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Karahi & handi

White Chicken Karahi Recipe

وائٹ چکن کڑاہی بنانے کا طریقہ

Chicken cooked in yogurt and cream with black pepper, ginger and green chillies: no tomato, no red chilli, and a pale, peppery, silky masala.
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Illustration of White Chicken Karahi

Prep

15 min

Cook

35 min

Total

50 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Spice

Mild

White karahi is the creamy cousin of the tomato karahi and a regular at Pakistani wedding buffets and dawats. The chicken is fried with ginger and garlic, cooked in whisked yogurt, then finished with cream, plenty of black pepper and green chillies. Keeping red spices out is the whole point: the heat comes from pepper and chillies, so the colour stays pale.

Ingredients

4 servings

For 4 servings

Measures

To finish

Method

  1. Heat the oil and butter in a karahi on medium-high heat. Add the chicken and fry until the pieces turn white all over, without letting them brown much.

    ⏱ 6 min

  2. Add the ginger-garlic paste and salt and fry for 2 minutes until the raw smell goes.

    ⏱ 2 min

  3. Turn the heat to low. Add the whisked yogurt a little at a time, stirring constantly so it does not split, then stir in the green chilli paste, black pepper, cumin and coriander powder.

    ⏱ 2 min

  4. Cover and cook on medium-low heat until the chicken is cooked through and tender, stirring once or twice.

    ⏱ 15 min

  5. Uncover, raise the heat to medium and bhuno, stirring, until the yogurt liquid dries down, the masala thickens and oil appears at the edges.

    ⏱ 5 min

  6. Lower the heat, stir in the cream, slit green chillies, ginger and the extra black pepper. Cover and leave on the lowest heat for a few minutes (dum).

    ⏱ 4 min

  7. Squeeze in the lemon juice, scatter the coriander and serve.

Tips for the best result

  • Bring the yogurt to room temperature and whisk it smooth before it goes in. Cold yogurt hitting a hot pan is the main reason it curdles.
  • For a richer version, blend 10 soaked cashews with the yogurt; many caterers do this.
  • Use white pepper instead of half the black pepper if you want the karahi to look completely white.

Common mistakes

  • Browning the chicken hard. Dark bits turn the sauce beige; fry only until white.
  • Boiling after adding cream. High heat makes it split and turn oily; keep it on the lowest flame.

How to serve

Serve hot with naan, roghni naan or sheermal and a simple salad.

Storing and reheating

Keeps 2 days in the fridge. Reheat gently on low heat with a splash of milk; do not freeze, as the cream sauce separates.

Nutrition and cost

Worked out from the ingredients, not measured in a lab. Treat both as a rough guide.

Per serving Estimate

Calories
905kcal
Protein
50g
Fat
74g
Carbs
8g
Fibre
0.9g
Sodium
1130mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (April 2018), public domain values for the raw ingredients (100% of the recipe by weight had data). Deep-frying oil is counted at 20%; bones and water lost in cooking are not subtracted, so bone-in and fried dishes can read high. Not medical advice. Method

Cost per servingEstimate

≈ Rs 180

Whole dish ≈ Rs 730 · 85% of ingredients by weight priced

From the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics weekly SPI, week ended 29 Oct 2026. Spices, herbs and some vegetables are not in the SPI and are left out unless you add your price, so the real cost is a little higher. How this works

White Chicken Karahi: questions people ask

Why did my white karahi curdle?

The yogurt was cold, low fat or added on high heat. Use full-fat yogurt at room temperature, lower the heat and add it gradually while stirring.

Can I make white karahi without cream?

Yes. Use a little more yogurt and finish with 2 tablespoons of butter or a few spoons of milk powder mixed in milk; it will be lighter but still creamy.

Serve it with, and similar recipes

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Read this recipe in Urdu: وائٹ چکن کڑاہی بنانے کا طریقہ

https://handi.danixsoft.com/recipes/white-chicken-karahi · Handi, DanixSoft