Chicken Tikka Biriyani

Restaurant Style Chicken Tikka Biriyani Recipe

Ingredients  (Serves 5)

1. Boneless chicken (thighs preferred) – 600 – 750 gm, cut into medium-large pieces

Ginger-garlic paste – 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Kashmiri chilly powder – 1.5 tbsp

Cumin powder – 3/4 tsp

Pepper powder – 3/4 tsp

Garam masala powder – 1 tsp

Lemon juice – 1.5 tbsp

Salt – To taste

2. Egg – 1/2 of 1 large, beaten

Corn starch – 2 tbsp

All purpose flour /maida – 1 tbsp

3. Oil –  For shallow-frying or deep frying

4. Onion – 3 cups, thinly sliced

For gravy

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

Ginger – garlic paste – 1.5 tbsp

Green chilies –  3, diagonally sliced

5. Tomato – 2 small, sliced

6. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Kashmiri chilli powder – 1 tbsp

Coriander powder – 1.5 tsp

Cumin powder – 3/4 tsp

Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder – 1 tsp

7. Yoghurt – 1/3 cup, beaten well

8. Chicken stock – 1/4 cup(I used 3/4th of a maggi chicken stock cube dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water)

Mint leaves and cilantro, chopped – 3  tbsp each

9. Salt – 1 – 2 pinches

For the rice

10. Basmati rice – 2 cups, soaked in enough water for at least 30 minutes and then drained

Whole spices – bay leaf – 2, cloves – 6, green cardamom – 3, cloves – 6, cinnamon stick – 1 inch broken, kala jeera – 1/2 tsp

Ghee – 1 tsp

Salt – Add only if required

To layer

11. Fried onion – 1/3 cup

Garam masala powder – 1 – 2 pinches

Chopped mint and cilantro – 3 tbsp each

Saffron – 1 pinch soaked in 2 tbsp hot water to which 1 tsp kewra water is also added

Ghee – 1 – 2 tbsp

Method

1. Combine all the other ingredients numbered 1. Taste check for salt. Add chicken thigh pieces and combine well. Keep in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight. Take it out of the refrigerator half hour before frying.2. Add half of a beaten egg, corn starch, all purpose flour and a pinch of salt to the marinated chicken. Mix well.
   2. Place a small bowl inside the bowl with marinated chicken. Heat a piece of charcoal on direct flame until it is nicely hot, this will take a few minutes. Once the charcoal is hot, place it in the small bowl and pour a tsp of oil/ghee on top. Immediately cover with the lid or aluminium foil and set aside for 10 – 15 minutes. This gives a nice smoky flavor to the chicken. Remove the charcoal after 10 minutes.
   

3. Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces in 2 – 3 batches and fry for about 6 – 8 minutes on both sides until browned and cooked through. Transfer to a paper towel.

4. Heat 1/2 cup oil in a pan (you can use the oil used for frying chicken). Fry thinly sliced onion till golden brown and crisp. It will take about 20 minutes or so. Drain 1/3rd of the fried onion on a paper towel.

5. Remove all but 2 – 3 tbsp oil. Add whole spices numbered 4, 1.5 tbsp ginger-garlic paste and 2 – 3 sliced green chilies. Cook over low heat for 2 – 3 minutes until its raw smell completely disappears. Add sliced tomato and cook for a few minutes till mashed up. Add spice powders numbered 6 and cook for 1 – 2 minutes until their raw smell completely disappears.  Mix well. Add 1/3 cup yoghurt and mix well.  Cook for a few minutes until oil separates. Add maggi chicken stock cube in 1/4 cup hot water. Cook for 1 – 2 minutes. Taste-check for salt. Add the fried chicken pieces and mix well. Sprinkle chopped cilantro, mint leaves and mix well. Switch off the flame.
  

6. To cook rice – Soak basmati rice in enough water for 30 minutes. Drain well. Boil water in a large vessel adding the remaining ingredients numbered 9. Taste-check for salt and add more, if required. The water should be slightly salty. Add drained rice and cook until the rice is  90% cooked. Drain well.

7. 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 chicken masala at the bottom. Top it with half of the hot cooked rice. Sprinkle fried onion, a pinch of garam masala powder, saffron water, chopped mint, cilantro and little ghee. Spread the remaining chicken on top followed by the remaining basmati rice. Top with fried onion, chopped mint and cilantro, saffron water, ghee and a pinch of garam masala powder. Cover tightly with an aluminium foil. Heat a wide tawa over high heat for a few minutes. Once hot, bring down the heat to medium. Place the biriyani pot and cook for 3 minutes on medium heat. Bring down the heat to low. Cook for 8 – 10 minutes. Switch off. Let it rest unopened for 20 minutes in the biriyani pot. Yummy chicken tikka biriyani is ready to enjoy! Serve hot with green chutney / kachumber salad.