Chicken Biryani
In this fragrant biryani, tender yogurt-marinated chicken is layered with basmati rice, tempered spices, and saffron to create a beautifully complex rice dish.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 6 persons
Ingredients
- 3cups 1-inch cubes of boneless skinless chicken thigh
- ¾cup plain yogurt, whisked
- 2tablespoons ginger-garlic paste, or 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger plus 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 1 ½tablespoons biryani masala
- 1tablespoon ground coriander
- 1tablespoon ground cumin
- ½to 1 teaspoon red chilli powder, depending on your spice tolerance
- 1green chilli, such as serrano, minced
- ½teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 ½teaspoons fine salt, divided
- 8threads of saffron
- 5tablespoons milk
- 2tablespoons ghee
- 2teaspoons cumin seeds
- 2bay leaves
- 8peppercorns
- One 2-inch cinnamon stick
- ½cup French-fried onions, or store-bought fried shallots , divided
- 1Roma tomato, grated
- 1tablespoon garam masala, store-bought or homemade
- 2cups basmati rice, soaked in water to cover for 20 minutes
- ¼cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
- ⅓cup mint leaves, finely chopped
Instructions
Step 1
Gather the ingredients.Step 2
Mix the chicken with the yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, biryani masala, coriander, cumin, red chilli powder, green chilli, turmeric, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt (only add salt if your biryani masala is salt-free) in a large bowl. Coat the chicken in the ingredients well and allow the meat to marinate, covered and refrigerated, for at least 2 hours or overnight.Step 3
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Combine the saffron and milk in a small bowl and let steep while you prepare the biryani.Step 4
Place the rice in a medium bowl and add cool water to cover. Let soak while you cook the biryani.Step 5
In a deep, heavy-bottomed cooking vessel such as a Dutch oven, heat the ghee over medium until shimmering and add the cumin seeds, bay leaves, peppercorns, and cinnamon stick. Cook, stirring constantly, until the spices become fragrant and darken slightly, about 1 minute.Step 6
Add 1/4 cup of the fried onions and the tomato and cook this mixture for 3 to 4 minutes or until the tomato turns jammy.Step 7
Add the chicken along with the marinade and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken loses its raw color and is almost cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the garam masala and stir well.Step 8
While the chicken is cooking, heat 5 cups of water and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan and allow it to reach a rolling boil. Drain the soaked rice in a fine mesh sieve.Step 9
Add the drained rice to the boiling water and cook for 5 to 6 minutes on medium heat, until al dente. Do not fully cook the rice. Drain the rice in a colander or strainer and keep aside.Step 10
Once the chicken is almost cooked, top it with the par-boiled rice rice, making sure to cover the meat fully. At this point, the rice and chicken both are semi-cooked and only have a few minutes further to go.Step 11
Top the rice with the remaining 1/4 cup fried onions and drizzle the biryani with the saffron-milk mixture.Step 12
Cover the cooking vessel, transfer it to the preheated oven, and allow it to cook for about 10 minutes or until the rice is tender. Garnish with the cilantro and mint leaves.