Chicken Biryani Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 kg (1.1 lbs) chicken (skinless bone-in or boneless, large pieces such as thighs, drumsticks, legs, or a mix of all) (Marinade for Chicken Biryani)
• 3 tablespoons plain yogurt (curd or dahi) (Marinade for Chicken Biryani)
• 1 1/4 tablespoons ginger garlic paste (1 inch ginger & 4 garlic cloves, crushed) (Marinade for Chicken Biryani)
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste) (Marinade for Chicken Biryani)
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric (Marinade for Chicken Biryani)
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red chilli powder (or paprika, use a less spicy variety) (Marinade for Chicken Biryani)
• 1/2 to 1 tablespoon garam masala (or biryani masala; see notes) (Marinade for Chicken Biryani)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional) (Marinade for Chicken Biryani)
• 1 bay leaf (tej patta) (Ingredients)
• 4 green cardamoms (choti elaichi) (Ingredients)
• 6 cloves (lavang) (Ingredients)
• 1 inch cinnamon (dalchini) (Ingredients)
• 1 star anise (chakri phool) (Ingredients)
• 3/4 teaspoon shahi jeera [UNCLEAR: a parenthetical note after this item is crossed out by hand in the source and illegible; possibly "caraway seeds, substitute with cumin"] (Ingredients)
• 1 strand mace (javitri, omit if you don't like) (Ingredients)
• 2 cups basmati rice (aged rice only) (Other Ingredients for Chicken Biryani)
• 2 tablespoons ghee or oil (Other Ingredients for Chicken Biryani)
• 1 large onion, sliced thinly (Other Ingredients for Chicken Biryani)
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup mint leaves, chopped fine (about 15 leaves) (Other Ingredients for Chicken Biryani)
• 1 green chili (slit or chopped) (Other Ingredients for Chicken Biryani)
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt (Indian curd) (Other Ingredients for Chicken Biryani)
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder (optional, for heat) (Other Ingredients for Chicken Biryani)
• 1 teaspoon garam masala (or biryani masala) (Other Ingredients for Chicken Biryani)
• 3 cups water (3 1/2 cups for pot; see notes, more if needed) (Other Ingredients for Chicken Biryani)
• [UNCLEAR: quantity illegible — a mark/smudge obscures the number in the source] teaspoon salt (to stir into the water) (Other Ingredients for Chicken Biryani)
• 2 tablespoons fried onions (optional) (Other Ingredients for Chicken Biryani)
• 1 pinch saffron (optional, soaked in 2 tbsp hot milk) (Other Ingredients for Chicken Biryani)

Steps

1. Preparation: To a bowl, add yogurt, ginger garlic paste, salt, garam masala, turmeric, lemon juice, and red chili powder.
2. Preparation: Mix well and taste the marinade. Add more salt and spice if needed.
3. Preparation: Make slits in the chicken pieces. Add it to the marinade and mix well. Cover and set aside for 1 hour to overnight.
4. Preparation: Rinse the basmati rice three times and soak for 30 minutes. Drain to a colander after 30 minutes.
5. How to Make Chicken Biryani: Heat ghee or oil in a pot or pressure cooker.
6. How to Make Chicken Biryani: Add the whole spices - bay leaf, cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, shahi jeera & mace. Skip them if you do not have them.
7. How to Make Chicken Biryani: When the spices begin to sizzle, add the onions and fry them evenly, stirring often, until uniformly light brown but not burnt.
8. How to Make Chicken Biryani: Add the chicken and saute until pale, about 5 minutes on medium heat.
9. How to Make Chicken Biryani: Cover and cook on a low flame until the chicken is soft-cooked or tender. Saute to evaporate any excess moisture in the pot.
10. How to Make Chicken Biryani: Taste test and add more salt if needed. Add the yogurt (curd), half of the chopped mint leaves, the slit green chili, red chili powder, and garam masala.
11. Layering: Mix everything well and layer the chicken evenly at the bottom.
12. Layering: Spread the drained rice in a layer over the chicken.
13. Layering: To a separate pot, pour water. If cooking in a pot, use more water.
14. Layering: Add salt and mix. Taste the water - it must be slightly salty. Bring this to a rolling boil.
15. Layering: Pour 2 cups of this hot water across the sides of the cooker or pot. Gently pour the rest on top of the rice.
16. Layering: Level the rice if needed. Sprinkle the rest of the mint leaves. Optionally add fried onions and saffron-soaked milk if using.
17. Layering: Pot method - if cooking in a pot, cover and cook on a medium flame until the rice in the chicken biryani is cooked completely but not mushy or undercooked (takes about 15 minutes from when the water boils in the pot; may be different for you). If the rice is still undercooked or hard and there is no water at the bottom, pour in 1/4 to 1/2 cup more boiling water, depending on the kind of rice used, and cook further. When done, it has to be fully cooked yet remain grainy, not mushy.
18. Layering: Cooker method - set the flame to medium-high. Cover and place the whistle. Cook until you hear 1 whistle. Move the cooker away from the burner to stop cooking further.
19. Layering: Rest until the pressure drops naturally. Fluff up the chicken biryani with a fork.
20. Layering: Serve from top to bottom layer. Each serving gets biryani rice from the top and chicken from the bottom layer.
21. Layering: Enjoy chicken biryani with raita and sliced veggies, papad, and shorba (biryani gravy).