Ingredients (Serves 6)
1. Chicken – 1 – 1.25 kg, cut into medium pieces
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder – 1/8 tsp
Chilly powder (regular + kashmiri chilly powder) – 1 tbsp
Coriander powder – 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste – 1.5 tbsp
Lemon juice – 2 tsp
Green chilies – 1 – 2, slit
Yoghurt – 3/4 cup, beaten
Tomato – 1 medium, finely chopped
Salt – To taste
2. Potato – 2 medium, cut into large pieces
3. Oil – 1/4 cup + 1 – 2 tbsp
Onion, thinly sliced – 1 large or 2.5 cups, thinly sliced
3. Garam masala powder – 1.5 tsp or to taste (recipe below)
Green chilies – 2 – 3, slit
Mint and cilantro – 2 – 3 tbsp, chopped
For the rice
4. Basmati rice – 3 cups, soaked in enough water for at least 30 minutes and then drained
Whole spices – bay leaf – 2, cloves – 6, green cardamom – 3, black cardamom – 1, cinnamon stick –1 inch broken, kala jeera – 2 pinches
Ghee – 1 tsp
Salt – To taste
To layer
5. Fried onion – 1/2 cup
Lemon slices – 4 – 5
Tomato slices – 4 – 5
Kewra water – 1 – 2 tsp
Saffron – 1 pinch soaked in 2 tbsp hot water
Dried plums – 1 – 2 (optional)
Melted butter / ghee or hot oil – 1 – 2 tbsp
Red / orange color – 1 pinch (Optional)
Method
1. Combine chicken pieces with all the ingredients numbered 1. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.
2. Heat 5 – 6 tbsp oil in a kadai / heavy bottomed pan. Add sliced onion, a pinch of salt and fry until golden brown. Remove 1/2 cup fried onion for garnish.
2. In the remaining oil, add marinated chicken and the remaining fried onion. Mix well. Cook for 6 – 8 minutes over high or medium-high heat , stirring in between. Cover and cook for 15 – 20 minutes until half cooked. Add the large potato pieces. Mix well and continue to cook covered for 15 minutes or until completely cooked and oil separates, stirring in between. Make sure you do not overcook the potatoes. Add 1 – 1.5 tsp garam masala powder, few slit green chilies, chopped mint and cilantro and mix well. Switch off.
3. While the chicken is cooking, boil water in a large vessel adding the remaining ingredients numbered 4. Taste-check for salt. The water should be slightly salty. Add drained rice and cook until the rice is 85 – 90 % cooked. Drain well.
5. In a heavy-bottomed vessel or oven-proof vessel (you can use the one in which you cooked chicken, if it is oven-proof), smear 2 tsp ghee and spread half of the cooked chicken at the bottom. Top it with half of the hot cooked rice. Sprinkle fried onion, 1/2 tsp kewra water, saffron water, 2 – 3 tomato slices, lemon slices, dried plum and red color, if using. Spread the remaining chicken on top followed by the remaining rice. Top with fried onion and the the other items for garnish. If there is any extra chicken gravy, pour on top. Cover tightly with an aluminium foil. Bake at 400 F for 20 – 25 minutes. OR Heat a wide tawa over high heat for a few minutes. Once hot, bring down the heat to low. Place the biriyani pot and cook for 10 – 15 minutes. Switch off. Let it rest unopened for another 10 – 15 minutes in the biriyani pot. Yummy chicken biriyani is ready to enjoy! Serve hot with green chutney / kachumber salad/ pickle etc.
Garam masala powder recipe
- Cumin seeds – 2 tbsp
- Black pepper – 1 tsp
- Cloves – 8 – 10
- Black cardamom – 1
- Green cardamom – 4 – 5
- Cinnamon stick – 1/2 inch
- Javithri / mace – A tiny piece
- Nutmeg – 1/8th of one nutmeg
Grind the above ingredients to a fine powder. You need only 1.5 – 2 tsp for this recipe. Store the remaining in an air-tight container to use later.
Hi,
I tried this recipe and it was yummy! Loved it!! Thanks for the recipe and keep up the good work!!
You’re welcome! Great to know that it turned out well for you. Thanks for taking time to write your feedback here!
my favorite category of rice recipe is biryani and that too in non-veg ….from so many days I looking for Karachi biryani recipe with same flavor style of Pakistan now i got it.
Thanks for sharing a such a good and tasty recipe, keep sharing such a new and interesting recipes.
Hi Maya. I had tried this biriyani recipe. Came out absolutely great. Keep up the good work.
Thanks a lot for your feedback! 🙂