Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani

Chicken biryani made in the Hyderabadi kacchi style — raw marinated chicken and half-cooked rice sealed together in a heavy-bottomed vessel and finished on dum so the chicken steam-cooks while perfuming the rice above with saffron, kewra water, and caramelised onions. Lighter and faster than the mutton version but no less fragrant.

Cuisines

Hyderabadi

Best for

Lunch Dinner

Build a full meal around Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani

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Recipe

Prep: 20 min Cook: 40 min Total: 60 min 2-3 servings

Ingredients

basmati rice 1 cup Basmati rice
Chicken 300 grams Chicken , cut into pieces
Yogurt 1 cup Yogurt
Onion 1 large Onion , thinly sliced
ginger-garlic paste 2 tablespoons Ginger-garlic paste
biryani masala 2 tablespoons Biryani masala
red chili powder 1 teaspoon Red chili powder
turmeric powder 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
Saffron 1 pinch Saffron , strands
Milk 2 tablespoons Milk , full-fat
ghee or oil 3 tablespoons Ghee or oil
Cilantro 1 handful Cilantro , chopped
Mint 1 handful Mint , chopped
Green Chili 2 pieces Green Chili , slit
salt Salt , to taste
water 4 cups Water
Clove 4 Clove
Bay Leaf 1 Bay Leaf
cardamom 4 Cardamom , green
cinnamon stick 1 Cinnamon stick

Instructions

  1. 1 Wash and soak the basmati rice for 30 minutes.
  2. 2 In a bowl, marinate the chicken with yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, biryani masala, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and salt. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
  3. 3 Heat ghee or oil in a deep pan and fry the sliced onions until golden brown. Remove half of them for garnishing.
  4. 4 Add marinated chicken to the remaining onions in the pan and cook until the chicken is half cooked.
  5. 5 In a separate pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add cloves, bay leaf, cardamoms, cinnamon stick, and salt.
  6. 6 Add the soaked rice to the boiling water and cook until it's 70% cooked. Drain the rice and set aside.
  7. 7 Warm the milk slightly and add a pinch of saffron to it.
  8. 8 Layer the half-cooked chicken with the drained rice in the pan. Sprinkle chopped coriander, mint leaves, slit green chilies, and the saffron milk over the rice.
  9. 9 Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook on low heat for 20 minutes.
  10. 10 Turn off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes before opening.
  11. 11 Garnish with the reserved fried onions before serving.

Tips

For extra flavour, use whole spices in the oil first.