Chicken Biryani
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
20 mins
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Cook Time
1 hr
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Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
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Servings
8
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Indian
Chicken Biryani
Description
This Chicken Biryani begins by marinating skin-on bone-in chicken thighs in a mixture of yogurt, water, oil, garlic, grated ginger, and an array of spices including turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne, cardamom, garam masala, coriander, cumin, and paprika. Marination can last from 20 minutes up to overnight to deepen flavor and tenderize the meat.
Basmati rice is parboiled with whole spices like cloves, bay leaves, star anise, and green cardamom until just tender yet firm, then drained. Separately, thinly sliced onions are fried in batches until golden and crisp to create a textured garnish.
The marinated chicken is cooked covered on medium heat, then layered with the parboiled rice in a pot, sprinkled with fried onions, fresh coriander, and saffron water to impart its distinct flavor and color. The pot is sealed and cooked until the rice finishes and chicken is fully tender.
This preparation results in chicken that remains juicy, surrounded by aromatic, fluffy rice enriched with spice and saffron, accompanied by crispy onion topping and the freshness of coriander. The dish is traditionally served with a side of plain or minted yogurt.
Notes recommend using skin-on bone-in thighs for moisture retention and texture, and suggest substitutions like boneless thighs or vegetable options with adjusted cooking steps. The recipe includes tips on scaling, whole spices handling, and storage, indicating leftovers keep well refrigerated for days and can be frozen.
Ingredients
- 750g (1.5 lb) chicken thighs , skin on, bone in, halved along bone (Note 1)
Marinade:
- 2/3 cup (150 ml) yogurt plain
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) water
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil (or other plain oil)
- 6 garlic minced, cloves
- 2 tsp ginger finely grated fresh
- 1/8 tsp Turmeric ground
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper adjust spiciness to taste
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 2 tsp garam masala Note 2
- 2 tsp Coriander
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 2 tbsp paprika , sweet / ordinary (not smoked)
- 1 3/4 tsp salt
Par Boiled Rice:
- 2 tbsp salt
- 10 cloves
- 5 bay leaves dried
- 1 star anise
- 6 green cardamom pods
- 2 1/4 cups (450g) basmati rice Note 3, uncooked
Crispy Onions (Note 4):
- 2 onion halved and finely sliced, medium (yellow, brown
- 1 cup (250 ml) neutral cooking oil for frying, generic cooking oil
Saffron:
- 1 tsp saffron loosely packed) (Note 5, threads
- 2 tbsp water warm
Biryani:
- 1 cup Coriander chopped, or cilantro
- 1/4 cup (60g) ghee melted (Note 6, or unsalted butter
Garnish:
- fried onions above, crispy
- Coriander chopped, aka cilantro
- yogurt Note 7
Instructions
- Mix Marinade in a large pot (about 26cm / 11" diameter). Add chicken and coat well. Marinade 20 minutes to overnight.
Par Boiled Rice:
- Bring 3 litres / 3 quarts water to the boil, add salt and spices.
- Add rice, bring back up to the boil then cook for 4 minutes, or until rice is just cooked still a bit firm in the middle. Rice will taste salty at this stage, disappears in next stage of cooking.
- Drain immediately. Set aside. (Note 10 re: leaving whole spices in)
Crispy Onions:
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Cook onion, in batches, for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown. Don't burn - they become bitter.
- Remove onto paper towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining onion.
Saffron:
- Place in a bowl, leave for 10 minutes+.
Biryani:
- Place pot with chicken in it onto a stove over medium heat. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove lid. Cook for 5 minutes, turning chicken twice.
- Remove from heat.
- Turn chicken so skin side is down - it should cover most of the base of the pot.
- Scatter over half the onion then half the coriander.
- Top with all the rice. Gently pat down and flatten surface.
- Drizzle saffron across rice surface in random pattern, then drizzle over ghee.
- Place lid on. Return to stove over medium heat.
- As soon as you see steam, turn down to low then cook for 25 minutes.
- Remove from stove, rest with lid on for 10 minutes.
To Serve:
- Aim to serve it so you get nice patches of yellow rice, white rice, the curry stained rice + chicken (rather than all mixed up). To do this, use a large spoon and dig deep into the pot, and try to scoop up as much as you can in one scoop.
- Turn out into bowl - or onto platter. Garnish with remaining onion and coriander with yoghurt on the side (see Note 7 for Minted Yoghurt)
Notes
- Use skin-on bone-in chicken thighs to keep the meat juicy and add flavor during cooking.
- Parboil basmati rice with whole spices until just tender, then drain before layering.
- Fry sliced onions in batches until golden and crisp; these add texture and garnish to the biryani.
- Saffron soaked in warm water adds color and subtle flavor; powdered saffron can be used as a substitute.
- Leftovers keep well refrigerated for 3-4 days and can be reheated in a microwave.
- Chicken and rice can be prepared ahead; parboil rice and marinate chicken up to 2 days ahead to save time.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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