Chicken Biryani

Also, while I know there are several recipes to make Biryani. I have mixed a lot of flavours in this one, and added ingredients that I love. There definitely are simpler versions of making tasty biryani,

but if you are up for something more complicated and laborious, feel free to try this recipe.

Ingredients

1 Kg Chicken (cleaned and washed)

1 Tsp Chili Pwder

1 Tsp Turmeric Powder

1 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Pepper

1 Onions

2 Tomatoes

6 Green Chilies (add fewer or more as per your spice level)

4 Tbsps Fresh Ginger and Garlic (minced)

1 Cup Mint leaves

1 Cup Coriander (chopped)

1 Cup Curd (Greek Yogurt)

1/4 Cup Lemon Juice

Spics mix

1 Tsp Cumin Seeds

1 Tsp Fennel Seeds

2 Sticks of Cinnamon

4 Cloves

5 Cardamom pods

4 Dry Red Chilies

For cooking Biryani

1 Bay Leaf

Dip a pinch of saffron in a 1/4 cup of milk

3 Tbsps Ghee

1 Onion Sliced and deep fried for garnish

For Chicken Marinade and Method

Marinate Chicken in Lemon Juice, Chili, Turmeric, Salt and Pepper and keep aside.

Now, make a pasted out of all the green chilies, ginger and garlic.

Meanwhile in a large skillet, Add 1 Tsp Oil, add long and thin sliced onions, fry them till brown. To that add the paste you made with ginger, garlic and green chili. And keep stirring, keep adding tiny portions of water to not let the paste stick to the pan bottom.

After 10 mins of cooking this paste, add the marinated chicken, and stir well. Make sure the paste blends into the chicken well. Add a cup of water, and 1 tsp salt. Close with lid on a medium flame and let the chicken cook for 10 mins.

Now add chopped tomatoes and stir the chicken. Close the lid again and leave it for 10 more mins.

Finally add the Yogurt, stir well. Then the mint leaves (I add them as a whole) and coriander, mix them all well. Add a Tsp or 2 of Ghee. You may add more water. And leave it to cook. You need the chicken to have some gravy, and thickness, as shown in pic. So add water accordingly.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove pieces and keep aside, measure the gravy in cups and keep aside.

For Biryani Rice

IMPORTANT NOTE:

I used semi cooked rice for this step.

For 2 cups of rice, I used 3 cups of water. And later added the chicken gravy that I had set aside as the 4th cup for measure. So if you have 2 cups of gravy, then cook your rice separately, short of 2 cups of water.

Now grind all the spices under Spice Mix in the list of ingredients. I grinded my spices enough, as I don't like to bite into a whole cardamom when eating the biryani, but the flavour is essential.

Bring it all Together and Cook that Biryani!

In a large cooker (pressure cooker, non-stick vessel), add 3 tbsps ghee, and the spices.

Stir them along with a Bay Leaf. (as shown in pic)

Now, Placing the rice and chicken together.

Start adding the semi cooked rice into this pan. Place a thin layer.

Then sprinkle a tsp of saffron milk around it.

Finally, add the chicken.

Keep making the layers in this order. And top it with Fried onions.

REMEMBER: To measure the cups of rice to the water/ gravy used.

Close the vessel with lid, and on a medium flame let this all cook together for 15 mins. Keep checking the rice, if cooked and remove. Feel free to mix, before serving.

Happy Biryani!