About Chicken Biryani:
Chicken biryani is one of the most popular, aromatic, and delicious rice recipe, which is loved by many non-vegetarian people. Chicken biryani is layered with half cooked chicken, 70-80% cooked long grain basmati rice or biryani rice, spices, herbs, and ghee and then cooked on a low flame until its well cooked. It can be served at lunch time or at dinner time with raita of your choice or with mirch ka salan.
Benefits of Chicken:
- Helps to build muscles.
- Good for bone health.
- Relieves stress.
- Boosts immunity.
- High in protein.
Ingredients:
- 500 grams of chicken with bone or without bone, cleaned, washed, and cut into big size pieces.
- 2-1/2 cups of long grain basmati rice or biryani rice.
- 2 tablespoons of garlic ginger paste.
- 5-6 tablespoons of cooking oil.
- 2-3 tablespoons of ghee.
- 5-6 medium sized onions thinly sliced.
- 1 cup curd/yogurt.
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder.
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder.
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder.
- 1 tablespoon of garam masala (powder of cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, bay leaf, star anise, cloves, mace).
- Red chilli powder to taste.
- Salt to taste.
- Chopped coriander and mint leaves.
- Pinch of food colour or few strands of saffron soaked in warm milk.
- Slit green chilies to taste.
- Some whole spices like 3-4 cloves, 3-4 green cardamoms, 1 black cardamoms, 1 cinnamon stick, 8-10 black peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, and 1 star anise.
- Water as required to boil the rice.
- 1/4th cup of fried onion.
Note: You may increase or decrease the quantity of ingredients depending on for how many people you are making for.
Marination of Chicken:
- Take a mixing bowl and add on the washed and cleaned chicken.
- Then, add all powdered spices, garam masala, curd/yogurt, slit green chillies to taste, some chopped mint and coriander leaves, garlic ginger paste, fried onion, and salt to taste and mix all the ingredients well.
- Then, cover the marination and keep aside for 1 hour or if possible you can keep it in the fridge overnight.
Boiling Rice for Biryani:
- Wash the long grain basmati rice or biryani rice and soak it for at least 15-20 minutes.
- Then, strain the water and keep the rice aside.
- Then, take a deep and heavy bottom pan and pour enough water to boil the rice.
- Then, add whole spices like cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, bay leaf, and star anise.
- Then, add one tablespoon of ghee or cooking oil and salt to taste.
- Then, mix all the ingredients well and turn on the flame.
- Then, let the water come to a boil on high flame.
- Then, add soaked rice and cook it in high flame until rice is 70-75% cooked or just cook for 5-7 minutes.
- Then, switch off the flame and strain the rice and keep aside for later use.
Preparation of Chicken Biryani:
- Take a deep and heavy bottom pan and turn on the flame.
- When pan is hot, add 5-6 tablespoons of cooking oil.
- When the oil is hot, add in the sliced onions and cook the onions on a high flame until its golden brown in colour.
- Keep some brown onions aside for dressing.
- Now add the marinated chicken and cook them on a medium flame for 10-15 minutes or until chicken is half cooked. Stir occasionally.
- Then, switch off the flame and keep the cooked chicken aside.
- Then, take a handi or kadai and make layers of cooked chicken and rice.
- Garnish this with some chopped coriander and mint leaves, fried onions, garam masala, ghee, and saffron soaked with milk and then cover with a lid.
- Then, take a heavy bottom tawa or pan and heat the tawa on high flame.
- Then, lower the flame and place the handi on the top of the pan.
- Then, cook the chicken biryani on slow flame for 20-30 minutes and or until the biryani is well-cooked and then switch off the flame.
- Then, give 8-10 minutes of sanding time to chicken biryani and serve hot with any kind of raita of your choice or with mirchi ka salan.
