Leftover Roast Chicken Biryani

A plate with a portion of chicken biryani.

No ratings yet

This Leftover Roast Chicken Biryani transforms simple leftovers into a satisfying family-friendly dinner that everyone will enjoy. Unlike a traditional biryani that requires lengthy preparation, this easy version makes clever use of leftover roast chicken to deliver beautiful layers of deliciousness. Wonderfully spiced and spicy, with juicy chicken pieces in a fragrant sauce, and perfectly fluffy rice, what a dish this is!

Prep Time30

Cook Time40

Total Time1 10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Servings: portions

Calories: 1120kcal

Author: Daniela Apostol

Ingredients

300 g leftover chicken, cubed (2 cups)
65 ml vegetable oil (¼ cup)
2 tomatoes on the vine
1 tablespoon tomato puree
2 large onions
2 cloves of garlic
2 cm fresh ginger (1 inch)
300 g basmati rice ( 1 ½ cups)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon fresh parsley (or coriander / cilantro)
a pinch of saffron
65 ml milk (¼ cup)
500 ml chicken stock (broth) (or water)
65 ml plain yogurt (¼ cup)
30 g butter (2 tbsp)

Spices

1 tablespoon hot curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon whole cloves
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cinnamon stick

Instructions

Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear.
Add the rice to a pan, pour over the chicken stock or water, and boil on a medium heat until the rice is about 80% cooked, so it still has a bite to it, and most of the liquid is evaporated.
Reserve 2 tablespoons of the stock, and drain the rest.
In a large, no-stick pan heat up the oil on a low to medium heat, add the onions peeled and chopped julienne, season with a pinch of salt, and fry the onions until golden.
Reserve half of the onions for layering, then add the peeled and chopped garlic and ginger to the pan.
Add all the spices and mix well, then add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste.
Place a lid on the pan, and leave it to cook for 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes are mushy.
Add the yogurt and give it a stir, then add the cubed chicken.
Mix well to combine.
You can either remove the chicken and sauce from the pan, or use a different non-stick pan.
Spread half of the partially-cooked rice over the bottom of the pan, spoon the chicken over the rice, then spread the remaining rice over.
Drizzle the saffron-infused milk over the rice in a circular motion.
Top with the reserved caramelised onions, drizzle over the reserved rice water, add the butter, then place the lid on, and cook on a low heat for 20 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat, but keep the lid on for a further 10 minutes.
Use a fork to fluff everything up and garnish with chopped parsley or coriander.

Video

Notes

One of the most important flavour-building step is caramelising the onions. Add enough oil so that they fry gently on a low heat, that will allow the colour to buil gradually rather than turn brown too quickly, while the onions aren't soft enough.
Cook the rice until 80% done, it will carry on cooking to a fluffy perfection later on, so we don't need it to be fully cooked.
Don't skip the resting time, once the 20 minutes are over, do not remove the lid straight away, but keep it on for an extra 10 minutes. This allows the flavour to settle and the rice to turn fluffy.
Dum cooking is the final stage of cooking the biryani. The layered chicken and rice and sealed well with a lid and cooked on a low heat to allow the flavour to develop and the rice to finish steaming. Do not increase the heat or the bottom rice will burn.

Nutrition