Authentic Chicken Biryani Recipe

About This Recipe

Biryani is a celebration in a pot — layers of spiced, marinated chicken alternating with saffron-infused basmati rice, cooked together by the dum (sealed steam) method. This recipe uses the pakki dum technique (pre-cooking the chicken before layering) which gives reliable results and an intensely flavoured result. The whole spices — cardamom, cinnamon, star anise — perfume the rice as it steams.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 kgchicken pieces(bone-in thighs and drumsticks, skin removed)
• 400 gbasmati rice(soaked 30 minutes, drained)
• 200 gfull-fat yogurt
• 3 tbspbiryani masala or garam masala
• 1 tbspginger-garlic paste
• 1 tspturmeric
• 1 tspchilli powder
• 3large onions(thinly sliced, for crispy fried onions)
• 0.5 tspsaffron threads(soaked in 4 tbsp warm milk)
• 4green cardamom pods
• 2black cardamom pods
• 1cinnamon stick
• 3cloves
• 1bay leaf
• 4 tbspghee or vegetable oil
• 3 tbspfresh mint leaves
• 3 tbspfresh coriander
• 2 tspsalt

Instructions

1. 1

   Make crispy fried onions

   Fry sliced onions in oil over medium heat, stirring regularly, until deep golden brown and crispy — about 25–30 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Reserve the oil.

2. 2

   Marinate the chicken

   Mix chicken with yogurt, biryani masala, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, chilli and salt. Add half the fried onions. Marinate 1–8 hours (overnight is best).

3. 3

   Cook the chicken

   Cook the marinated chicken in the reserved onion oil over medium heat for 20–25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the gravy has thickened.

4. 4

   Parboil the rice

   Boil a large pot of heavily salted water with whole spices (cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf). Add soaked rice and cook 7 minutes — it should be 70% cooked (tender outside, still slightly hard in centre). Drain.

   Parboiling the rice to 70% is the key. Fully cooked rice turns mushy during the dum.

5. 5

   Layer and dum cook

   Layer chicken with its gravy in a heavy pot. Layer parboiled rice on top. Drizzle saffron milk, remaining fried onions, mint, coriander and ghee over the rice. Seal the pot tightly (with foil then lid or dough). Cook on the lowest heat for 25 minutes. Rest 10 minutes before opening.

Variations

• •

  Mutton biryani: replace chicken with bone-in mutton — increase marinating and cooking times.

• •

  Vegetable biryani: use mixed vegetables (potato, carrot, peas, cauliflower) instead of chicken.

Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat with a splash of water in a sealed pan over low heat, or microwave covered.

Frequently Asked Questions