How to Cook Chicken Biryani

Biryani is a traditional Indian dish often enjoyed at weddings or celebrations. However, you can also make your own to enjoy at home if you want. The process of cooking chicken biryanin rice takes a long time but the delicious taste of chicken, spices and rice will be well worth the effort.

Preparation time: 5 hours (initial preparation time: 30 minutes)
Cooking time: 60 minutes
Total time: 6 hours

Table of Contents

Ingredient

Fried Onion

2 medium sized onions, chopped or sliced
1/2 cup oil for frying onions (sunflower, canola, or vegetable oil)

Marinated Chicken

1 kg boneless chicken, cut into large pieces (8-10 pieces)
2 tablespoons garlic and ginger mixture
1 teaspoon red chili powder
Salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon)
1 cup yogurt
1 teaspoon Garam Masala powder
1 teaspoon green cardamom powder
1 teaspoon Egyptian cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 cup fried onion
4 tablespoons liquid buffalo milk butter (melted and skimmed)
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
10-15 mint leaves
2-4 chopped green chillies
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Rice

2 cups Basmati rice
8 cups of water
2 cinnamon sticks 2.5 cm long
5-6 pepper (for seasoning)
5 green cardamom seeds
2 black cardamom seeds
3 cloves leaves
2 pieces of cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1 piece nutmeg shell
1 teaspoon buffalo milk butter
1/2 teaspoon salt

Chapati . dough

2 cups whole grain Chapati powder
1 cup of water

Saffron Blend

1/4 teaspoon saffron
2 tablespoons milk

Other ingredients

5-7 tablespoons liquid buffalo milk butter (melted and less milky) to sprinkle over Birani before steaming
A handful of cashews (optional)
A handful of golden raisins (optional)
Rose water (optional)

Fried Onion

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Heat oil in pan. Turn on high heat to heat the oil quickly. The onions should sizzling when dropped into the oil pan.

When the oil begins to evaporate, the onions can be fried.

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Put the onion in the oil. Fry onions 3 times, each time frying 2 slices will be easier. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Lower heat to medium. Fry the onions in oil over medium heat until the onions are golden brown. This process takes about 10-20 minutes.

Toss the onions during frying to cook evenly and help dissipate heat.
Too much fire will cause the onion to burn on the outside and still be full of water inside.

Marinated Chicken

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Place chicken in a bowl or pan. The bowl or pan should be large enough to easily mix the chicken with the marinade and help coat the marinade evenly.

Leave the chicken boneless and cut into large pieces. Boneless chicken will make a rich broth for the Biryani rice.

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Pour seasoning and flour into the chicken. In turn, add seasoning to the chicken:

Garlic and ginger mixture – 2 tablespoons
Red chili powder – 1 teaspoon
Salt – to taste (about 1 teaspoon)
Yogurt – 1 cup
Garam Masala powder – 1 teaspoon
Green cardamom powder – 1 teaspoon
Indian cumin powder – 1 teaspoon
Turmeric – 1/2 teaspoon
Fried onions – 1 cup
Liquid buffalo milk butter (melted and milk removed) – 4 tablespoons
Chopped coriander leaves – 1/4 cup
10-15 mint leaves
2-4 green peppers (smashed or chopped)
Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon

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Mix ingredients together. Mix until all ingredients are combined and evenly coat the chicken to marinate.

Chicken marinating time varies greatly. You can marinate overnight for the chicken to absorb the spices or marinate less depending on the time conditions allow. However, it is best to marinate the chicken for at least 4 hours. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Put the chicken in the refrigerator. After adding the marinade, close the lid and put the chicken in the refrigerator. Then move on to preparing the other parts.

Prepare Rice

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Soak rice. Wash the rice with cold water to remove the starch on the outside of the grain and then soak it in water for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

You should use Basmati rice for the best taste of Biryanin rice.

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Boil 8 cups of water. This is the water used to cook rice. The water must boil before adding the rice.

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Put the rice in. Add rice and the following ingredients to the water to enhance the flavor and prevent the rice from sticking: ^{[3] X Research Source}

5 green cardamom seeds
2 black cardamom seeds
3 cloves leaves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 bay leaf
1 piece nutmeg shell
1 teaspoon liquid buffalo milk butter
1/2 teaspoon salt

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Stir the seasoning. Stir to combine all the spices and then cover the pot. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until rice is almost cooked. At this point, you can remove all the seasonings along with the rice (cloves, nutmeg, …) out.

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Check the texture of the rice grains. Since the rice only needs to be slightly cooked, the rice grains should have a soft texture on the outside and a bit hard in the middle.

The rice does not need to be cooked thoroughly because it will be steamed again in the pot (the process of placing the chicken and rice in the pot, using the dough to cover the mouth of the pot to keep the heat and cook under a low flame).
You can determine the doneness by pressing your hand on the grain. The rice should break into several pieces but still have a slightly hard texture. If the rice is soft and mushy, it means you’ve overcooked it. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

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Turn off the stove. Turn off the stove when the rice is almost cooked and leave the rice on the stove. Hot water will cook the rice a little more but not overcooking. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

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Prepare saffron milk. Add ¼ teaspoon of saffron to 2 tablespoons of warm milk and soak for about 15 minutes. The saffron mixture is used to drizzle over the rice when preparing to cook the final part of the Biryani chicken rice and helps to add flavor.

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Prepare the dough. Pour 2 cups Chapati powder and about 3/4 cup warm water into the bowl. ^{[6] X Research Source} Mix until the mixture becomes a soft paste.

You can add 1-2 tablespoons of water if the dough is a bit dry and not well mixed.
Use the palm of your hand to press firmly to knead the dough. Hands must be soaked with water first so that the dough does not stick to the dough when kneading. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes to create the desired texture.

Cooking Biryani

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Place the chicken in a pot with a thick bottom. Usually, chicken Biryani rice is cooked in a Biryani Handi (Indian pot) ^{[7] X Research Source} but you can also use a thick bottom or non-stick pot.

Spread evenly so that each piece of chicken touches the bottom and/or side of the pot. This will ensure that the chicken is cooked evenly.

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Pour in the rice. Now you can add the rice with the chicken. Spread half of the cooked rice in a single layer over the chicken.

Use a spoon with a hole to press the rice evenly and firmly in the pot. No need to worry if water comes out as the water will help steam the rice.
Sprinkle the fried onion (about 2 tablespoons), chopped coriander leaves (about 1 tablespoon) and mint leaves (about 8-10 leaves) over the rice. ^{[8] X Research Source} Alternatively, you can sprinkle more cashews or golden raisins, but this step is optional.

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Put the remaining half of the rice in the pot. This is the second and final layer of rice. Spread the rice evenly and add the rest of the fries (about 1 tablespoon), some coriander leaves (about 1/2 teaspoon), mint leaves (3-5 leaves), saffron milk, and about 6 tablespoons buttermilk. liquid buffalo into the pot. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Or you can replace it by sprinkling rose water on it. Note that you should only pour about 1/2 cup full. ^{[10] X Research Source}

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Close the lid upside down. Roll the Chapati dough into long strips and wrap around the edge of the pot lid. ^{[11] X Research Source} Thus, when the pot lid is turned over, the flour will seal the pot so that the steam inside steams the chicken and rice.

Press gently but firmly so that the lid of the pot is fixed and firmly adhered.
You can place heavy objects on the lid, but usually flour is enough to seal the gap around the lid.

Advice

You can use foil to cover if the pot does not have a lid.
Fennel seeds can be used instead of cumin powder, if necessary.

Warning

Do not overcook the rice because it will make the Biryani chicken rice dish not as delicious as expected.

Ingredient

Fried Onion

Marinated Chicken

Rice

Chapati . dough

Saffron Blend

Other ingredients

Steps

Fried Onion

Marinated Chicken

Prepare Rice

Cooking Biryani

Advice

Warning

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