Restaurant-Style Chicken Biryani

Ingredients

• 1500 g Chicken (Cut into large pieces)
• 500 g Basmati rice (Soak for 1 hour)
• 3 Bay leaves (Ground with the other whole spices; reserve some for the rice-cooking water as described)
• 3 Star anise (Ground with the other whole spices)
• 2 Cinnamon sticks (Ground with the other whole spices)
• 4 Cloves (Ground with the other whole spices)
• 6 Green cardamom (Ground with the other whole spices)
• 1 tsp Shahi jeera (Some is used in the boiling water for the rice; grind the remainder with the whole spices)
• 1 tsp Lichen (kalpasi/dagad phool) (Grind with the other whole spices)
• 6 Peppercorns (Ground with the other whole spices)
• 2 Mace (Ground with the other whole spices)
• 150 g Golden fried onions (Some for the chicken marinade and the remainder for topping)
• 2 tbsp Red chili powder
• 1 tbsp Coriander powder
• 1 tsp Cumin powder
• 1 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste
• Salt (To taste; season the marinade and the rice water)
• Turmeric (A little; amount not specified)
• 1 cup Yogurt
• 1 Fresh coriander leaves (1 bunch, chopped)
• 1 Fresh mint leaves (1 bunch, chopped)
• 5 Green chilies
• 0.5 cup Oil (The creator says to use about 1/2 cup per 1 kg of biryani; the written ingredient amount is retained)
• 2 tbsp Lime juice
• Water (For boiling the rice; amount not specified)
• Saffron strands (Dissolve in hot milk and drizzle over the rice; amount not specified)
• Milk (Hot, for dissolving the saffron; amount not specified)
• 1 tbsp Ghee (Optional; stated in the transcript)
• Kewra water (A little, for drizzling; amount not specified)
• Rose water (A little, for drizzling; amount not specified)
• Chapati dough (For sealing the lid; amount not specified)
• Raita (Suggested accompaniment; ingredients and amount not specified)
• Onion salad (Suggested accompaniment; ingredients and amount not specified)

Steps

1. 1

   Grind the bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, shahi jeera, kalpasi, peppercorns, and mace into a spice powder.

2. 2

   Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl. Add the ground spices, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric, ginger-garlic paste, yogurt, salt, chopped mint, chopped coriander, green chilies, lime juice, fried onions, and oil.

3. 3

   Mix thoroughly to coat the chicken. Cover and refrigerate overnight; the creator says to marinate for at least 3–4 hours if overnight marination is not possible.

4. 4

   Soak the basmati rice in water for 1 hour, then drain it before cooking.

5. 5

   Bring a large vessel of water to a boil. Add 2–3 tablespoons of oil, salt the water until slightly salty, and add shahi jeera and bay leaf.

6. 6

   Add the soaked rice and cook until about 70% done, roughly 3–4 minutes according to the creator. Watch it closely, as it cooks quickly; switch off the heat and drain the rice promptly.

7. 7

   Spread the marinated chicken in a thick-bottomed biryani pot so the pieces touch the bottom. Add some fried onions and mix them into the chicken, then arrange the chicken in an even layer.

8. 8

   Spread the drained rice over the chicken in layers, working quickly because the rice continues cooking from its heat. The creator describes the rice as about 80–90% cooked by the time it is layered.

9. 9

   Scatter the remaining fried onions over the rice. Drizzle saffron dissolved in hot milk across the top, distributing it over the rice.

10. 10

    Drizzle the optional ghee over the rice, then sprinkle on a little rose water and kewra water.

11. 11

    Fit the lid to the pot. Seal the lid edge to the pot with chapati dough, pressing the dough evenly around the rim to trap steam.

12. 12

    Cook over high heat for 4–5 minutes. Lower the heat and cook for 10–15 minutes, then place a griddle under the pot and continue cooking on low heat until the total cooking time is about 35 minutes.

13. 13

    Turn off the heat and leave the sealed pot undisturbed for another 10 minutes before opening.

14. 14

    Break the dough seal and open the lid. Check the rice and inspect the bottom of the pot for burnt marks without mixing the biryani.

15. 15

    Serve the biryani hot and fresh, accompanied by raita and onion salad.

Notes

The post description calls this a restaurant-style method in which chicken and rice are cooked separately and combined to order, but the detailed directions and video subtitles instead give a sealed dum-cooking method; these instructions follow the detailed method. There is a timing discrepancy: the description says 25–30 minutes on low after the initial high heat and opening after 40 minutes, while the spoken method gives about 35 minutes cooking plus a 10-minute rest. Saffron, hot milk, kewra water, rose water, and chapati dough appear in the method but have no listed amounts. The description mentions checking the bottom for burnt marks; do not mix the biryani when checking.

Nutrition per serving

• main course
• South Asian
• Indian
• chicken
• rice
• dum-cooked
• gluten-containing
• dairy