Indian royal dinners are never complete without a hot pot of aromatic and flavourful biryani. Although cooking biryani is nothing but a form of art, it is relatively easy to ace the authentic flavour and make a delightful chicken biryani. Finding the perfect recipe can be daunting, so to ease your trouble, we’ve got you a simple recipe. It doesn’t require much of an effort and also gives you the rich taste you’re looking for.
| Prep Time | 35 minutes |
| Cook Time | 43 minutes |
| Servings |
people
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- 3½ cups Water
- 2⅓ cups long-grain Basmati rice
- 4 Bay leaves
- ½ cup Warm Milk
- 1 pinch saffron strands
- ¼ cup ghee
- 2 onions thinly sliced
- 2 Green Chillies chopped
- 500 gms Chicken Thighs or Drumsticks
- 10 black peppercorns
- 6 whole cloves
- 5 cardamom pods
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 2 whole star anise
- 1 bunch of fresh coriander leaves
- 1 bunch of fresh mint leaves
- ½ tsp black cumin seeds
- 1 cup Yoghurt
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice
- 2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- 2 tsp Red chilli powder
- ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tsp biryani masala
- Salt to taste
Ingredients
For Biryani
For Marinade
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- Grind black peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise and cumin seeds into a fine powder. Finely chop mint and coriander leaves.
- Add dry spice mix, chopped mint and coriander leaves and other marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl and combine all of them. Add the chicken and coat it well. Use a plastic wrap to cover the bowl and let the marinated chicken sit in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.
- Wash the rice thoroughly. Take a saucepan and add water and rice in it. Once it boils, add 2 bay leaves and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and let it simmer until rice is partially cooked and is firm. This might take about 5 minutes. Once done, drain the rice. Add saffron to a bowl of milk, stir and keep it aside.
- Add ghee to a large pot with a tight-fitting lid or a pressure cooker, heat it over medium-high flame. Stir in onions until golden brown for about 15 minutes. Drain them on a paper towel. Switch the flame to low and add bay leaves, chillies, and stir for about 1-2 minutes. Remove a tbsp of ghee from the pot and set it aside.
- Add the chicken along with the marinade into the pot and cook for 2 minutes per side until it’s no longer pink. Spread the drained rice on top, sprinkle fried onions and drizzle ghee with saffron milk on top. Cook for 8-10 minutes over a high flame covered with a lid. Then reduce the flame to low and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
- Turn off the flame and let it stand covered for about 15 minutes. Garnish with mint and coriander leaves on top. Serve hot with raita or green salad.
Recipe Tips
If you don’t prefer using ghee, you can substitute it with oil. Drizzle ¼ tsp oil on the boiled rice after draining it to avoid it from turning mushy.
Share your version of this recipe
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Frequently Asked Questions How can I make the biryani moist?
You can cook rice and chicken separately and then combine everything or set the layers.
How do I prevent my biryani from turning mushy?
Avoid overcooking the rice as it can ruin the biryani. Always slow-cook the biryani so that all flavours are combined well, and the biryani turns out to be perfect.
What can I use as a substitute for saffron milk?
Saffron step is entirely optional. However, this adds a pop of colour to your biryani. You can also add food colour instead of it.
