion for a home kitchen. There is no onion in this karahi.
Step-by-Step: How Street-Style Karahi Is Made
1. Fry the chicken with salt
Heat the oil in a karahi or wok on high flame. Add the chicken, then the salt, and fry, turning often, until the chicken turns white on all sides.
2. Add ginger garlic paste
Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute or two, until the raw smell is gone.
3. Add the halved tomatoes and cook on high
Place the tomato halves over the chicken. Keep the flame high and let them soften for a few minutes, stirring now and then.
4. Mash the tomatoes and remove the skins
When the tomatoes are soft, mash them into the chicken with the spatula and pull out the loose skins with tongs. Add a little more oil and keep cooking until the gravy thickens.
5. Add the spices
Add the crushed red chilli, then the coriander powder, garam masala, cumin powder and black pepper, one after another. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes.
6. Add green chillies and cook down
Add the whole green chillies. Keep cooking on high flame, stirring, until the oil separates and the gravy clings to the chicken.
7. Finish with yogurt
Add the yogurt and stir it in quickly on high flame for a minute or two. Serve straight from the karahi.
The Complete Cholistani Chicken Karahi Recipe
Cholistani Chicken Karahi (Street Style)
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oil in a karahi on high flame. Add the chicken and salt and fry until white on all sides.
- Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Place the tomato halves over the chicken and cook on high flame until soft.
- Mash the tomatoes into the chicken and pull out the loose skins. Add a little more oil and cook until thick.
- Add the crushed red chilli, coriander powder, garam masala, cumin powder and black pepper, one after another.
- Add the green chillies and cook on high flame until the oil separates.
- Stir in the yogurt, cook for 1 to 2 minutes and serve hot with naan.
Video
Notes
Tips for Street-Style Karahi at Home
- Use the biggest flame you have. A home stove is weaker than a street burner, so cook 500 g at a time for the best result.
- Use ripe, red tomatoes. They are the whole gravy. Pale tomatoes make a sour, watery karahi.
- Keep stirring. On high heat the masala can stick. Scrape the bottom and sides as you go.
- Add the yogurt last. Added earlier, it can split and make the gravy grainy.
Serving Cholistani Chicken Karahi
Serve it straight from the pan with hot naan or tandoori roti, sliced onion, lemon and a simple salad. Leftovers keep for 2 days in the fridge; reheat on a medium flame with a splash of water.
Cholistani Chicken Karahi FAQs
Does Cholistani chicken karahi have onion?
No. The gravy is made only from tomatoes, ginger garlic paste, spices and a little yogurt.
Can I use canned tomatoes?
Fresh tomatoes give the right taste and texture. Canned tomatoes work in a pinch, but the karahi will be more acidic and less fresh.
When is black pepper added?
In the video, crushed black pepper goes in with the other ground spices, right after the cumin powder and before the green chillies.
How do I make it less spicy?
Cut the crushed red chilli by half and use fewer green chillies. Keep the black pepper for flavour.
Can I make it with mutton or beef?
Yes, but boil or pressure-cook the meat until tender first, then follow the same steps from the tomatoes onward.
More Karahi and BBQ Recipes
- Green Chicken Karahi: a herby karahi with green chillies and coriander.
- Sulemani Mutton Karahi: a Shinwari-style mutton karahi.
- Shinwari Beef Kabab: a highway-style kabab to serve alongside.
- Peshawari Chapli Kabab: another street favourite.
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