Chicken Biryani
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Recipe type: Main
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 10
 
A layered Chicken Biryani recipe in which chicken marinated in coriander-green chilly paste is cooked and layered out with rice, fried onion, cashews and raisins
Ingredients
  • Chicken: 1 kg
  • Green Chilies: 5-6 small
  • Garlic: 20-25 cloves
  • Ginger: 1 inch
  • Coriander: 2 cups chopped
  • Turmeric powder: 2 tsp
  • Coriander seeds: 12 tsp
  • Cloves: 24
  • Cinnamon: 4 - 1 inch sticks
  • Peppercorns: 40
  • Bay Leaf: 2 big
  • Dry Red Chilies: 16 small
  • Onion: 8 large sliced
  • Cashew nuts: 1 cup broken into pieces
  • Raisins: ¼ cup
  • Ghee: ¼ cup
  • Sugar: 1-2 tsp
  • Oil: to deep fry
  • Basmati Rice: 4 cups
  • Tomatoes: 4 large chopped
  • Chili Powder: 2 tsp
  • Ghee: 4-5 tbsp
  • Green Food Color: A few drops (Optional)
  • Yellow Food Color: A few drops (Optional)
  • Salt: to taste
Instructions
  1. For Making the dry masala powder, Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Fry the coriander seeds, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, bay leaves and dry red chilies till slightly brown.
  2. Grind into powder once it cools down.
  3. Cut the chicken into 1 to 1 and ½ inch pieces.
  4. Grind together the green chilies, coriander, ginger and garlic to a paste. Do not use any water as it needs to be a thick paste.
  5. Apply the ground green paste, turmeric powder and salt to the chicken.
  6. Close and let marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
  7. Heat oil for deep frying in a pan. Sprinkle sugar over the sliced onion. Fry 4 sliced onions till golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.
  8. Fry cashew nuts till golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.
  9. Fry raisins for a few seconds. Drain on absorbent paper.
  10. Wash and soak rice in sufficient water for ½ hour. Boil sufficient water. Add rice and salt to the boiling water and let cook till almost done. Drain and keep aside.
  11. Optional Steps: Divide rice into three portions.Add yellow color to one of the portions and mix well to cover the rice. Add green color to another portion and mix well to cover the rice.Leave the third rice white. Keep aside for 10-15 minutes.Mix the three portions together
  12. In a pan, heat 2 tbsp ghee. Add the remaining onions and stir fry till brown. Add tomatoes and stir fry for a few minutes till soft.
  13. Add marinated chicken to the pan, close lid and let cook on medium flame till chicken is cooked. Do not add any extra water.
  14. Add chili powder and 4 tsp of dry masala powder ground above. Mix well.
  15. Add salt and mix well. Let chicken dry up completely.
  16. To layer the Biryani:
  17. Divide the chicken into three parts.
  18. Grease a big pan with oil. Add a layer of chicken to the pan.
  19. Arrange a layer of white, green and yellow rice to the chicken.
  20. Pour some ghee, fried onion, fried cashew and fried raisins to the rice. Also sprinkle some of the remaining dry masala powder. (I generally use all the dry masala powder while doing the layering)
  21. Repeat the steps above and make two more such layers.The final layer should be of rice topped with onions, cashews and raisins.
  22. Heat a thick bottomed flat frying pan. Keep the pan with the layered rice and chicken on it. Close lid and let cook for 15 minutes.
Recipe by YourHungerStop at https://www.yourhungerstop.com/chicken-biryani/