Chicken Briyani is a delectable dish. This festive,insanely delicious briyani is packed with basmati rice, chicken and Indian spices.
Once you’ve tasted Chicken Briyani it is very easy to understand why this dish is served on the most important occasions in Indian and Pakistani culture. Although it takes some time to make, its flavour is so rich and comforting, that it is worth the effort. We recommend making a large quantity even if you aren’t cooking for a crowd, as it tastes great re-heated the following day. The traditional components of Chicken Briryani are long grain rice such as basmati, cooked until the ends curl up, a selection of fragrant spices, meat such as chicken and vegetables.
One of the trademarks of a delicious Chicken briyani is the tenderness of the meat. It is good to make the marinade and leave the chicken to rest in it for as long as possible before serving it. Recipes generally recommend an eight hour marinade time, but you can do this for even longer if you have the time.
When slicing the onions, bear in mind that you want them to be as thin as possible. Pull the layers apart from each other before placing them in the pan. Remember that you want the flavour of the onions to blend nicely with the rest of the ingredients, so keep the stove on a low heat as you brown them. Cooking onions to sweet perfection takes patience, so be willing to stand over the stove and move them around with a spatula for quite some time.
The trick to cooking fragrant rice for chicken briyani is to add in a generous helping of spices before the grains are cooked. Cloves, cinnamon sticks, saffron, cardamom and bay leaves come highly recommended. Also remember to soak the rice prior to boiling it as this will ensure that the grains grow to their longest potential. You may choose to mix in the fried onions with the rice to flavour it. A tip for cooling rice efficiently is to spread it over a baking sheet to expose all of the grains to the air.
Don’t forget that the chicken is cooked twice – once in the pan and once along with the other ingredients. So, be careful not to overcook it in the first step. However, it is important that the mixture is dry so that the rice does not become soggy when it is added.
Be sure to use a deep ceramic or metal dish to accommodate all of the ingredients. When making the saffron milk, we recommend full fat milk. For a more decadent taste, add in a dash of cream. Coconut milk is a delicious, dairy-free alternative. The best place to buy saffron, and all the other herbs and spices necessary for a delicious chicken biryani, is your local spice store. Take care when you are heating the milk, as it burns easily. We prefer to do this over the stove as it is easier to monitor than the microwave.
Try to use equal amounts of each ingredient when you assemble the biryani. Rice first, then chicken, then the crispy onions and chopped fresh herbs. Repeat this at least twice to create an even spread of components for each serving. Pour over the saffron milk and be sure to seal the chicken briyani, either with a sheet of foil and the container’s lid, or a cooked whole wheat dough sealing the lid to the pan.
Serve warm, and enjoy!
Chicken Briyani Recipe
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CHICKEN BRIYANI RECIPE
Ingredients
- Chicken with bones- 1 kg
- Basmati rice-2 cups
- Garlic ginger paste- 1 tbsp
- Chopped Onion- 2 cups
- Vegetable Oil ( Canola)- ¼ cups
- Yogurt- 1 cup
- Tomatoes ( peeled and chopped)- 1 cup
- Tomato paste- 2 tbsp
- Bay Leaves- 4
- Cinnamon Stick- 2
- Cardamon Pods- 8
- Cloves- 8
- Water- 4 cups
- Turmeric powder- 1 tbsp
- Cumin Powder- 2 tbsp
- Coriander Powder- 2 tbsp
- Garam Masala- 1 tbsp
- Red Chili Powder- 1 tsp
- Red and Greed Food colors- few drops
- Saffron Soaked in ¼ cup hot water- ¼ tbsp
- Rose water/milk- 1 tbsp
- Salt- 1 tbsp
- Ghee- 2 tbsp
- For Garnish
- Crispy fried onion- 2 tbsp
- Chopped coriander- 2 tbsp
- Fried Cashew nuts- 2 tbsp ( optional)
Instructions
- Fry ½ tbs. garlic and ginger paste in 2 tbsp. oil for 1 minute, add 1 cinnamon stick, cardamon and cloves and cook for another 2 minutes. Add onion, cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, Add meat and stir until brown.
- Add water and cook over low heat for 1 hour or until meat is tender, drain, remove whole spices.
- In the meanwhile wash and soak rice in water for 20 minutes.Boil Rice in salted water with the remaining whole spices for 5 minutes. Drain and remove the spices.
- Fry the remaining garlic ginger paste in the remaining oil, add the remaining onion and fry until golden. Season with salt and the remaining spices, stir over heat to 30 seconds. Add chopped tomatoes and tomato paste, cook until tender.Add yogurt and stir over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add meat and cook for 3 minutes.
- Mix soaked saffron with rose water/milk.
- Put ½ of half-cooked rice with 1 tbsp of Ghee on the bottom of your pot ( big saucepan), cover with meat sauce, top with remaining rice, pour 2 drops from each color. Pour saffron sauce equally, cover tightly and cook over very low heat for 30 minutes.
- Serve with chopped coriander, fried cashew nuts and yogurt sauce(soup)
- Category: MEAT RECIPES
- Cuisine: Indian
Chicken Briyani!
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