Chicken biryani
The chicken, before the rice
The rice, before it was layered
Indian
Chicken biryani
Chicken marinated overnight, then steamed with basmati in a heavy pot. Cucumber raita beside it.
In 2012 I flew to Mumbai for work. I was an animation director then, briefing a studio on frame rates and pipelines. It was my first time in India, and the chicken biryani stayed with me. I am in a different line of work now. I cooked this at home over two days, then packed the biryani in a shallow box and kept the raita in a separate tub. That box is the cover. The rice is basmati.
Before you cook
Biryani is a Mughal rice dish: meat and basmati cooked so the rice takes up the sauce, not a curry with rice beside it. Mumbai has its own home versions, often milder and finished with a pot lid rather than a sealed dum. I met it there in 2012. This is that memory, cooked in an ordinary heavy pot.
- Serves
- 4
- Time
- 70 min
- Level
- Project
- Energy
- 425kcal
- Project
Contains dairy.
Equipment
- Heavy pot with a tight lid
- Second pot for the rice
- Knife and board
- Colander
- Bowl for the overnight marinade
If you have the machine. I first wrote this for a Philips All-in-One Cooker HD2238. If you have one, sauté the chicken for about 3 minutes, then pressure-cook on high for 10 minutes and cancel even if the dial says 20. Let it release for 10 minutes. Steam the rice on stew or keep warm, valve venting, lid on but not locked, for 10 to 15 minutes. The pot method is the one to follow without that machine.
Each serving
An estimate from average ingredient values, not a lab test.
- Energy
- 1778 kJ
- 425 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Carbohydrate
- 40 g
- Sugars
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
- Salt
- 1.4 g
- Sodium
- 560 mg
This batch, 4 servings, is about 7113 kJ (1700 kcal), with 16 g sugars and 5.6 g salt.
Ingredients
Tick them off as you go. They reset when you leave.
Shops near you
Use where you are, including when you travel. Nothing is sent until you tap. Or type a suburb. Prices are not listed, because they change every week.
Bagoong, Mang Tomas, Mama Sita’s, and fresh curry leaves are often missing from the big shops. A Filipino or Asian grocer is the backup. Do not swap bagoong for plain salt and expect the same dish.
Method
- 01
The night before, mix the chicken with the yoghurt, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, biryani spice, turmeric, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, curry leaves, salt, pepper, and lemon juice if you are using it. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- 02
Next day, heat 1 tbsp of oil or ghee in a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add the chicken and all of the marinade. Cook uncovered on medium for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sauce thickens and the chicken is cooked through. Scrape the base as you go. Add a splash of water if it starts to catch.
- 03
Meanwhile, bring about 4 cups of water to the boil. Add the soaked rice and a good pinch of salt. Boil for 5 to 6 minutes, until the grains are about 70 percent cooked and still firm in the middle. Drain.
- 04
Spread the rice over the chicken. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle the ghee. Cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes, then fluff.
- 05
For the raita, squeeze the grated cucumber. Stir it into the second quantity of yoghurt with a pinch of salt, a squeeze of lemon, and a pinch of cumin or chili if you want it. Chill it.
Times are a guide. If it needs another minute, give it another minute.
To serve
On its own. The rice is the meal. A spoon of yoghurt on the side if you have it.
Keeping it
Cool the rice quickly and refrigerate it the same day. Eat it within 2 days. Reheat it covered, with a splash of water, until it is steaming all the way through. Do not leave cooked rice out on the bench.
Leftovers
- Biryani with an egg
For a parent, a student, or anyone who cooked yesterday.
What you made
Members can send a photo and the story of their version. I may feature it. It will not replace my picture. See plans
A note for me
Members can leave a rating and a short note. It is not public until I accept it. See plans
Hungry Alan
Chicken biryani
Serves 4 · 70 min
Ingredients
- 600 g chicken pieces, or a chicken cut into 8
- 5 tbsp plain Greek yoghurt
- 1 tbsp crushed ginger
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tbsp biryani spice mix
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 fresh curry leaves
- salt and black pepper
- ½ lemon, juiced, optional
- 1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and soaked 20 to 30 minutes
- 2 tsp ghee
- coriander or parsley, to finish
- ½ cup Greek yoghurt, for the raita
- ¼ cucumber, grated
Method
- The night before, mix the chicken with the yoghurt, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, biryani spice, turmeric, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, curry leaves, salt, pepper, and lemon juice if you are using it. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Next day, heat 1 tbsp of oil or ghee in a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add the chicken and all of the marinade. Cook uncovered on medium for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sauce thickens and the chicken is cooked through. Scrape the base as you go. Add a splash of water if it starts to catch.
- Meanwhile, bring about 4 cups of water to the boil. Add the soaked rice and a good pinch of salt. Boil for 5 to 6 minutes, until the grains are about 70 percent cooked and still firm in the middle. Drain.
- Spread the rice over the chicken. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle the ghee. Cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes, then fluff.
- For the raita, squeeze the grated cucumber. Stir it into the second quantity of yoghurt with a pinch of salt, a squeeze of lemon, and a pinch of cumin or chili if you want it. Chill it.
To serve
On its own. The rice is the meal. A spoon of yoghurt on the side if you have it.
Keeping it
Cool the rice quickly and refrigerate it the same day. Eat it within 2 days. Reheat it covered, with a splash of water, until it is steaming all the way through. Do not leave cooked rice out on the bench.