Ramadan Special Boneless Chicken Biriyani

Ingredients (Serves 6)

1. Boneless Chicken (thighs or chicken breast) – 3/4 – 1 kg, cut into medium chunks

2. Oil – 1/4 cup + 2 – 3 tbsp

3. Onion – 2.5 – 3 cups, thinly sliced

4. Ginger-garlic paste – 2 tbsp

5. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Chilly powder (regular + kashmiri chilly powder) – 1 tbsp

Coriander powder – 1 tbsp

Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp

6. Yoghurt – 1/2 cup, beaten

Tomato – 1 medium, finely chopped

7. Salt – To taste

8. 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 – 2.5 cups, soaked in enough water for at least 30 minutes and then drained

Whole spices – bay leaf – 2, cloves – 6, green cardamom – 5, cinnamon stick –1 inch broken, kala jeera – 1/4 tsp

Ghee – 1 tsp

Salt – To taste

To layer

5. Fried onion – 1/2 cup

Kewra water – 1 tsp

Saffron – 1 pinch soaked in 2 tbsp hot water

Melted butter / ghee or hot oil – 1 – 2 tbsp

Red / orange color – 1 pinch (Optional)

Green chilies – 3 – 4, slit

Method

1. 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 chicken pieces and ginger-garlic paste. Mix well. Cook for a few minutes. Add turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder and  cumin powder. Mix well and cook for 3 – 4 minutes over medium-high heat , stirring in between. Add yoghurt, salt and chopped tomato. Mix well. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes. Cover and cook for 10 – 15 minutes until completely cooked and oil separates, stirring once or twice in between. Add 1 – 1.5 tsp garam masala powder, 2 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 any 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,  1 – 2 tsp saffron water, chopped mint and cilantro, 1 – 2 slit green chilies and red color, if using. Spread the remaining chicken on top followed by the remaining rice. Top with fried onion and 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 lime wedges, green chutney, kachumber salad/  pickle / pappad etc.

Garam masala powder recipe

1. Cumin seeds – 2 tbsp
2. Black pepper – 1 tsp
3. Cloves – 8 – 10
4. Black cardamom – 1
5. Green cardamom – 4 – 5
6. Cinnamon stick –  1/2 inch
7. Javithri / mace – A tiny piece
8. 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.