Chicken Biryani Recipe Step By Step Video Whiskaffair

on Apr 01, 2021 Some of the other biryani recipes I’ve posted are Mutton Biryani, and Hyderabadi Vegetable Dum Biryani.

About This Recipe

Hyderabadi chicken biryani is a traditional Mughlai rice dish made using long grain basmati rice, chicken, and a whole lot of spices. The bone-in chicken is marinated with yogurt and spices and is then layered under semi-cooked rice. This combination is then cooked on slow heat until perfection, creating a dish that is a treat to all the senses. Hyderabadi biryani is one of the greatest gifts from the royal Mughals to the culinary world. Making chicken biryani takes time, patience, and expertise, but trust me, all the effort is worthwhile when you dig into this delicacy. Hyderabadi chicken biryani is prepared in two ways – Kacchi or Pakki Biryani. Kacchi chicken biryani is where the chicken is not cooked separately but gets cooked along with the rice while in the pakki chicken biryani, chicken is cooked prior to layering it with rice. The method I have mentioned below is kacchi biryani method and I will soon be posting the pakki biryani method too. This chicken biryani is,

Aromatic Lip-smacking Loaded with tender pieces of Chicken Perfect for special occasions Great for your weekend meals A great dish for Pot Lucks

Ingredients

Chicken – Traditionally bone-in skinless whole chicken cut into pieces is used to make chicken biryani. But you can choose to use only legs, legs with thighs, or even boneless chicken pieces. First marination – The chicken is marinated twice so that it absorbs all the flavors and becomes tender. In the first marination, we will use ingredients including shahi jeera (caraway seeds), ghee, ginger garlic paste, garam masala powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, vegetable oil, green chili paste, and lime juice. Second Marination – For the second marination, we will need yogurt, mint, coriander, and crispy fried onions (birista). You can either fry the onion at home or use store-bought to save time. Check out my recipe to make Crispy Fried Onions for biryani here. Rice – Use aged (at least 2 years old) long grain basmati rice for the best results. They turn out separate, fluffy, and aromatic, which tastes yummy in this Hyderabadi biryani. I always buy Fortune Biryani Basmati Rice and the result is quite good For the potli masala – A bouquet garni (potli) of spices is added while cooking the rice to flavor it. Once the rice is cooked and the aroma and taste of the spices are infused into it, the bouquet garni is removed. In the potli, we will add whole black cardamom, whole green cardamom, whole javitri, whole cloves, cumin seeds, whole black peppercorn, whole star anise, whole cinnamon, and whole bay leaf. Other Ingredients – Other than the above-mentioned ingredients, we will need cumin seeds, ginger garlic paste, green chili paste, kewra essence (vetiver essence), lime juice, milk, saffron soaked in water, and salt to make this chicken biryani. You will all the ingredients to make this Hyderabadi chicken dum biryani in your nearby Indian store or online on amazon.

How to make Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani?

Start by marinating the chicken. To make the marinade, mix 1 teaspoon caraway seeds (shahi jeera), 2 teaspoon ghee, 4 teaspoon ginger garlic paste, ½ teaspoon garam masala powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, 2 teaspoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 2 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoon vegetable oil, 4 teaspoon green chili paste, and 2 tablespoon lime juice in a large mixing bowl. Wash 1 pound (500 g) chicken and drain all the water. Add it to the bowl and mix well to coat it with the marinade. Cover the bowl with a lid and refrigerate it for 10-12 hours. This is the first marination. After 10-12 hours, take out the bowl from the refrigerator and marinate it for the second time. Add 200 g thick yogurt, 2 tablespoon chopped mint, 2 tablespoon chopped coriander, and ¼ cup golden fried onion to the bowl. Mix everything well again. Refrigerate the chicken for another hour. Take an 8-inch square cotton cloth piece and add 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, 2 whole black cardamoms, 2-3 whole green cardamoms, 2 flowers of javitri, 3-4 whole cloves, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 5-6 whole black peppercorn, 1 whole star anise, 2-inch stick of whole cinnamon, and 2 whole bay leaves in the center. Bring the ends of the cloth together and tie a knot to make a potli (bouquet garni). Wash 3 cups of long grain basmati rice 2-3 times with water until the water runs clear. Soak it in 5-6 cups of water for 30 minutes. Heat 6-8 cups of water in a large pot. Add the potli that we made earlier, 2 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste, 1 tablespoon green chili paste, 2-3 drops of kewra essence, ½ teaspoon lime juice, and 4 teaspoon salt to the pot and bring the water to a boil. Drain the rice and add it to the boiling water. Simmer the heat to medium and let the rice cook until it is 80% cooked. 80% cooked means that it still has a bite to it. Be very vigilant while cooking the rice. You don’t want to overcook it, otherwise, the biryani will become mushy. If the rice is undercooked, it will taste raw. Transfer the chicken along with the marinade to a large heavy bottom pan with a tight fitting lid. I used my 8 quart dutch oven to cook the biryani. Once the rice gets 80% cooked, discard the potli. Take the rice out using a sieve and spread it over the chicken evenly. Sprinkle ½ cup milk, 10-12 strands saffron soaked in water, ½ cup golden brown onion, and 3 tablespoon ghee on top. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid. Place the pan on high heat and cook for 5-6 minutes. Simmer the heat to very low and cook the biryani for 35-40 minutes. You can keep a griddle below the pan if the heat in your stove cannot be set to very low. The idea is to slow cook or Dum the biryani. Once the biryani is cooked for 35-40 minutes, remove the lid and mix the biryani gently using a large spoon to mix the chicken pieces and the masala with the rice. Serve hot with raita or salan.

Storage Suggestions

This Hyderabadi chicken biryani can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days in an airtight container. Heat it properly, before serving. If you have a lot of portions, heat only the amount you want to serve. You can even freeze biryani for about a month. Just let it cool down completely before freezing. Once you are ready to eat it, thaw it overnight and heat it again, before serving.

Serving Suggestions

Hyderabadi chicken biryani can be served with any raita of your choice like Cucumber Raita, Boondi Raita, or Pineapple Raita. You can serve Mirchi Ka Salan or Ande Ka Salan with it too. Don’t forget to top the chicken biryani with some browned onion before serving.