Kadai Chicken is a beloved North Indian restaurant-style curry made with tender chicken, freshly ground spices, and sautéed onions and bell peppers. This well-tested recipe makes it surprisingly easy to recreate those bold, dhaba-style flavors at home. Serve with naan or rice and get ready for a truly irresistible meal.
If you ever go to an Indian restaurant, you are sure to find Kadai Chicken on the menu. It is one of the most popular curries to order at a restaurant, similar to chicken tikka masala or butter chicken.
This Indian kadai chicken preparation is very different than the Pakistani chicken karahi, even though both are prepared in a “kadai”, which is a circular cooking pan typically made of cast iron or aluminum.
Let’s learn about how to make amazing Kadai Chicken at home. Bursting with the flavors of freshly ground aromatic spices and tender chicken, this dish is sure to leave you craving more.
Table of Contents
- Watch How to Make Kadai Chicken
- What is the meaning of kadai in Indian food?
- Pakistani Chicken Karahi vs. North Indian Chicken Kadai
- Before You Start
- How To Make Kadai Chicken?
- Instant Pot Kadai Chicken
- Pro-Tips
- Serving Suggestions
- Storage Suggestions
- More Indian Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
- Restaurant Style Kadai Chicken Recipe
Watch How to Make Kadai Chicken
What is the meaning of kadai in Indian food?
In Indian cooking, “kadai” refers to a thick, round-bottomed cooking utensil similar to a wok. This cookware is typically made of cast iron or aluminum.
It is a staple in Indian kitchens and is widely used to prepare a variety of flavorful dishes, including curries and stir-fries. The name “kadai” derives from this cooking vessel and signifies the unique cooking style used to make these dishes.
Kadai Chicken is a mouthwatering North Indian chicken curry prepared in the iconic kadai. The dish features succulent pieces of chicken, cooked with a blend of freshly ground spices, and a rich onion-tomato gravy.
The show’s star is the “kadai masala,” a unique spice mix that infuses the dish with its distinctive flavor and aroma. Of course, you can buy ready-made kadai masala from a store, but the flavors and aroma of the freshly ground whole spices take this kadai chicken curry over the top.
Pakistani Chicken Karahi vs. North Indian Chicken Kadai
Kadai Chicken is often confused with Pakistani Chicken Karahi due to their similarities in preparation and the use of the kadai for cooking.
While both dishes share common elements, Kadai Chicken typically uses an onion-tomato-based gravy, whereas Chicken Karahi uses tomatoes and yogurt to make the gravy.
Indian kadai chicken served at restaurants typically has crunchy sautéed onions and bell peppers (capsicum) added to the curry, whereas Pakistani karahi chicken does not.
Before You Start
Kadai Chicken gets its signature flavor from freshly ground spices and the quick stir-frying of onions and bell peppers. Keep these tips in mind before you begin:
Use Freshly Ground Kadai Masala: This dish truly shines when you dry-roast and grind the spices just before cooking. It brings deep, bold aroma and flavor that pre-ground spice blends can’t match.
Bone-In Chicken for More Flavor (Optional): You can use boneless chicken for convenience, but bone-in chicken adds extra richness to the gravy. If using boneless, do not overcook to keep it tender.
Sauté Onion & Bell Pepper Separately: Lightly sautéing the onion petals and bell pepper cubes keeps them crisp and bright in the final dish. Add them near the end so they don’t soften too much into the gravy.
Adjust Gravy Consistency to Your Preference: Kadai Chicken can be made semi-dry or with more gravy. For a drier dish, simmer a few extra minutes to reduce. For more gravy, add ¼–½ cup hot water.
How To Make Kadai Chicken?
Make Kadai Masala: Dry-roast the whole spices in a pan until they release their aroma. Let them cool, then grind them coarsely using a spice grinder.
You can make this kadai masala and have it ready for use. Store it in an airtight container to seal in the aroma. I suggest keeping it fresh and using it within 1-3 weeks.
Sauté veggies: In a pan, sauté chopped green bell pepper and onion petals. Cook and stir until they get slightly browned and blistered. Take them out of the pan and set aside. We will add them to the curry during the finishing steps.
Make the gravy: In the same pan, add the cumin seeds and dry red chilies. Sauté for 30 seconds to a minute until the cumin seeds sizzle. Then, add chopped onions and cook until they turn golden.
Add ginger and garlic to the pan. Cook until you can no longer smell their rawness. Then mix in the tomato puree and cook until everything blends.
Add turmeric, Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder, and salt. Keep cooking until you see the oil separating from the mixture. The masala is now ready.
Add the chicken pieces and fry until they are well coated with the spice mixture.
Bhuno the chicken pieces (which means cooking on medium heat), similar to the bhuna chicken recipe. Keep cooking until they turn white on the outside and are covered with the flavorful spices.
Add whisked yogurt while stirring continuously and cook until well incorporated.
Mix in the reserved Kadai Masala and fry for a couple of minutes.
Add water, cover, and cook until the chicken becomes tender.
Once the chicken is tender, remove the lid, and add back the sautéed onion and green bell peppers we had kept aside. Mix well.
Sprinkle garam masala and add the green chilies. Cook for 2-3 minutes more.
Garnish with cilantro leaves, and your Kadai Chicken is ready to be served.
Instant Pot Kadai Chicken
- Follow the steps to dry-roast the spices on saute mode in the Instant Pot, then grind them to make kadai masala in a spice grinder.
- Follow the steps to saute the onions and bell peppers. Save to add them at the end.
- Follow the steps to make the gravy using the saute mode of the Instant Pot. The main change here is to add 1/3 cup of water. Once all the ingredients, including chicken, spices, and water, are added, press cancel and close the lid of the Instant Pot. Pressure cook for 5 minutes on high pressure. Then let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and open the lid.
- Add the sauteed onions and bell peppers we kept aside. If there is any excess liquid in the curry, you can put it on saute mode for a few minutes to thicken the gravy.
- Add the finishing ingredients of garam masala, green chili, and cilantro leaves.
- Kadai chicken is ready to be served. Enjoy!
Pro-Tips
- Adjust the spice levels to your taste by varying the amounts of red chili powder and green chili peppers.
- Use fresh chicken pieces and freshly ground spices for the best taste.
- I did not marinate the chicken for this curry. However, if you prefer, you can marinate the chicken in the yogurt and spices listed in the ingredients, then use it when making the curry.
- Dairy-free variation: Use oil in place of ghee to make the curry. You can use soy yogurt or skip it altogether.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this dry Chicken Karahi with roti, parathas, or naan.
This curry pairs wonderfully with raita and kachumber salad, which balance the spice.
This kadai chicken is on the dry side. If you like, serve it with rice. Add about ½ cup of water at the end and bring the curry to a boil. Then, serve with jeera rice or peas pulao.
Storage Suggestions
Store any leftover Kadai Chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
This curry will also freeze well. Portion it into small containers and freeze it for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop.
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Restaurant Style Kadai Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- 750 grams Chicken with bones, cut into small pieces, skinless
- 3 tablespoon Oil, divided
- 3/4 cup Onion, cubed into 1 inch pieces and petals separated, can also use pearl onions
- 3/4 cup Green Bell Pepper, cubed into 1 inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 3 Dried Red Chili Whole
- 1 1/2 cup Onions, finely chopped, I used yellow onions
- 5 cloves Garlic , minced
- 1 inch Ginger , grated
- 3 Tomato , medium, pureed, about 1.5 cups puree
- 1/4 cup Yogurt, whisked
- 1/2 cup Water, (1/3 cup for instant pot method)
- 1-2 Green Chili Pepper, slit vertically into 2*
- 1/2 teaspoon Garam masala
- Cilantro leaves, to garnish
Kadai Masala
- 3 teaspoon Coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds (Saunf)
- 1 teaspoon Black Peppercorns
- 2 Whole Dried Kashmiri Red Chili Pepper
Spices
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, adjust to taste
- 2 teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
- 1 teaspoon Salt, adjust to taste
Instructions
Make Kadai Masala
- Take a pan & dry roast all the ingredients mentioned for Kadai Masala on low heat for 2-3 mins. Cool & rough grind the masala. Take out 4 teaspoons of this masala for the chicken. You can store the balance for future use.
Saute Onions & Bell Peppers
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a pan on medium heat. Sauté the capsicum & onion petals in the pan for 2-3 minutes until they look blistered. Remove & set aside.
Make the gravy
- In the same pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.
- Add the cumin seeds and dry red chilies. Sauté for 30 seconds until the cumin changes color.
- Add the chopped onions. Sauté for around 7-8 mins on medium heat till the onions are light brown.
- Add the ginger and garlic, and fry for 1-2 minutes till the raw smell is gone. Add the tomato purée & fry on high to medium for 2-3 minutes till the purée is cooked.
- Add all the spices – turmeric, Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder & salt. Stir and sauté for 2-3 mins till the masalas are cooked & oil separates.
- Add the chicken pieces and mix well. Cook the chicken pieces on medium for another 5 minutes so that they are browned & coated with the masala.
- Turn the heat to low & add the whisked yogurt while stirring continuously. Cook for 2-3 minutes till the yogurt is cooked.
- Add the 4 teaspoons of the Kadai Masala, stir, and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add 1/2 cup of water, cover with a lid, and cook for 10 minutes till the chicken is tender.
- Add the sautéed onion and capsicum we had set aside. Give a gentle stir.
- Add garam masala and green chili. Stir & cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Garnish the curry with cilantro leaves. Kadai chicken is ready to be served with naan or roti.
Instant Pot Method
- Follow the steps to dry roast the spices on saute mode in the instant pot and grind them to make kadai masala in a spice grinder.
- Follow the steps to saute the onions and bell peppers. Save to add them at the end.
- Follow the steps to make the gravy using the saute mode of the Instant Pot. The main change here is to add 1/3 cup of water. Once all the ingredients, including chicken, spices, and water, are added. Then press cancel and close the lid of the Instant Pot. Pressure cook for 5 minutes on high pressure. Then let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and open the lid.
- Add the sauteed onions and bell peppers we kept aside. If there is any excess liquid in the curry, you can put it on saute mode for a few minutes to thicken the gravy. Add the finishing ingredients of garam masala, green chili, and cilantro leaves. Kadai chicken is ready to be served. Enjoy!
Notes
- Green Chili Pepper: I typically use Thai, Bird’s Eye, or Serrano Chili Pepper in my recipes. Don’t forget to adjust to your taste.
- Adjust the spice levels to your taste by varying the amounts of red chili powder and green chili peppers.
- I did not marinate the chicken for this curry. However, if you prefer, you can marinate the chicken in the yogurt and spices listed in the ingredients, and use it when making the curry.
Hi Meetaji, once again a very tasty recipe and turned out yum.
Didn’t have dry chillies but used Kashmiri chilli powder.
Very easy recipe and definitely on the menu again!
Regards
Rajinder
This was an easy and delicious dish for our 42nd wedding anniversary dinner with family. They loved it and it will be a dish we repeat! Thank you for such careful instructions.
How wonderful . II wait to make these fabulous dishes for company.
Thank you
Nice receipe in detail yu forgot to mention when to add green chilies .
Thank you. How many people will this 750 g serve.
I am one of yur follwers from New Zealand.
Thank Yu meets for the great receipes.
Hi Harish – Thank you for sharing your feedback. I have updated the recipe with the details. This recipe serves 6. I hope you enjoy it!
Meeta, your recipe for Kadai Chicken (and others) was interrupted by ads. I understand the need. But when the video was returned, it went to an entirely different recipe and never went back to the recipe(s). So, I never saw the rest of the Kadai Chicken video. What am I missing?
Hi David – Thank you for understanding and feedback. I have updated the setting so the video will always show in the recipe card under the Video section for this recipe. I hope that helps!
I made this dish last night, following the instructions scrupulously, and it was absolutely delicious! I used bone-in chicken thighs (having removed the skin), ghee for the oil, bottled garlic paste and ginger paste (it’s too much work to remove skin from ginger or to mince 5 garlic cloves!), Mutti brand Passata for the tomato purée, plain full-fat Greek yogurt, and 2 Thai green chili peppers (where there were choices for the ingredients). I was afraid that with all those spices (esp. the Thai peppers, split in two), the sauce would be quite hot, but it wasn’t. It was mild, flavorful, and delicious, with little bursts of flavor from bits of the Kadai masala that had survived the grinding. I even had about 1 cup of sauce left over to use on something else! And it looks absolutely beautiful—a bright red color from the Kashmiri chili powder and of course the tomato!
Hi Donald – I’m thrilled to hear that your dish turned out delicious and beautifully vibrant! Your substitutions and adjustments sound fantastic. 🙂
Hi Meeta,
I had two questions about the instructions:
1. The ingredients call for 750 grams (or about 1.65 pounds) of chicken with bones. Can you use the chicken with the skin, or do you recommend removing it? (The photos of the preparation of the dish show chicken without the skin, but the directions don’t mention removing it, so I wondered.)
2. When should you add the green chili peppers to the dish? Given that the ingredients are listed pretty much in the order that they’re used, I’m assuming that they should be added in step 11 with the garam masala. Is that right? Or should they be added sooner? (The instructions don’t mention when to add them.)
Thanks!
Hi Donald – Usually, in Indian curries, we use chicken without the skin. Good point about making that clear in the ingredients. You are right about when to add the green chili. Thank you for asking all the relevant questions, it really helps me understand how to make my recipes better!
Thank you so much for the kind replies, Meeta!
I had one last question—a more general one than specifically about this recipe: Are there guidelines about which type of oil to use with different Indian recipes? What gave rise to the question was that I noticed under the List of Ingredients for this recipe that the oil had a link to avocado oil on Amazon. I used ghee for the Kadai chicken, figuring that it was probably the most authentic choice for Indian cooking; and I’d never previously cooked with avocado oil (though I’ve since purchased some). Are there certain recipes or types of recipes that are better with avocado oil (or other vegetable oil), rather than ghee, if the type of oil isn’t specifically mentioned among a recipe’s ingredients?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Don – You are right that ghee is the most authentic for Indian cooking. But it is totally fine to use the oil of your choice for any curry as well. I use avocado oil in my everyday cooking and just use that for curries as well. It is healthier compared to some other oils and has a high smoking point.
Avocados and avocado oil are otherwise not native to India. There, my parents use regular vegetable oil or sunflower oil for cooking. Some dishes are specifically made using mustard oil for the extra punch of flavor, such as okra and bitter melon. In Southern India, coconut oil is popular for cooking as well.