Chicken Biryani Recipe

Chicken Biryani is a delicious savory rice dish that is loaded with spicy marinated chicken, caramelized onions, and flavorful saffron rice.

Chicken biryani is a simple and super flavourful one-pot meal that is best served with raita and salad. There is a reason why chicken biryani is the most ordered dish in India for the last few years! but why order it when you can make it easily in your kitchen!

Cooking Biryani just sounds tough but is one of the easiest chicken dishes. By following the below-given step-by-step biryani recipe, anyone can whip up a scrumptious dish of Chicken Biryani.

Chicken Biryani is a savory chicken and rice dish that includes layers of chicken, rice, and aromatics that are steamed together. The bottom layer of rice absorbs all the chicken juices as it cooks, giving it a tender texture and rich flavor, while the top layer of rice turns out white and fluffy.

For the rice, a quick par-boil with whole spices like cardamom, bay leaves, and cumin infuses some flavor, while ensuring the rice is tender enough to steam after the Biryani is assembled.

Do try this recipe at home, rate it, and don’t forget to let us know how it turned out to be by leaving a comment in the section below. Happy Cooking!

Ingredients for

for chicken

• 600 gm chicken (Thighs and Drumsticks bone-in and skinless)
• 1 tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste (minced ginger and garlic)
• ⅔ cup yogurt plain or curd
• 1 teaspoon salt (adjust as per taste)
• 1 tablespoon Red Chilli Powder
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• ½ teaspoon turmeric ground

Brown onions

for rice

• 2 cups Basmati Rice
• 6 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt adjust per taste
• 1 Bay leaf
• 5-6 Cloves
• 2-3 Cardamom Pods

Biryani

• 1 teaspoon saffron ground (dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot milk)
• 1 cup reserved boiling liquid (from rice)
• ¼ cup coriander leaves or cilantro fresh, chopped

Instructions for

To marinate the chicken

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken with garlic ginger paste, red chili powder, garam masala, turmeric, and salt to taste.
2. Add yogurt, starting with ½ cup, and increase as needed to ¾ cup. The mixture should be thick and not runny.
3. toss the chicken pieces together making sure the chicken is thoroughly coated in the marinade.
4. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
5. Heat oil at the medium-high flame in a wide frying pan.
6. Add the ghee and onions and saute the onions for 15-20 minutes or until they are well caramelized.
7. Drain them out on a paper towel, and set them aside.
8. Now Wash rice well and drain in a colander for at least 30 minutes.
9. Bring 6 cups of water to a rolling boil in a rice cooker.
10. Add 1 teaspoon salt, bay leaf, 5-6 cloves, and 2-3 Cardamom Pods.
11. Add the rice and stir. Let it cook just until all the water is absorbed.
12. Drain the rice, reserving 1 cup of the liquid.
13. This will cook the rice to about 70% doneness which can be checked by pressing a grain of rice between two fingers – the rice should still be raw in the middle.
14. Heat a heavy-bottomed pot, and add the chicken to it.
15. Fry until golden brown on one side.
16. Flip the chicken over and fry the other side until golden brown.
17. When you are ready to make the biryani, soak saffron strands in hot milk and rub them slightly with the back of a spoon. Set this aside.
18. Turn off the heat and Scatter half the onions all over the chicken.
19. Sprinkle all the coriander. Next layer the rice all over the coriander, and in the end drizzle saffron milk and ghee (optional) all over the rice.
20. Cover the pot with a lid and put the pot on the stove over medium heat and set the timer for 20 minutes.
21. When you can see steam escaping from under the lid, turn down the heat to low and continue cooking until the timer goes off and then turn off the heat.
22. Remove from oven or stove. Let it cool for five minutes and gently mix rice and chicken.
23. Using a spatula, mound the biryani on a serving plate.
24. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve.

Serving Suggestions

Serve it with mirchi ka salan or Hyderabadi tomato egg curry and raita.

Tips and Variations

• Rinse basmati rice several times until the water is clear and not starchy. 
• The best is whole chicken with bone, cut and clean.
• Brown Onions can be slightly time-consuming and tricky to make, and you can substitute them here with store-bought fried onions.
• In the last step of layering and cooking the biryani, all the ingredients are par-cooked. Cooking the biryani on a low flame for 20 minutes, steams and cooks everything to doneness.

Nutrition

Also read: Fish fry recipe (step by step)

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