Chicken Biryani Recipe
Make chicken biryani at home with yogurt-marinated chicken, fragrant basmati rice, crispy onions and saffron. Easy step-by-step dum-style in one pot.
Servings: 8
Calories: 372kcal
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN & MARINADE
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
- 2-3 green chilies chopped (use serrano or other smaller hot chilies, or milder to your preference)
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon paprika or use other red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- Salt to taste
- 1.5 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs .75kg
FOR THE RICE
- 1 small stick cinnamon
- 5 green cardamom pods
- 3 whole cloves
- 2 star anise
- 1 tablespoon salt or to taste
- 1 ½ cups basmati rice rinsed
FOR THE CRISPY ONIONS
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large onion thinly sliced
ADDITIONALS
- 2 pinches saffron strands optional
- 1/4 cup warm milk or use water
- 1/4 cup ghee or butter melted
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro or use a mix of cilantro and mint
Instructions
- MARINATE THE CHICKEN. In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, garlic, ginger, chilies, garam masala, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt until well combined.
- Add the chicken and mix well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours, or overnight for more flavor penetration.
- PAR COOK THE RICE. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Add cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, star anise, salt and basmati rice. Stir and cook for 5 minutes to par cook the rice. It should be a bit soft, but not cooked all the way through.
- Drain and set aside. (NOTE: You can pick out the cinnamon stick and pods, or just leave them in.)
- Heat the oil in a large pot to medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned and starting to crisp up. Do not burn.
- Remove the onions and set aside. Keep pot over medium heat.
FOR THE BIRYANI
- Add the marinated chicken with marinade to the same heated pot. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side to partially cook the chicken.
- While chicken is cooking, soak the saffron in warm milk or water to bloom.
- Spread the parcooked rice over the chicken. Add half of the fried onions, then cilantro.
- Drizzle the saffron mix and melted butter over the top. Do not mix.
- Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Fluff (or mix it all up if you’d like) and serve with remaining crispy onions on top.
Notes
- Goes great with raita, salad, yogurt, roti.
- You can chop the chicken or cook them whole in the pot, depending on how you want to serve it.
Nutrition
Calories: 372kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 998mg | Potassium: 361mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 564IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 2mg