Ingredients (Serves 6)
1. Chicken – 3/4 – 1 kg, cut into medium pieces
2. Oil – 2 tbsp + ghee – 1 tbsp
3. Onion – 2.5 – 3 cups (1 large), thinly sliced and deep-fried until golden-brown
4. Whole spices – green cardamom – 5, cloves – 5, cinnamon stick – 1 inch, broken, bay leaves – 2, whole black pepper corns – 1/2 tsp
5. Ginger-garlic paste – 2 tbsp
6. Yoghurt – 1/2 cup, beaten
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder – 3/4 tsp
1 small Mace, 2 green cardamom and a tiny piece of nutmeg coarsely powdered in a mortar and pestle
Green chilies – 3 – 4
7. Salt – To taste
8. Garam masala powder – 1/4 tsp or to taste (recipe below)
9. Kewra water – 1/2 tsp
Saffron – A tiny pinch
For the rice
4. Basmati rice – 2.5 cups, soaked in enough water for at least 25 minutes and then drained
Whole spices – bay leaf – 2, cloves – 6, green cardamom – 5, cinnamon stick –1 inch broken
Ghee – 2 tsp
Salt – To taste
To layer
5. Milk – 2 tbsp
Heavy cream – 1 tbsp
Saffron – 1 pinch
Kewra water – 1 tsp
Meeta Athar / edible perfume – 2 drops
Rose water – Few drops
Ghee or hot oil (used to fry onion) – 1 tbsp
Method
1. Heat oil + ghee in a kadai / heavy bottomed pan. Add whole spices and stir for a few seconds until fragrant. Add fried onion and chicken pieces. Cook for a few minutes. Add ginger-garlic paste and cook for a few minutes. Add yoghurt and remaining ingredients numbered 6. Mix well. Cook for a few minutes until oil starts separating. Add 1/2 cup hot water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until chicken is almost done and oil separates, around 20 – 25 minutes, stirring once or twice in between. Add 1/2 tsp kewra water, 1/4 – 1/2 tsp garam masala powder and few saffron strands. Mix well. Set aside until rice is ready.
2. 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.
3. Meanwhile , heat 2 tbsp milk and add a pinch of saffron, heavy cream, 1 tsp kewra water, 2 drops of edible perfume and rose water.
4. In a heavy-bottomed vessel or any oven-proof vessel (you can use the one in which you cooked chicken), smear 2 tsp ghee and spread cooked chicken at the bottom. Top it with hot cooked rice. Pour saffron milk on top and 1 tbsp ghee / oil used for frying onion over the rice.. If there is any extra chicken gravy, pour on top. Cover tightly with an aluminium foil. Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes. OR Heat a wide tawa over high heat for a few minutes. Once hot, bring down the heat to medium. Place the biriyani pot on top of the tawa. Top the biriyani pot with lid and place a heavy weight on top (i put a medium vessel filled with boiling water.
) . Cook for 3 minutes. Bring down the heat to the lowest flame. Place the biriyani pot and cook for 7 -8 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 raita, kachumber salad/ pickle / pappad etc.
wow! So tempting..
Hi Maya, could you upload more instant pot recipes? It wold be great during the lock down period.
Hi Maya, could you please upload more recipes using an instant pot? That would be great during this lock down period.
I dont use it much but will try..Thanks for your suggestion!
What is the mix for the Garam masala (listed as no.8 in ingredients) in this recipe?
You can use any North Indian garam masala powder..