The Best Chicken Biryani

Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 45 mins | Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins | Servings: 6 Portions

This is the best homemade Chicken Biryani! This step-by-step guide will help you make a foolproof Biryani any time!

Ingredients

Brown Onions:

½ c. Vegetable Oil

2 Onions, Large

Chicken Marinade:

1 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste minced ginger and garlic

¼ c. Tomato Puree

¼ c. Vegetable Oil

700 g. Chicken Thighs and Drumsticks, bone-in and skinless

1 tbsp Red Chilli Powder sub with 1 tsp Paprika + 1 tsp Cayenne

1 tsp Turmeric Powder

¾ c. Yogurt or hung curd

1 ¼ tsp Salt

1 tsp Garam Masala Powder

2 tbsp Brown Onions

Saffron:

10-15 Saffron strands

2 tbsp Hot Milk

Parboiled Rice (70% cooked):

2-3 Cardamom Pods

6 c. Water

2 tbsp Salt

2 c. Basmati Rice

1 Bayleaf

5-6 Cloves

Other Biryani Ingredients:

1 ½ tbsp Ghee or Butter

1 c. Mint Leaves, fresh

1 c. Coriander Leaves Cilantro

To Serve:

Onion Raita

Crispy Brown Onions

How to make The Best Chicken Biryani

Step 1: To prepare the brown onions, start by patting the onions dry. You can leave them out for about 15 to 20 minutes on a kitchen towel if time permits to allow the onions to slightly dry. In a hot pan with oil, add the onions and shallow fry for about 15 minutes over medium heat until deep golden brown. On a paper towel, drain the onions and keep them aside.

Note: You can do this in advance and simply keep the fried onions in an airtight container overnight. Or just use store-bought onions

Step 2: Whisk the chicken marinade ingredients. Toss in the chicken and marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Step 3: In hot milk, soak the saffron and lightly rub using the back of a spoon. Do this once you are ready to prepare the biryani.

Step 4: Cook the basmati rice with the whole spices and salt in roaring boiling water for not more than 5 minutes. Then, completely drain, leaving the whole spices in the rice. To check the doneness of the rice, press the grain of rice between two fingers. At this point, the rice should be about 70% done, but still raw in the middle.

To Layer and Cook the Chicken Biryani:

Step 5: Into a hot, heavy-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven, add the chicken and sear for about 4 minutes, flipping the chicken pieces once. Put the lid on and continue to cook for 3 minutes more. Turn the heat off.

Step 6: Over the chicken, scatter half of the onions and sprinkle with mint leaves and coriander. On top, layer the rice and drizzle with saffron milk and ghee.

Step 7: Replace the lid and cook for another 20 minutes over low heat until the rice and chicken is completely cooked.

Step 8: Allow the biryani to rise for about 5 to 10 minutes. Before serving, scatter the rest of the onions on top. Enjoy hot!

Notes+:

To minimize expenses, several eateries utilize an entire chicken, sliced into medium-sized pieces for biryani. I recommend using chicken thighs and drumsticks when making biryani at home because chicken breasts dry out. Ask your butcher to split chicken legs into thighs and drumsticks. The bone keeps the chicken juicy.

For this recipe, you can use store-bought fried onions, making sure the onions are not batter-fried.

When buying basmati rice, ensure to buy rice labeled basmati and not long-grain rice. Basmati rice is aromatic and thinner than long-grain rice. Real basmati rice makes biryani taste great.

All ingredients are par-cooked in the last phase of stacking and cooking biryani. Steaming the biryani for 20 minutes on low heat cooks everything. If you don’t have a heavy-bottomed pot, lay a standard pot on a Tava (or flat griddle) and then on the stove on medium heat to avoid burning the chicken. The Tava or griddle produces optimum heat and separates the flame from the saucepan.

Nutrition Facts: