Chicken Biryani Recipe

Ingredients
For the rice

500g long grain brown rice, washed and drained

Spices

1 star anise

2 bay leaves

2 black cardamom

2 tsp black cumin seeds

6 black peppercorn

6 green cardamom

2 cinnamon sticks

6 cloves

1 tsp fennel

jaiphal (nutmeg)

1 javitri (mace)

3 tsp salt
For chicken marination

1 kg chicken breast boneless cut in 2 inches pieces

1 tbsp garam masala

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

3 tbsp raw papaya paste

4 tbsp hung slim/fat-free curd

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp red chilli powder

1 tsp salt
For the biryani masala

4 onions, thinly sliced

2 tomatoes, chopped

th cup skim milk, warm

Saffron strands

Olive Oil

Rose water

Kewra essence

4 green chillies

Method
Marinating chicken

To the chicken, add the beaten curd, ginger-garlic paste, raw papaya paste, chilli powder,
salt, lemon juice, garam masala.

Allow the chicken to marinate for 3 hours.

Making air-fried onions

Slice 2 onions very thinly. Separate the slices.

Add a pinch of sea salt and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Toss till all the slices have
separated.

Place them in the air fryer at 180 degrees for about 8-10 mins. Make sure they are dark
brown in colour.

Once done, remove in a plate. This fried onion is known as barista which is one of the
essential garnishes of biryani.

If you do not have an air fryer, you can even roast the onions in the oven at the same
temperature for the same time.
Cooking chicken

Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a pan and heat it up.

Add remaining sliced onions and green chillies. Cook, stirring continuously, till onions
are light golden-brown.

Add ginger paste and garlic paste and mix well.

Add marinated chicken and cook on high heat for seven to eight minutes.

Add coriander powder, cumin powder and red chilli powder. Mix thoroughly.

Stir in three cups of water, bring it to a boil, reduce heat and cook covered till chicken is
almost cooked.

Add tomatoes, salt, garam masala powder and fresh coriander leaves.

Cook for 15 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally. The oil would be separated
from the spices and there should not be any watery gravy in the meat.
Preparing rice

Use only good quality long grain brown rice. Soak the rice for 20 minutes in water. Wash
well till the water runs clear. Drain all the water.

In a small piece of cloth take cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, javitri, jaiphal, black
peppercorn, shahi jeera, and star anise and tie a knot to make a bag (potli).

Bring 750 ml water to boil, add rice, bay leaf, salt and potli, cover and cook till rice is
done 1/3rd.

Drain the water and remove the whole masala potli.

Preparing saffron-milk

Take 1/4th cup warm, skim milk in a cup and dissolve saffron strands in the milk.

Cover and wait for 20 minutes. Add rose water and kewra essence in the milk. Mix well
and cover. Keep aside.
Layering the biryani

Take a large heavy bottom pan with tight fitting lid.

Grease the pan with olive oil.

Add a layer of cooked rice, and then cooked meat pieces, sprinkle saffron water, add fried
onion slices and ghee.

Again add a layer of rice, then chicken Go on like this till you are done. Top and bottom
layer will be of rice.

Cover with chopped pudina and coriander, air-fried onion and slit green chillies and juice
of half a lemon
For smoking the biryani

Place 3 chunks of coal and put it on fire till it is hot and becomes red in colour.

In the meanwhile, take a small stainless steel bowl/katori and add 1 cinnamon stick, 3
cardamom pods and 3-4 cloves.

Use a pair of tongs and place the hot pieces of coal in this katori with spices. Press the
katori in the centre of the biryani pan and add 1 tbsp of ghee over it. Cover it immediately and
place a heavy object on the lid, this ensures the smoke does not escape.

This is to be done swiftly as the coal starts to smoke when ghee is added. Allow it smoke
for 10-15 minutes till the entire smokey flavour blends in the biryani.

Serve hot.
For raita

Take 5 tbsp hung slim/fat-free yoghurt.

Add 2 tsp of toasted flaxseeds, 2 tsp of toasted sunflower seeds.

Now add half a bowl of pomegranate, salt and 1 tsp cumin powder.

You can also ad tsp chat masala.

Mix well.