Pakistani Chicken Biryani
An easy home style delicious biryani. Serve freshly cooked with raita na kachumber.
Servings 9 people
Calories 590kcal
Ingredients
To Marinate Chicken
- 1 (750 gram) chicken cut in 12 pieces
- 1 cup yogurt
spices for chicken marination
- 2 tablespoon green chilli paste
- 3 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon red chilli powder or 2 tablespoons biryani masala
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds roasted
- ¾ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 inch cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 5 cloves
- 2 black cardamom
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
For gravy
- ½ cup Oil
- 4 (500 grams) onion (or 1 cup fried onions packed) thinly sliced
- 4-5 to (500 grams) tomatoes raw pureed
- 6-8 prunes*
- 5 (400 grams) potatoes cut in large chunk, optional
- 1-2 teaspoon chat masala (add only if you like spicy food)
For Rice
- 4 cup (700 grams) basmati rice soaked in water for 10 minutes
- Water to boil rice
spices for rice
- 2 inch cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 whole bay leaf
- 6 black pepper
- 3-4 cloves
- 4 teaspoon salt or as required
Assembling (Dum)
- 4 tablespoon oil divided
- 1 fistful coriander leaves chopped
- 1 fistful mint leaves chopped
- 5 medium green chillies optional
- A pinch Saffron soaked (or kewra essence)
- A pinch yellow or orange color
- ½ cup water for dum
Instructions
- In a bowl, marinate chicken with spices for chicken and yogurt and let it sit for 20 minutes.
For gravy:
- Heat oil in a pot and fry sliced onions until crispy golden. Mix in the marinated chicken.
- Cook marinated chicken for 7 minutes until color changes and oil separate on the side of the pot.
- Add tomato puree and cook further for 10-15 until all tomato water dries and oil separates. Your chicken should be tender by now or cook further as needed. Sear chicken ( bhunofy) well for rich taste. Set aside.
- Half boil peeled potatoes with and turmeric. Then fry potatoes with a pinch of salt until golden brown, transfer potatoes to a paper towel, and set aside.
- Now, potatoes and prunes in the chicken gravy. Chicken gravy should be of thick and flowing consistency and not dry.Protip: Add little water to the gravy if it is too dry.
For Rice
- Do the steps for rice simultaneously with the steps of chicken. In a large pot for biryani take water, spices for rice, and salt. Bring water to a boil. Mix well so spices release flavors.
- When the color of water changes then add soaked rice. Cook rice until 70% cooked then drain all water and keep rice in a strainer until required. (Mix little oil in rice to avoid sticking.) Protip: Stay around the pot when rice is boiling and keep checking the grain of rice for doneness at intervals. The rice will appear cooked but firm and not at all mushy upon pressing between finger and thumb.
Assembling
- In the rice pot smear 2 tablespoons of oil in the bottom.
- Spread a little more than ½ of the rice in the bottom then add a layer of chicken gravy. Dividing chicken pieces and potato chunks evenly in the pot.
- Now sprinkle herbs, chat masala, and chilies on the chicken layer.
- Finally, add a layer of remaining rice. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of oil on top of the rice layer.
- Mix food color, saffron, and water together. Spread evenly over the rice. ( You may also add kewra water along with saffron.)
- Cover pot with foil to seal the steam. Place a heavy lid too. Heat the pot on high heat for 5-7 minutes. Then reduce heat to low and dum for 15-20 minutes until rice is fully cooked and steam rises to the top when the lid is removed.
- Mix rice with a large flat spoon or a small plate. (Do not over mix to break the rice grains.) And serve hot with raita and kachumber.
Video
Notes
Rice is the most important thing in biryani. Boil rice should be aromatic with spices. Make sure your rice is under-cooked when you boil because we'll cook again for 20 minutes.
Searing ( bhunofying) is the most important step in making gravy. If your gravy is too dry add little extra water.
Nutrition
Calories: 590kcal | Carbohydrates: 90g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 1422mg | Potassium: 222mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 324IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 2mg