Chicken Biryani

Chicken Biryani is one of the most favorite dishes for many of us. Biryani can be prepared in different ways—you can fry the chicken pieces, grill the chicken, or make the curry directly. Succulent, juicy pieces of chicken are cooked in a yogurt and lime marinade, making the chicken softer and tastier. You will need a large degchi (a deep cooking pot) that can contain both the chicken curry and rice together. Below is the step-by-step method for preparing this delicious biryani.

Cooking Method

In this method, the rice is boiled separately, and the water is drained off completely. When the chicken starts boiling, the parboiled rice is added to the chicken gravy mix, and the dish is further cooked on dum (slow cooking with steam).

Earlier, when ordering biryani from hotels, they would provide a boiled egg, which pairs well with the biryani rice. However, nowadays, most hotels serve biryani without it. I always boil eggs while preparing biryani and place them on top of the rice for the perfect combination. I suggest you do the same to enhance the taste.

Serve the biryani hot with salads, pappads, pickles, and chutney. Lime pickle is a popular accompaniment, and I personally prefer sweet and sour lime pickle or sweet brinjal pickle.

Ingredients

Main Ingredients:

1 kg Tender chicken – cut into fairly big pieces
1 kg Biryani rice
2 kg Bombay onions – cut into rounds

To Crush (1):

5 fresh green chilies
1 large piece ginger (cleaned)
1 large pod garlic (skin removed)

To Grind (2):

½ tsp Cumin seeds
½ tbsp Turmeric powder
1 tbsp Coriander powder
1 tbsp White poppy seeds
5 Cardamoms
1 piece Cinnamon
2 Cloves
2 grams Caraway seeds (Shah Jeera)

Other Ingredients:

100 gms Tomatoes
100 gms Pure ghee
Juice of 2 large limes
100 gms Sunflower oil
1 cup Curd
5 stems Curry leaves
1 bundle Coriander leaves
1 small bundle Mint leaves
3 large onions (cut into thin rounds)
50 gms Raisins (Kismis)
50 gms Nuts
Salt to taste

Preparation Method

Prepare the Ingredients:
- Cut the onions into thin rounds.
- Crush the ingredients listed under “To Crush (1).”
- Roast the ingredients listed under “To Grind (2)” for 2 minutes on low heat and grind into a fine paste.
- Chop the coriander leaves, mint leaves, curry leaves, and tomatoes finely.
Marinate the Chicken:
- Divide the sliced onions into two parts. Heat oil and fry one portion until crisp.
- Mix the crushed and ground ingredients with the chopped leaves, tomatoes, curd, lime juice, salt, fried onions, raw onions, oil, and half of the pure ghee.
- Rub this mixture well onto the chicken and let it marinate for 1 hour.
Cook the Rice:
- Wash and soak the biryani rice for 10 minutes.
- Boil salted water with two or three cardamoms in a large degchi.
- Add the washed rice and let it boil once.
- Drain the water using a perforated dish or basket.
Cook the Chicken and Dum the Biryani:
- Transfer the marinated chicken into a large degchi.
- Mix the chicken well and place it on the stove, leaving space in the center.
- Cover with a well-fitting lid and let the chicken cook until it starts boiling.
- Reduce the flame and spread the parboiled rice over the chicken.
- Pour the gravy over the rice from the center until all the rice is covered.
- Seal the degchi with dough and cook for 45 minutes on dum. Place a large dosa stone or an old aluminum lid under the degchi and put burning charcoal on top of the lid.
Final Touches:
- Fry the remaining sliced onions, raisins, and nuts.
- Mix the biryani with the remaining ghee and garnish with the fried onions, raisins, and nuts.
- Place boiled eggs on top for the perfect finishing touch.