Boneless Chicken Biryani
Biryani is one of the most popular Indian dishes and is the perfect main entree for a dinner party. In India, when biryani is served for a meal, it is often THE meal itself along with a side of raita. Raita is whipped yogurt mixed with any combination of spices, vegetables, fruit or even crispy deep fried gram flour batter (boondi). My favorite is a simple Cucumber Raita.
For the longest time, I thought that making a great biryani at home was really hard – if not impossible. What I learned is that preparing a biryani may be a bit laborious, but it is definitely within reach of even the average home cook. It’s laborious because it is a multi-step preparation – you cook the chicken in a sauce, boil the rice, then layer the two in a pot, and seal to hold in the steam and combine the flavors. My recipe includes the basic steps to make a great biryani. While this recipe contains just the essential ingredients to make a biryani, you can also add cashews, raisins, hard-boiled eggs, fried potatoes, extra crispy fried onions, and many other ingredients to make it richer and more flavorful. In my opinion, the one additional ingredient that adds maximum flavor is crispy fried onions. I skip them in this recipe, but you can make them at home or just buy a bag from an ethnic grocery store and add them on the chicken and rice when assembling the biryani.
Speaking of layers, this recipe describes a single-layer biryani as opposed to multi-layer biryani. Depending on the size of your pot and the quantity of biryani, you can create more layers. The key thing to keep in mind is that you should create shallow layers of chicken or rice. So spread the chicken on the bottom of the pot, placing the pieces side by side and not piled up on top of each other, and then add the rice and some toppings (chopped Mint and Cilantro, Saffron, Ginger juliennes), and continue with a second layer if needed.
In the end, remember that making biryani is not hard. Once you do it a couple times, you’ll realize that effectively all you are doing is making a Chicken Curry and rice but are combining them and taking it to the next level of deliciousness. If you simply follow this recipe, you’ll love the results – before you know it, you’ll be making it every weekend…
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
Soak the rice for at least 60 minutes, this makes it less likely that the rice grains will break when cooked. It also reduces the time for which the rice must be boiled.
The rice needs to be slightly undercooked, so that it finishes cooking in the pot along with the chicken and is perfectly cooked and not soft and mushy. So remember to keep a close watch when boiling the rice.
When the biryani is assembled for the final cooking, it is important to add a cup of hot water, preferably the liquid in which the rice was boiled. This ensures that the rice in the finished biryani is not dry and tough.
When cooking the chicken and the sauce, keep a watch on the pot, especially when the the tomato sauce starts to thicken. The heat level on the stove needs to be managed to ensure that the contents do not burn at the bottom.
Ingredients
For the Sauce
2.5 tbsp Ghee or Oil
6-8 Green Cardamoms
4-6 Cloves
2 Bay Leaves
2.5 tbsp Ginger-garlic Paste
1 large Onion, thinly sliced
2.5 pounds Chicken cut up into medium pieces
1 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Coriander Powder
3-4 medium tomatoes (around 1.25 pound), diced or crushed in a chopper.
2-3 Green Chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp Salt (to taste)
For Boiling the Rice and Assembling the Biryani
2.5 cups of Basmati Rice
1/2 tsp Caraway Seeds (optional)
1 small bunch Mint leaves
1 small bunch Cilantro leaves
1″ piece of Ginger julienned
Pinch of Saffron strands
1 tsp Ghee or Oil
Few drops of Rose water, and Kewra water (optional)
2-3 tsp Salt
Some Tips on Ingredient Selections:
- For full flavor, use bone-in chicken. If cooking with boneless meat, chicken thighs give better results than chicken breasts.
- Rose water and Kewra water give the biryani a very appetizing aroma.
- I recommend that you add the Saffron.
- As for the Mint and Cilantro leaves, you can use any proportion.
- Good quality long-grained rice is a must.
Utensils Needed
A thick-bottomed pot with a well-fitting lid in which the biryani will be assembled and finished.
A skillet that is large enough, so that the pot can be placed on top of it. This is needed when finishing the biryani – the pot is placed on a skillet to slow cook so that the contents do not burn at the bottom. Using the skillet makes this a foolproof way to make a biryani, ensuring you slow cook it and don’t burn any of the meat at the bottom.
Preparation
Slice the Onions, julienne the Ginger piece, dice or crush the Tomatoes. Add the Saffron to 2 tbsp of warm Milk, or warm water. Rinse the rice in a strainer until the water runs clear and then soak it.
Giving the tomatoes a whirl in the chopper
Saffron in warm milk
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Handheld Blender with Chopper Attachment
Cooking Chicken Biryani
Cook the Chicken Sauce
Step 1
Heat the Ghee in the pot on medium heat, and add the Green Cardamoms, Cloves, Bay Leaves, Cinnamon Stick and Ginger-garlic paste. Fry for a minute until the Ginger-garlic paste turns light brown.
Step 2
Add the sliced Onions and continue frying them until they turn light to slightly dark brown; around 12-15 minutes. TIP: Sprinkle a little salt on the Onions, this will speed up the browning.
Step 3
Add the Chicken pieces, Coriander Powder, Garam Masala, Turmeric Powder, Red Chili Powder, and about 1 tsp Salt. Mix well and cook on medium heat, tossing every few minutes, to lightly brown the chicken pieces; about 10 minutes.
Step 4
Add the diced tomatoes, green chillies and mix well. Continue cooking while stirring every few minutes.
Step 5
Cook the tomatoes until all the liquid dries up. The sauce should be thick and the oil will separate out. This can take anywhere from 15-30 minutes. TIP: Fish out the whole spices from the pot, and discard.
Boil the Rice
TIP: Keep a colander ready to drain the rice before you boil it.
Step 6
Boil 6 cups of water in a pot with about 2 tsp Salt, Caraway Seeds and a Bay Leaf. The water should be salty. When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the drained rice; discard the water in which the rice was soaked. IMPORTANT: You cannot salt it after the rice is cooked. Remember to salt the rice while boiling it.
Step 7
When the pot comes back to a boil, check a few grains of rice. When pressed between your fingers (careful, they’re going to be hot!), the rice grain should break easily but should not get crushed. TIP: Slightly undercooking the rice is one of the keys to making a great biryani.
Rice grain breaks but does not get crushed
Step 8
At this point, immediately turn off the heat and drain the rice in a colander. Reserve one cup of the boiling water. TIP: If you boil the rice before you are ready to assemble the biryani, then pour cold water over the drained rice to stop it from cooking further. I usually finish cooking the Chicken, then boil the rice and assemble the biryani right away.
Basmati Rice has been drained in a colander
TIP: You want to have the Mint and Cilantro leaves chopped by this point. You can do it just before you put the rice to boil. It’s preferable to chop fresh herbs soon before they are needed.
Step 9
It’s time to assemble the biryani in the pot for the final steam cooking. Spread the chicken around the base of the pot. Spread the chopped Mint and Cilantro leaves and Ginger juliennes. You’ll note in the photo that I use a generous quantity of Mint and Cilantro, but adjust to your taste.
Step 10
Spread the rice on top and cover the chicken completely. To the reserved cup of boiling water from the rice, add a teaspoon of Ghee, a few drops of Rose Water and Kewra water; stir and then pour it evenly over the rice. Spread the Saffron milk on top of the rice.
Step 11
Sprinkle some more chopped Mint and Cilantro leaves on top of the rice.
Step 12
Seal the pot with aluminum foil and cover with a lid. Place the pot on top of the skillet. With the heat at medium, cook for 25 minutes and turn off the heat. The key is that you want the steam to form in the pot and start passing through the rice. So at this point, if you were to open the pot, you should see steam blowing out of it.
Step 13
Let the pot stand for at least another 20 minutes to allow the flavors to develop further and meld into the rice. Open it up and enjoy the aromas wafting out from the pot. Chicken Biryani is ready to serve! TIP: Pass a butter knife vertically through the rice and pull it out. If the liquid in the pot has fully dried up, the knife will be clean. If there is still some liquid, you can reseal the pot and slow cook for another 10-15 minutes.
Delicious and aromatic Chicken Biryani is ready.
Bone-in Chicken Biryani
Curry on!
Related Recipes
- For the Sauce
- 2.5 tbsp Ghee or Oil
- 6-8 Green Cardamoms
- 4-6 Cloves
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 2.5 tbsp Ginger-garlic Paste
- 1 large Onion, thinly sliced
- 2.5 pounds Chicken cut up into medium pieces
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- ½ tsp Red Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- 3-4 medium tomatoes (around 1.25 pound), diced or crushed in a chopper.
- 2-3 Green Chillies, finely chopped
- 1 tsp Salt (to taste)
- For Boiling the Rice and Assembling the Biryani
- 2.5 cups of Basmati Rice
- ½ tsp Caraway Seeds (optional)
- 1 small bunch Mint leaves
- 1 small bunch Cilantro leaves
- 1″ piece of Ginger julienned
- Pinch of Saffron strands
- 1 tsp Ghee or Oil
- Few drops of Rose water, and Kewra water (optional)
- 2-3 tsp Salt
- Heat the Ghee in the pot on medium heat, and add the Green Cardamoms, Cloves, Bay Leaves, Cinnamon Stick and Ginger-garlic paste. Fry for a minute until the Ginger-garlic paste turns light brown.
- Add the sliced Onions and continue frying them until they turn light to slightly dark brown; around 12-15 minutes. TIP: Sprinkle a little salt on the Onions, this will speed up the browning.
- Add the Chicken pieces, Coriander Powder, Garam Masala, Turmeric Powder, Red Chili Powder, and about 1 tsp Salt. Mix well and cook on medium heat, tossing every few minutes, to lightly brown the chicken pieces; about 10 minutes.
- Add the diced tomatoes, green chillies and mix well. Continue cooking while stirring every few minutes.
- Cook the tomatoes until all the liquid dries up. The sauce should be thick and the oil will separate out. This can take anywhere from 15-30 minutes. TIP: Fish out the whole spices from the pot, and discard.
- Boil 6 cups of water in a pot with about 2 tsp Salt, Caraway Seeds and a Bay Leaf. The water should be salty. When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the drained rice; discard the water in which the rice was soaked. IMPORTANT: You cannot salt it after the rice is cooked. Remember to salt the rice while boiling it.
- When the pot comes back to a boil, check a few grains of rice. When pressed between your fingers (careful, they’re going to be hot!), the rice grain should break easily but should not get crushed. TIP: Slightly undercooking the rice is one of the keys to making a great biryani.
- At this point, immediately turn off the heat and drain the rice in a colander. Reserve one cup of the boiling water. TIP: If you boil the rice before you are ready to assemble the biryani, then pour cold water over the drained rice to stop it from cooking further. I usually finish cooking the Chicken, then boil the rice and assemble the biryani right away.
- t’s time to assemble the biryani in the pot for the final steam cooking. Spread the chicken around the base of the pot. Spread the chopped Mint and Cilantro leaves and Ginger juliennes. You’ll note in the photo that I use a generous quantity of Mint and Cilantro, but adjust to your taste.
- Spread the rice on top and cover the chicken completely. To the reserved cup of boiling water from the rice, add a teaspoon of Ghee, a few drops of Rose Water and Kewra water; stir and then pour it evenly over the rice. Spread the Saffron milk on top of the rice.
- Sprinkle some more chopped Mint and Cilantro leaves on top of the rice.
- Seal the pot with aluminum foil and cover with a lid. Place the pot on top of the skillet. With the heat at medium, cook for 25 minutes and turn off the heat. The key is that you want the steam to form in the pot and start passing through the rice. So at this point, if you were to open the pot, you should see steam blowing out of it.
- Let the pot stand for at least another 20 minutes to allow the flavors to develop further and meld into the rice. Open it up and enjoy the aromas wafting out from the pot. Chicken Biryani is ready to serve! TIP: Pass a butter knife vertically through the rice and pull it out. If the liquid in the pot has fully dried up, the knife will be clean. If there is still some liquid, you can reseal the pot and slow cook for another 10-15 minutes.
A thick-bottomed pot with a well-fitting lid in which the biryani will be assembled and finished.
A skillet that is large enough, so that the pot can be placed on top of it. This is needed when finishing the biryani – the pot is placed on a skillet to slow cook so that the contents do not burn at the bottom. Using the skillet makes this a foolproof way to make a biryani, ensuring you slow cook it and don’t burn any of the meat at the bottom.
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