Zaffrani Chicken Biriyani

Ingredients (Serves 4 – 6)

1. Chicken – 1 kg, cut into medium pieces

Yoghurt – 3/4 cup

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Pepper powder – 1/8 tsp

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

Coriander powder – 1 tbsp

Cumin powder – 3/4 tsp

Garam masala powder – 1 tsp

Saffron – 1 pinch , soaked in 1 tbsp hot milk and then cooled to room temperature

Lemon juice – 1 tbsp

Salt – To taste

2. Oil – 1/4 – 1/2 cup

3. Onion, thinly sliced – 1 large or 2.5 cups, thinly sliced

Ginger-garlic paste – 2.5 – 3 tbsp

Whole spices – bay leaf – 1, cinnamon stick – 1 inch broken, green cardamom – 4, black cardamom – 1, whole black pepper corns – 1/2 tsp, cloves – 5

3. Green chilies – 2 – 3, slit

Kewra water – 1/2 tsp

Salt – As required to taste

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 – 3, cinnamon stick –1 inch broken, kala jeera – 2 pinches

Ghee – 1 tsp

Salt – To taste

To layer

5. Fried onion – 2 – 3 tbsp

Lemon slices – 2 – 3

Kewra water – 1 tsp

Saffron – 1 pinch soaked in 2 tbsp hot water

Butter / ghee – 1 – 2 tbsp

Method

1. Combine chicken pieces with all the ingredients numbered 1. Set aside for at least 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator. Take it out 1 hour before cooking.

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 2 – 3 tbsp fried onion for garnish.

2. Add ginger-garlic paste and whole spices to the pan (add 1 – 2 tbsp oil, if required). Cook for a minute. Add marinated chicken pieces. Mix well. Cook for 6 –  8 minutes over medium-high heat , stirring in between. Add 1/4 cup hot water and mix well. Cover and cook for 25 minutes or until completely cooked and oil separates, stirring in between. Add few slit green chilies and 1/2 tsp kewra water. Taste-check for salt and 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 % cooked. Drain well.

4. 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 cooked chicken and gravy (if there is a lot of gravy, remove some and pour on top of the cooked rice) at the bottom. Top it with hot cooked rice. Sprinkle fried onion, lemon slices, saffron water, kewra water and few slit green chilies.  If there is any extra chicken gravy, pour on top. Cover tightly with an aluminium foil. Bake at 400 F for 15 – 20 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.