Chicken Biriani Recipes

CHICKEN BIRYANI

Steps:

• In a large skillet, in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or ghee) fry potatoes until brown, drain and reserve the potatoes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and fry onion, garlic and ginger until onion is soft and golden. Add chili, pepper, turmeric, cumin, salt and the tomatoes. Fry, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Add yogurt, mint, cardamom and cinnamon stick. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes are cooked to a pulp. It may be necessary to add a little hot water if the mixture becomes too dry and starts to stick to the pan.
• When the mixture is thick and smooth, add the chicken pieces and stir well to coat them with the spice mixture. Cover and cook over very low heat until the chicken is tender, approximately 35 to 45 minutes. There should only be a little very thick gravy left when chicken is finished cooking. If necessary cook uncovered for a few minutes to reduce the gravy.
• Wash rice well and drain in colander for at least 30 minutes.
• In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil (or ghee) and fry the onions until they are golden. Add saffron, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, ginger and rice. Stir continuously until the rice is coated with the spices.
• In a medium-size pot, heat the chicken stock and salt. When the mixture is hot pour it over the rice and stir well. Add the chicken mixture and the potatoes; gently mix them into the rice. Bring to boil. Cover the saucepan tightly, turn heat to very low and steam for 20 minutes. Do not lift lid or stir while cooking. Spoon biryani onto a warm serving dish.

CHICKEN BIRYANI

Steps:

• Soak 300g basmati rice in warm water, then wash in cold until the water runs clear.
• Heat 25g butter in a saucepan and cook 1 finely sliced large onion with 1 bay leaf, 3 cardamom pods and 1 small cinnamon stick for 10 mins.
• Sprinkle in 1 tsp turmeric, then add 4 chicken breasts, cut into large chunks, and 4 tbsp curry paste. Cook until aromatic.
• Stir the rice into the pan with 85g raisins, then pour over 850ml chicken stock.
• Place a tight-fitting lid on the pan and bring to a hard boil, then lower the heat to a minimum and cook the rice for another 5 mins.
• Turn off the heat and leave for 10 mins. Stir well, mixing through 15g chopped coriander. To serve, scatter over the leaves of the remaining 15g coriander and 2 tbsp toasted almonds.

THE BEST CHICKEN BIRYANI

Steps:

• Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl, then stir in the chicken pieces. Leave to marinate for at least 1 hour at room temperature or (preferably) up to 48 hours, covered, in the fridge - see make ahead. Cover the basmati rice in cold water and leave to soak for 1 hour.
• For the onions, pour the 350ml oil into a saucepan and heat to 160°C (test with a digital thermometer, or add a piece of onion - it should sizzle). Coat the onions lightly in the flour, then add them, in 4 batches, to the oil. When they're golden (2-3 minutes) remove with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper to dry, then set aside.
• When the chicken has marinated, heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan. Add the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom pods, bay leaves, cumin seeds, nutmeg and star anise, then gently toast for 2-3 minutes to release their aromas. Add the chicken and its marinade, cook gently for 5 minutes, then add the tomato purée and salt. Simmer gently for 25 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked.
• Keep the chicken and sauce warm over a low heat. If it begins to stick, add a splash of water but don't make it too runny: the sauce should just coat the back of a spoon.
• To cook the rice, soak the saffron threads in the milk for 15 minutes. Drain the rice, put in a medium saucepan and add 1 litre boiling water and the salt. Cook the rice for 3 minutes, then drain and stir through half the ghee to coat the warm grains of rice.
• In a large flameproof casserole with a tight-fitting lid, melt the remaining ghee with 50ml water over a gentle heat, then assemble the biryani. Start with one third of the rice, a drizzle of the saffron milk and a sprinkle of the crispy onions. Top with half the chicken, then repeat, finishing with a final layer of rice and more onions on top.
• Put the lid on the casserole and turn up the heat to get the biryani steaming. Turn the heat to very low and cook for 20 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges, sprinkled with cashews and herbs.

CHICKEN BIRYANI RECIPE

Steps:

• To a bowl, add yogurt, ginger garlic paste, ½ tsp salt, garam masala, turmeric, lemon juice & red chili powder.
• Mix up well and taste the marinade. Add more salt and spice if needed.
• Make slits on the chicken pieces. Add it to the marinade &mix well. Cover and set aside for 1 hour to overnight.
• Rinse basmati rice thrice and soak for 30 mins. Drain to a colander after 30 mins.
• Heat ghee or oil in a pot or pressure cooker.
• Add whole spices - bay leaf, cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, shahi jeera & mace. Skip them if you do not have.
• When the spices begin to sizzle, add onions & fry them evenly stirring often until uniformly light brown but not burnt.
• Add chicken & saute until pale for 5 mins on a medium heat.
• Cover & cook on a low flame until the chicken is soft cooked or tender. Saute to evaporate any excess moisture in the pot.
• Taste test and add more salt if needed. I add about ¼ teaspoon salt. Add ¼ cup yogurt (curd), 2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves, 1 slit green chili, ½ to 1 teaspoon red chili powder & 1 teaspoon garam masala.
• Mix everything well and layer chicken evenly at the bottom. (check video)
• Spread drained rice in a layer over the chicken.
• To a separate bowl, pour 3 cups water. If cooking in a pot use 3 ½ cups water.
• Add ½ to ¾ tsp salt and mix. Taste the water. It must be slightly salty.
• Pour 2 cups of this water across the sides of the cooker or pot. Gently pour the rest on top of the rice. (check video)
• Level the rice if needed. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons mint leaves. Optionally add 2 tablespoons fried onions & saffron soaked milk if using.
• Pot method - If cooking in a pot, cover and cook on a low flame until the chicken biryani is done to your liking. If the rice is still under cooked or hard, pour ¼ to ½ cup boiling water and cook further. When done it has to be fully cooked, yet remain grainy.
• Cooker method - Set the flame to medium high. Cover & place the whistle. Cook for 1 whistle. Move the cooker away from the burner to stop cooking further.
• Rest until the pressure settles. Fluff up the chicken biryani with a fork.
• Serve from top to the bottom layer. Each serving gets biryani rice from top and chicken from the bottom layer.
• Enjoy chicken biryani with raita and sliced veggies, papad and shorba (biryani gravy).

CHICKEN BIRYANI

Steps:

• Soak the rice in warm water, then wash in cold until the water runs clear.
• Heat the butter in a saucepan and cook the onions with the bay leaf and other whole spices for 10 minutes. Sprinkle in the turmeric, then add chicken and curry paste; cook till aromatic.
• Stir the rice into the pan with the raisins, then pour over the stock. Place a tight fitting lid on the pan and bring to a hard boil, then lower the heat to a minimum; cook the rice for another 5 minutes. Turn of the heat & leave for 10 minutes. Stir well, mixing through half the coriander.
• To serve scatter over the rest of the coriander and the almonds.

CHICKEN BIRYANI

Steps:

• Remove and discard the skin from the chicken legs and breasts. Cut each leg into drumstick and thigh, and quarter the breasts.
• To prepare the marinade paste, peel and coarsely chop the garlic, ginger, and 3 onions. Place in a blender with the cloves, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, poppy seeds, mace, 1 teaspoon salt, and the lemon juice. Blend to a smooth paste. Turn into a large bowl, add the yogurt, and mix well.
• Dry Roasting: Spices are often dry-roasted before use. It is best to do this over medium heat in a preheated small, heavy, cast-iron frying pan. No oil is used; the spices are just stirred around in the pan with a wooden spatula until they brown lightly. Roasted spices develop a heightened, nutty aroma. They can be stored for several months in an airtight jar.
• Peel the 3 remaining onions, halve lengthwise, and slice finely. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the bay leaves and cardamom pods. Fry for 10 to 15 seconds. Add the sliced onions and fry, stirring, for about 10 minutes or until brown and crisp, but not burned. Remove with a slotted spoon, squeezing out as much oil as possible. Reserve the oil, cardamoms, and bay leaves. Add 2/3 of the fried onions to the marinade paste and mix well. Drain the rest on paper towels and set aside for garnishing.
• Pierce the chicken pieces with a fork and add to the bowl of marinade paste; mix well. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight, turning the chicken occasionally.
• Transfer the chicken and marinade to a large heavy-based cooking pot or pan. Bring slowly to a boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Lift out the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and place them in a 6-quart casserole dish; cover and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Crumble the saffron into the warm milk and set aside to soak.
• Boil the marinade paste, stirring, over a medium heat, until reduced to 9 to 10 tablespoons. Spoon the paste over the chicken. Cover again.
• Pour about 3 quarts water into a large cooking pot or flameproof casserole. Add 3 teaspoons of salt and bring to a boil. Add the rice, bring back to a boil, then simmer for precisely 5 minutes. Drain the rice in a colander, then place it on top of the chicken in the casserole.
• Pour the saffron-infused milk over the rice, streaking it with orange lines. Sprinkle the reserved cardamom, bay leaves, and oil over the rice (retaining 1 tablespoon oil, for frying the raisins, if using). Cover the casserole dish with foil, cut 2 inches wider than the rim of the dish. Now put the lid on and use the protruding foil edges to seal the dish as best you can by crinkling it and pushing it against the sides. Bake in the oven for 1 hour.
• To prepare the garnishes, if including raisins fry them briefly in the reserved oil. Lightly toast the almonds if you wish. Quarter the hard-cooked eggs lengthwise, or cut into slice.
• Spoon the rice and chicken onto a large warm platter. Sprinkle with the fried onions, raisins, almonds and hard-cooked eggs. Serve hot.

THE BEST CHICKEN BIRYANI

Steps:

• Whisk together the yogurt, 3 tablespoons salt, chili powder and turmeric in a large bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Let sit at room temperature until ready to use, up to 1 hour. (Alternatively, the chicken can be marinated for up to 2 days covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator.)
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reaches 350 degrees F. Fry half of the onions, stirring frequently for even cooking, until deep golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer them to a paper-towel lined baking sheet to drain. Season with salt and let cool. Let the oil come back up to temperature and repeat with the remaining onions. Reserve the oil.
• Wash, rinse and drain the rice in a bowl full of cold water until the water is almost clear, about 5 times. Bring the rice, 1/4 cup salt, 4 of the cloves, 3 of the cardamom pods, 1 of the bay leaves, the peppercorns and 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Cook for exactly 5 minutes. (The rice will not be completely cooked; it will continue to cook in the oven. Do not cook longer or the rice will get mushy.) Drain and transfer the rice and spices to a medium bowl.
• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F.
• Stir together the saffron and milk in a small bowl until combined.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of the reserved onion oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, cumin seeds and the remaining 4 cloves, 4 cardamom pods and 2 bay leaves. Cook, stirring frequently, until the spices are very fragrant and beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until very fragrant and beginning to stick to the bottom of the pan, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping the garlic and ginger from the bottom of the pan, until the tomatoes start to break down and most of the liquid has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup water, bring to a boil and scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and layer on top of the tomatoes. Then sprinkle half the fried onions on top of the chicken. Top with the rice and spices and then drizzle the saffron milk over the rice. Cover the pan and bake until the liquid evaporates, the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Let sit covered for 10 minutes, then transfer the biryani to a large serving platter. Top with the remaining fried onions, cilantro and mint leaves.