Chicken Biryani

Well! This is a Chicken Biryani Recipe that you can be sure of because it is easy and straightforward (no surprises here!) and tasty like how Chicken Biryani should be! This recipe gives tips on how to make dry fluffy rice, juicy chicken, and the biryani itself. Perfected!

What is Biryani?

The best Biryani definition is a dish of rice prepared with layers of cooked meat and rice. The adjective finished off, however, is befitting to copious embellishments and lavish presentations. Chicken Biryani Recipe is not a stranger to biryani for it owes its origins to Persians.

Biryani can be prepared in two styles mainly:

In kachi (raw) biryani, raw meat and parboiled rice cook together, while in pakki (cooked) biryani, the already cooked meat and parboiled rice are steamed.

In Pakistan, pakki or cooked biryani is common, with several well-known types, including Sindhi, Karachi style, and Bombay biryani.

This particular recipe is a fusion of all of these styles and is what a typical Pakistani or Indian restaurant or a dinner might serve.

Ingredients for Chicken Biryani

I have deliberately selected the components and their proportions in such a way that this biryani is quite robust in structure. That said, this Chicken Biryani Recipe is quite versatile and can incorporate quite a lot of substitutions and alterations and still come out well.

Oil/Ghee: I’ve used oil to give fluidity and ghee for the flavor.

Onions: These may be cut into thin slices, which is the more common way, or cut into tiny bits. If you are using a food processor for this, chop it up in pulses rather than blending it all up to a paste.

Bone in cut up skinless chicken – I tend to buy chicken meaty pieces pre-cut up into various parts, but skinless chicken thighs with bones still work fine.

Whole Spices – Biryani has plenty of whole spices which is something that people want to see. Of course, the rule to not eat whole spice nibbler always applies. Never let them eat whole whole spices anyone. If it seems too much for you then you always have the option to lessen the quantity or even place them in a spice/muslin bag.

Garlic + Ginger: I add them in the food processor to grind them to a paste.

I discovered that reducing the number of tomatoes is easy because the biryani already contains plenty of sour ingredients, such as yogurt, dehydrated plum (alu Bukhara), and lemon.

Yogurt: A yogurt marinade not only improves the softness and taste of the chicken, but it helps in the ease of preparation of the chicken as well. In case you are adverse to dairy, you might want to resort to coconut milk.

Rice: I suggest using aged, long-grain basmati rice you can find at some grocery stores, any Indian/Pakistani specialty store, or online.

Dried Plums (Alu Bukhara): I always go for the helping of biryani with these sweet surprises. Alu Bukhara are often used in biryani to give a sweet, tangy taste. They’re usually available at South Asian grocery stores, but if you can’t find them, you can either substitute with dried prunes or omit.

How to make Chicken Biryani – 3 Main Steps

I believe this Chicken Biryani Recipe is as easy as an authentic biryani recipe can be – no superfluous or tedious steps that don’t contribute to big flavor. You’ll find that while it takes time, most of it is passive cooking time. And the end result is quite rewarding and impressive. These are 3 main parts to making chicken biryani:

Prepare the chicken curry. Prepare the biryani masala (or use store-bought) and marinate the chicken. Start the chicken curry. While the chicken cooks over low heat, make the rice.

Prepare the rice. Bring a pot of water to a boil and parboil the rice. Drain and set aside.

Bring it all together for a final steam (‘dum‘). Layer half of the rice, all of the chicken, and then the remaining rice on top. Add the finishing touches. Allow steam to develop, then lower the heat and let the flavors meld.

 

Biryani Masala

Pakistani biryani packs a punch with its spices and flavors, often made using biryani masala—a blend of spices that create its distinct, masaledar (spice-laden) taste.

I recommend you use the biryani masala recipe below (all you need is a good spice grinder and a few extra whole spices). If you’d prefer not to, you can substitute your favorite store-bought biryani masala. We tested this recipe, and it works great with Bombay Biryani Masala.

To make Biryani masala for this recipe, combine the following ingredients in a spice grinder and process until mostly smooth. Makes ~2 tbsp, which is the exact quantity you’ll need for this recipe.

1 medium dried bay leaf (tez patta)

2 dried button red chili peppers (sukhi lal mirch)

1 small whole mace (javetri)

1 2-inch cinnamon stick (daarchini)

4-5 whole cloves (loung)

1 black cardamom (badi elaichi)

1 star anise (baadiyan)

3-4 green cardamom pods (elaichi)

1 tsp roasted cumin seeds or black cumin seeds (shahzeera)

1/2 tsp black peppercorns (kaali mirch)

1/4 tsp fennel (saunf)

1/4 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)