Easy Chicken Biryani Recipe, a delicious chicken dinner that is bursting with amazing flavours. Rice cooked to perfection and chicken cooked in fragrant, but mild Indian spices are combined in one fantastic dish that everyone in the family can enjoy.
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What is biryani
Biryani, also spelt biriyani, breyani or biriani, is so popular all over the world, and there are quite a few variations of this dish. The main ingredients are rice, meat and seasoning in one dish, and here it is entirely up to you how little or how much you use.
How to make chicken biryani
If you use rather mild spices, kids can definitely enjoy it too. I usually make enough for about 2-3 people, since little ones don't eat that much, so feel free to double up the amount of ingredients if you are cooking for a larger crowd.
- start by marinating the chicken
- in a small bowl, add the garam masala, ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon and chilli flakes
- add the slices to the yogurt and mix well to get a paste
- cut the chicken breasts into cubes, add the spiced yogurt, and mix everything well - marinade for at least 1 hour, ideally overnight
- rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear
- add it to a pan together with the water, and boil the rice until it's about 80% cooked, it will cook further in the oven - drain and set aside
I like to place the lid on the pot of rice until it's ready to be used, in this way the rice fluffs up a bit.
- sautee the onion, add the garlic and ginger, then tomatoes
- cook until the tomatoes and slightly mushy, this will take about 3-4 minutes
Alternatively, you can use tomato paste if you don't have fresh tomatoes, in which case you add the chicken pieces straight away.
- add the chicken pieces and leave to cook for 15 minutes or so until the liquid is evaporated
- pour over the stock, and cook again until you get a thicker sauce
- in an oven-proof dish, spread half of the rice, add the chicken in one layer, then top with the remaining rice
- drizzle the turmeric mixture all over, cover with kitchen foil, and bake for about 20 minutes
Garnish with plenty of parsley or fresh corinader, it's up to you which one you prefer, I usually go for parsley.
What else can you add instead of chicken
Whether you go for a strong-flavoured or a mild version, this biryiani can be be adapted to your own taste and lifestyle. Swap the chicken for beef - my beef biriyani is absolutely delicious, mutton, lamb or any other meat of your choice.
But be mindful, the cooking time will be longer, as the meat will not be tender as quickly as chicken is.
Or make it completely vegetarian, but adding a range of vegetables: cauliflower, baby corn, green beans, eggplant, whatever you have in the fridge. In this case, it will be ready in no time.
You can also use saffron to make it even more flavourful, I know it's a tad expensive, but I guess if you use it in many other dishes, it's worth the extra expense. Otherwise, just a bit of turmeric with milk can be drizzled over the rice to give it that distinctive biryani touch. I used diced chicken breast, but you can also use drumsticks, thighs, or whole chicken legs.
Other Indian recipes
Easy Butter Chicken Recipe (Indian Style)
Indian Fish Curry with Coconut Milk
Indian Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk
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Easy Chicken Biryani Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 4 tomatoes
- 1 large onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 cm ginger puree
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1 ¼ cup water
- chopped coriander to garnish
- ½ teaspoon turmeric for the drizzle
- ¼ cup milk
Instructions
- Dice the chicken breasts and transfer to a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, combine the garam masala, cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and chilli flakes.
- Add the spice mix to the yogurt, and mix well to get a paste.
- Pour the paste over the chicken, and mix well - marinade for at least 1 hour, ideally overnight.
- Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear.
- Add the rice to a pan together with the water - bring it to the boil and cook until the rice is nearly cooked, but it still holds its shape well and there is still water left.
- Drain the water, and set aside.
- Cut the onion, garlic cloves and ginger, then heat up the oil in a pan and fry them until golden.
- Chop the tomatoes and add them to the pan, they should be cooked for 3-4 minutes until mushy.
- In goes the chicken, stirring well.
- Leave to cook for 5 minutes, then add ½ cup of water or chicken broth.
- Cover with a lid and leave it to cook until the liquid is absorbed.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. (390 Fahrenheit)
- In an oven-proof dish that has a lid, arrange one layer of rice, one layer of the cooked chicken and again one layer of rice.
- Mix the turmeric with milk, then drizzle the mixture over the rice.
- Cook in the oven with the lid on for about 20-30 minutes, the rice will become fluffy and fully cooked.
- Carefully remove from the oven, and use a fork to gently mix the chicken and rice.
- Garnish with chopped coriander.
Video
Notes
- Swap the chicken for beef - my beef biriyani is absolutely delicious, mutton, lamb or any other meat of your choice.
- But be mindful, the cooking time will be longer, as the meat will not be tender as quickly as chicken is.
- Or make it completely vegetarian, but adding a range of vegetables: cauliflower, baby corn, green beans, eggplant, whatever you have in the fridge. In this case, it will be ready in no time.
- You can also use saffron to make it even more flavourful, I know it's a tad expensive, but I guess if you use it in many other dishes, it's worth the extra expense. Otherwise, just a bit of turmeric with milk can be drizzled over the rice to give it that distinctive biryani touch.
- I used diced chicken breast, but you can also use drumsticks, thighs, or whole chicken legs.
Nutrition
Shravani
Nice chicken biryani pic ☺...i like those brown fried onions on top.
Daniela Apostol
Thank you ?
asha
really ssuper dish
Daniela Anderson
Thank you, Asha!
Adina
A beautiful recipe, I could start cooking immediately. 🙂
Daniela Anderson
Thank you! 🙂
James
Two things:
1st, lovely easy recipe, thank you, thoroughly enjoyed it.
2nd, thank you for having 'Jump to recipe' at top of page. It's tedious AF to have to scroll down for ages to get to the recipe.
Daniela Apostol
Thank you for the lovely comment!
Ann
Absolutely lovely, my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this chicken biryani and I will definitely make it again. Just one question, can it be frozen?
Daniela Apostol
Thank you for your feedback, I am glad you enjoyed it! Absolutely, the dish can be frozen too.