Indian Chicken Biryani
The title of this recipe may seem a bit odd, but there are so many BIR (British Indian Restaurant) dishes out there and it is sometimes necessary to distinguish an authentic Indian dish from a BIR dish. This recipe was taken from an Indian YouTube channel that had had over 20 million views – the only difficulty was that there were no English instructions or spice descriptions. We watched the video and noted down the spices used and the method and then cooked it, this was the result. It is a stunning chicken biryani recipe and well worth cooking! Don’t expect it to taste just like the BIR chicken biryani you get with a vegetable curry on the side, this is a whole new level and thousands of times better! Don’t be put off by the list of ingredients, it isn’t as complicated as it looks.
Indian Chicken Biryani
Ingredients
- 1 whole Chicken
- 125g Yoghurt
- 225 g Basmati Rice
- 2 tbsp Ginger and Garlic Paste
- 1 Tomato
- 2 Potatoes
- 2 tbsp Fried Onions buy the dried version in a bag
- 24 Peppercorns
- 8 Cloves
- 4 Green Cardamom
- 2 Black Cardamom
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 2 pieces Mace
- 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 2 tsp Chilli Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 Eggs hard boiled
- 1 tbsp Coriander Leaves chopped
- 3 tbsp Oil we use rapeseed oil but any flavourless oil is good
- 4 tsp Ghee
Instructions
Prepare the chicken
- Firstly, skin and joint the chicken into 8 pieces
- Add the yoghurt, chopped tomato, ginger and garlic paste, salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder and one tablespoon of the fried onions into the bowl with the chicken and mix well
Cook the chicken
- Put two tablespoons of oil into the sauté pan and two teaspoons of ghee. Heat over a medium heat until the oil and ghee have blended and are hot
- Add 12 peppercorns, 4 cloves, 1 piece of mace, 1 bayleaf, 2 green cardamoms and 1 black cardamom. Sauté for 30 seconds to release the flavour and then add the peeled potatoes that have been cut into 4 pieces each. Brown the potato on all sides
- When the potato is browned, turn the heat up to high and add the chicken with its marinade. Cook until seared on all sides and then add enough water to reach half way up the side of the chicken pieces
- Cover and cook for around 20 minutes until the chicken is almost cooked through
Prepare the rice
- Whilst the potatoes are browning rinse the basmati rice thoroughly and then soak for about 15 minutes
- Using a large pan, add one tablespoon of oil and two teaspoons of ghee. When hot add the remaining spices (12 peppercorns, 4 cloves, 1 bayleaf, 1 piece of mace, 2 green cardamoms and 1 black cardamom) and cook for about 30 seconds to allow the spices to impart their flavour
- Add two litres of water and bring to a rolling boil. Add the rice (carefully, you don't want to break the grains) and keep at a rolling boil for 6 minutes. Drain the rice
Assemble the biryani
- Give the chicken one last stir and add the boiled eggs whole. Next add the rice. Be very careful not to press the rice – very carefully spread the rice over the chicken using more of a flick than pushing it (this will guarantee a light and fluffy biryani)
- Put the lid on and cook over a high heat for exactly 8 minutes, then turn to a low heat for exactly 2 minutes. The biryani is ready!
- It is important when you serve the biryani that you lift the chicken from under the rice, this is what actually gives it the colour – the chicken and sauce being lifted through the rice. This is just the best biryani you will every taste!!!
