Chicken Biryani

A layered Chicken Biryani recipe in which chicken marinated in coriander-green chilly paste is cooked and layered out with rice, fried onion, cashews and raisins. This has been my best preparation of Biryani till date and was loved by all.

The credit for this Chicken Biryani recipe goes to my mother-in-law who learnt this recipe from a family friend years ago and has been making it since then. Everytime I would go to Goa and taste this Biryani, I would love it but had never tried it. Yesterday, I gave her a call and got the procedure from her. And I am so glad I did. Being the biryani lovers that we are, I am sure this would be a regular for us now 🙂

Here is the step by step recipe for Chicken Biryani with pictures:

Serves: 10
Marination Time: 2 hours
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

For Marination:
Chicken: 1 kg
Green Chilies: 5-6 small
Garlic: 20-25 cloves
Ginger: 1  inch
Coriander: 2 cups chopped
Turmeric powder: 2 tsp
Salt: to taste

For  Dry Masala:
Coriander seeds: 12 tsp
Cloves:  24
Cinnamon: 4 –  1 inch sticks
Peppercorns: 40
Bay Leaf: 2 big
Dry Red Chilies: 16 small

For Garnishing the Chicken Biryani
Onion: 4 large sliced
Cashew nuts: 1 cup broken into pieces
Raisins: 1/4 cup
Ghee: 1/4 cup
Sugar: 1-2 tsp
Oil: to deep fry

For the Chicken Biryani
Basmati Rice: 4 cups
Onions: 4 large sliced
Tomatoes: 4 large chopped
Chili Powder: 2 tsp
Ghee: 4-5 tbsp
Green Food Color: A few drops (Optional)
Yellow Food Color: A few drops (Optional)
Salt: to taste

Method of Preparation:

For Making the dry masala powder:

1. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Fry the coriander seeds, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, bay leaves and dry red chilies till slightly brown.
2. Grind into powder once it cools down.

To marinate:

1. Cut the chicken into 1 to 1 and 1/2  inch pieces.
2. Grind together the green chilies, coriander, ginger and garlic to a paste. Do not use any water as it needs to be a thick paste.
3. Apply the ground green paste, turmeric powder and salt to the chicken.
4. Close and let marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

For Garnishing the Chicken Biryani:

1. Sprinkle Sugar over the sliced onion.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Fry onion till golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.
3. Fry cashew nuts till golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.
4. Fry raisins for a few seconds. Drain on absorbent paper.

For making Chicken Biryani:

1. Wash and soak rice in sufficient water for 1/2 hour. Boil sufficient water. Add rice and salt to the boiling water and let cook till almost done. Drain and keep aside.
   Optional Steps:
2. Divide rice into three portions.
3. Add yellow color to one of the portions and mix well to cover the rice.
4. Add green color to another portion and mix well to cover the rice.
5. Leave the third rice white. Keep aside for 10-15 minutes.
6. Mix the three portions together.

7. In a pan, heat 2 tbsp ghee. Add onions and stir fry till brown. Add tomatoes and stir fry for a few minutes till soft.
8. Add marinated chicken to the pan, close lid and let cook on medium flame till chicken is cooked. Do not add any extra water.
9. Add chili powder and 4 tsp of dry masala powder ground above. Mix well.
10. Add salt and mix well. Let chicken dry up completely.

To layer the Biryani:

1. Divide the chicken into three parts.
2. Grease a big pan with oil. Add a layer of chicken to the pan.
3. Arrange a layer of white, green and yellow rice to the chicken.
4. Pour some ghee, fried onion, fried cashew and fried raisins to the rice. Also sprinkle some of the remaining dry masala powder. (I generally use all the dry masala powder while doing the layering)
5. Repeat the steps above and make two more such layers. The final layer should be of rice topped with onions, cashews and raisins.
6. Heat a thick bottomed flat frying pan. Keep the pan with the layered rice and chicken on it. Close lid and let cook for 15 minutes.

If you are looking for more such Biryani recipes, you can find them here: Biryani Recipes. Some of the popular ones in this category are: Murg Dum Pukht Biryani, Egg Biryani, Prawns Biryani, Mushroom Biryani.

If you are looking for other rice dishes with chicken, you can find them here: Chicken Rice Dishes.

Chicken Biryani

Chicken Biryani

 

Save Print

Prep time

3 hours

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

4 hours

 

A layered Chicken Biryani recipe in which chicken marinated in coriander-green chilly paste is cooked and layered out with rice, fried onion, cashews and raisins

Author: YourHungerStop

Recipe type: Main

Serves: 10

Ingredients

• Chicken: 1 kg
• Green Chilies: 5-6 small
• Garlic: 20-25 cloves
• Ginger: 1 inch
• Coriander: 2 cups chopped
• Turmeric powder: 2 tsp
• Coriander seeds: 12 tsp
• Cloves: 24
• Cinnamon: 4 - 1 inch sticks
• Peppercorns: 40
• Bay Leaf: 2 big
• Dry Red Chilies: 16 small
• Onion: 8 large sliced
• Cashew nuts: 1 cup broken into pieces
• Raisins: ¼ cup
• Ghee: ¼ cup
• Sugar: 1-2 tsp
• Oil: to deep fry
• Basmati Rice: 4 cups
• Tomatoes: 4 large chopped
• Chili Powder: 2 tsp
• Ghee: 4-5 tbsp
• Green Food Color: A few drops (Optional)
• Yellow Food Color: A few drops (Optional)
• Salt: to taste

Instructions

1. For Making the dry masala powder, Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Fry the coriander seeds, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, bay leaves and dry red chilies till slightly brown.
2. Grind into powder once it cools down.
3. Cut the chicken into 1 to 1 and ½ inch pieces.
4. Grind together the green chilies, coriander, ginger and garlic to a paste. Do not use any water as it needs to be a thick paste.
5. Apply the ground green paste, turmeric powder and salt to the chicken.
6. Close and let marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
7. Heat oil for deep frying in a pan. Sprinkle sugar over the sliced onion. Fry 4 sliced onions till golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.
8. Fry cashew nuts till golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.
9. Fry raisins for a few seconds. Drain on absorbent paper.
10. Wash and soak rice in sufficient water for ½ hour. Boil sufficient water. Add rice and salt to the boiling water and let cook till almost done. Drain and keep aside.
11. Optional Steps: Divide rice into three portions.Add yellow color to one of the portions and mix well to cover the rice. Add green color to another portion and mix well to cover the rice.Leave the third rice white. Keep aside for 10-15 minutes.Mix the three portions together
12. In a pan, heat 2 tbsp ghee. Add the remaining onions and stir fry till brown. Add tomatoes and stir fry for a few minutes till soft.
13. Add marinated chicken to the pan, close lid and let cook on medium flame till chicken is cooked. Do not add any extra water.
14. Add chili powder and 4 tsp of dry masala powder ground above. Mix well.
15. Add salt and mix well. Let chicken dry up completely.
16. To layer the Biryani:
17. Divide the chicken into three parts.
18. Grease a big pan with oil. Add a layer of chicken to the pan.
19. Arrange a layer of white, green and yellow rice to the chicken.
20. Pour some ghee, fried onion, fried cashew and fried raisins to the rice. Also sprinkle some of the remaining dry masala powder. (I generally use all the dry masala powder while doing the layering)
21. Repeat the steps above and make two more such layers.The final layer should be of rice topped with onions, cashews and raisins.
22. Heat a thick bottomed flat frying pan. Keep the pan with the layered rice and chicken on it. Close lid and let cook for 15 minutes.

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