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 fanstastic dish that everyone in the family can enjoy.
How to make chicken biryani at home
Biryani, also spelt biriyani 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, and here it is entirely up to you how little or how much you use.
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 with yogurt, seasoning and spices
- boil the rice until it’s about 80% cooked, it will cook further in the oven – drain and set aside
- 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 the broth, and leave to cook for 15 minutes or so until the liquid is evaporated and the sauce is thick
- 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.
The best Indian chicken biryiani recipe
This super easy chicken biryani recipe can be ready in way under one hour, and no planning in advance is needed. l avoided chilli, but feel free to add it if you like the dish spicy. I am also a bit paranoid when it comes to chicken, l tend to cook it for a lot longer than required, just in case, l’d rather not worry about uncooked meat.
It is probably worth mentioning that this chicken biryani is my take on this classic dish, a well simplified version. But, you know what, it is absolutely fantastic and l’m sure you’ll love it. Nothing wrong with making a dish your own by adapting it to your own taste. Like my butter chicken, this too is the perfect homemade version of the so loved recipe. Homemade food can never be beaten, isn’t it?
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, 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 dinstinctive biryani touch. I used diced chicken breast, but you can also use drumsticks, thighs, or whole chicken legs.
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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 fanstastic dish that everyone in the family can enjoy.
- 2 chicken breasts
- 4 tomatoes
- 1 large onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 cm fresh ginger root
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground mild curry powder
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 cup basmati rice
- chopped coriander to garnish
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
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Rinse the rice with plenty of cold water and set aside.
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Dice the chicken breasts and tranfer to a large bowl.
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Add the yogurt, ground black pepper, curry powder, ground cumin and mix well so that the chicken is well coated.
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Cut the onion, garlic cloves and ginger, then heat up the oil in a pan and fry them until golden.
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Chop the tomatoes and add them to the pan, they should be cooked for 3-4 minutes until mushy.
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In goes the chicken, stiring well. Leave to cook for 5 minutes, then add 1/2 cup of water or chicken broth. Bay leaves and salt can be added too.
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Cover with a lid and leave it to cook until the liquid is absorbed.
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Meanwhile, cook the rice with 2 cups of cold water until it comes to a boil.
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At this stage the rice should be about 80 % cooked.
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Drain the water and set aside.
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Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. (390 Fahrenheit)
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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.
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Add one tbsp of milk, one tbsp of water and the turmeric to a cup, then drizzle some over the rice.
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Cook in the oven with the lid on for about 20-30 minutes, the rice will become fluffy and fully cooked.
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Carefully remove from the oven, and use a fork to gently mix the chicken and rice.
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Garnish with chopped coriander.
