Chicken Biryani Recipe

Ingredients

• 0.5 kg chicken (skinless bone-in or boneless, large pieces such as thighs, drumsticks, or legs)
• 3 tbsp plain yogurt (curd or dahi for marinade)
• 1.25 tbsp ginger garlic paste (1 inch ginger & 4 garlic cloves crushed)
• 0.5 tsp salt (adjust to taste for marinade)
• 0.25 tsp turmeric
• 0.5 tsp red chilli powder (or paprika; use less spicy variety)
• 0.5 tbsp garam masala (or biryani masala)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)
• 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
• 4 green cardamoms (choti elaichi)
• 6 cloves (lavang)
• 1 inch cinnamon (dalchini)
• 1 star anise (chakri phool)
• 0.75 tsp shahi jeera (caraway seeds or substitute with cumin)
• 1 strand mace (javitri, omit if you don't like)
• 2 cup basmati rice (aged rice only)
• 2 tbsp ghee (or oil)
• 1 large onion (sliced thinly)
• 0.25 cup mint leaves (chopped fine (about 15 leaves))
• 1 green chili (slit or chopped)
• 0.25 cup plain yogurt (Indian curd, for the pot)
• 0.25 tsp red chili powder (optional, for heat in the pot)
• 1 tsp garam masala (or biryani masala for the pot)
• 3 cup water (3.5 cups for pot method; more if needed)
• 0.75 tsp salt (to stir in water)
• 2 tbsp fried onions (optional garnish)
• 1 pinch saffron (optional, soaked in 2 tbsps hot milk)

Steps

1. 1

   To a bowl, add yogurt, ginger garlic paste, salt, garam masala, turmeric, lemon juice, and red chili powder.

2. 2

   Mix up well and taste the marinade. Add more salt and spice if needed.

3. 3

   Make slits on the chicken pieces. Add it to the marinade and mix well. Cover and set aside for 1 hour to overnight.

4. 4

   Rinse basmati rice three times and soak for 30 minutes. Drain to a colander after 30 minutes.

5. 5

   Heat ghee or oil in a pot or pressure cooker.

6. 6

   Add whole spices: bay leaf, cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, shahi jeera, and mace. Skip them if you do not have them.

7. 7

   When the spices begin to sizzle, add onions and fry them evenly, stirring often until uniformly light brown but not burnt.

8. 8

   Add chicken and saute until pale for about 5 minutes on medium heat.

9. 9

   Cover and cook on a low flame until the chicken is soft cooked or tender. Saute to evaporate any excess moisture in the pot.

10. 10

    Taste test and add more salt if needed. Add yogurt (curd), half of the chopped mint leaves, slit green chili, red chili powder, and garam masala.

11. 11

    Mix everything well and layer chicken evenly at the bottom of the pot.

12. 12

    Spread the drained rice in an even layer over the chicken.

13. 13

    To a separate pot, pour water (3 cups for cooker, 3.5 for pot). Add salt and mix. Taste the water; it must be slightly salty. Bring this to a rolling boil.

14. 14

    Pour 2 cups of this hot water across the sides of the cooker or pot. Gently pour the rest on top of the rice.

15. 15

    Level the rice if needed. Sprinkle the rest of the mint leaves. Optionally add fried onions and saffron-soaked milk.

16. 16

    For the Pot Method: Cover and cook on a medium flame until the rice is cooked completely but not mushy (about 15 minutes from the time water boils). If rice is still hard and water is gone, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup more boiling water and continue cooking.

17. 17

    For the Cooker Method: Set flame to medium-high. Cover and place the whistle. Cook until you hear 1 whistle, then move the cooker away from the burner immediately.

18. 18

    Rest until the pressure drops naturally. Fluff up the chicken biryani with a fork.

19. 19

    Serve from top to bottom layer so each serving gets rice from the top and chicken from the bottom. Enjoy with raita, sliced veggies, or salan.

Notes

To reheat, steam the biryani in a steamer or cooker until hot. For the best results, use aged basmati rice. If the rice is undercooked in the pot method, add small amounts of boiling water and continue to steam covered.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• chicken
• rice
• biryani
• indian
• one-pot
• spicy