Chicken Biryani
(2.5)
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A rich, textured, and spiced Indian rice dish featuring marinated chicken layered with partially cooked basmati rice, fried onions, herbs, and saffron, steamed to perfection.
01:00:00 total
Serves 4
medium
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Ingredients
- red onions - 2 large (large, sliced about 1/4 inch thick)
- oil - 1.5 to 2 inches (for frying onions, about 1.5 to 2 inches deep in pot)
- ghee - 2 to 3 tablespoons (for flavoring oil)
- ginger - watch the video to see (for ginger garlic paste)
- garlic - watch the video to see (for ginger garlic paste)
- water - watch the video to see (to blend ginger garlic paste)
- whole chicken - 1 whole (cut into pieces, skin removed)
- yogurt - 1 cup (for chicken marinade)
- ginger garlic paste - 4 tablespoons (for chicken marinade)
- Kashmiri chili powder - 2 tablespoons (or substitute regular chili powder)
- garam masala - 4 tablespoons total (2 tbsp marinade, 2 tbsp layering) (for marinade and layering)
- turmeric - 1/2 tablespoon (for marinade)
- fried onions - 1/2 cup total (reserved from initial frying, for marinade and layering)
- kosher salt - 1 tablespoon (for marinade and seasoning)
- green chilies - 5 (fresh, for cooking and layering)
- tomatoes - 2 medium (chopped)
- basmati rice - 2 cups (washed and soaked)
- cinnamon stick - 1 stick (for rice boiling water)
- star anise - 2 (for rice boiling water)
- cardamom pods - 4 pods (green cardamom for rice boiling water)
- whole cloves - 5 (for rice boiling water)
- green chili - 1 (for rice boiling water)
- salt - to taste (for rice boiling water)
- fresh mint - watch the video to see (chopped, for layering)
- fresh coriander - watch the video to see (chopped, for layering)
- saffron - watch the video to see (soaked in hot water with salt and sugar for layering)
- saffron water - watch the video to see (hot water infused with saffron, pinch of salt and sugar)
Instructions
- Fry Onions: Slice two large red onions about 1/4 inch thick. Heat 1.5 to 2 inches of oil with 2-3 tablespoons ghee in a large pot. Add onions when oil is warm and fry, stirring frequently, until onions are crispy and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove and reserve fried onions and some of the onion oil.
- Make Ginger Garlic Paste: Peel ginger and garlic. Blend together with a little water until smooth to make ginger garlic paste.
- Prepare Chicken: Cut whole chicken into pieces, removing skin and wing tips. Separate breasts, thighs, and legs.
- Marinate Chicken: In a bowl, combine chicken pieces with 1 cup yogurt, 4 tablespoons ginger garlic paste, 2 tablespoons Kashmiri chili powder, 2 tablespoons garam masala, 1/2 tablespoon turmeric, 1/2 cup fried onions, and 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Mix well and marinate for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight.
- Sear Chicken with Chilies and Tomatoes: Discard half of the onion frying oil from the pot and return to heat. Add 5 green chilies and 2 chopped tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes until tomatoes soften. Add marinated chicken pieces and sear for about 5 minutes. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
- Cook Rice: Wash and soak 2 cups basmati rice for 30 minutes. Boil water with 1 cinnamon stick, 2 star anise, 4 cardamom pods, 5 whole cloves, 1 green chili, and salt to taste. Add soaked rice and cook until about 80% done. Drain rice.
- Layer Biryani: On low heat, layer half the cooked chicken in the pot. Add half the cooked rice, half the fried onions, some garam masala, chopped mint, and coriander. Repeat with remaining chicken, rice, onions, garam masala, mint, and coriander. Drizzle with ghee and saffron water.
- Steam Biryani: Cover the pot with a kitchen towel and then the lid to trap steam. Cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes to allow flavors to meld and rice to finish cooking.
- Serve: Fluff the biryani gently and serve hot.
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