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how to make layered chicken biryani

How to Make Chicken Biryani Recipe

nags
Layered chicken biryani recipe, a simple recipe from my Mom's kitchen.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Chicken
Cuisine Indian
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

For the Rice:

  • 2 cups of basmati rice
  • 2 onions sliced
  • 1 tsp of crushed ginger
  • 1 tsp of crushed garlic
  • 4 cardamom pods
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • A small piece of cinnamon
  • 3 star anise
  • 1 tsp of cumin / jeera
  • 1/2 cup of carrots cut into small cubes (optional)
  • 10 cashew nuts
  • 10 raisins

For the Chicken Gravy:

  • 1 kg of chicken pieces with bones
  • 3 large onions sliced
  • 1 tsp of minced ginger
  • 1 tsp of minced garlic
  • 2 tsp of coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp of powdered fennel seeds
  • 2 tsp of chicken masala
  • 1/2 tsp of garam masala optional
  • 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
  • 2 to matoes
  • A small bunch of coriander leaves cilantro
  • A fistful of mint leaves
  • 1/2 tsp of sugar
  • 5-6 green chillies
  • 3 tbsp of ghee or oil
  • 1 tsp of pepper powder

Instructions
 

For the Rice:

  • Soak the rice for 30 mins. Cook the rice following whichever method you prefer. We usually
  • cook rice for biryani
  • in an open pan but you can use the rice cooker or pressure cooker too. Just make sure the rice doesn't get overcooked. The grains need to remain separate.
  • Meanwhile, heat the ghee or oil in a wide pan and add the sliced onions along with the whole spices (cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, cardamom, star anise). Fry the onions stirring frequently.
  • Grind or crush the garlic and ginger together. Add this to the frying onions and fry until the onions turn a dark golden brown. Drain and set aside. (If using carrots, add along with the ginger, etc and cook together).
  • In the same pan, fry the cashew nuts and raisins until golden. Drain and set aside with the fried onions.
  • Once the rice is done, mix it with the above onion mixture, add the fried raisins and cashew nuts on top and set aside.

For the Chicken Gravy

  • Grind or crush ginger + garlic + green chillies
  • Heat the ghee or oil and add onions. Fry until golden brown and add the ginger-garlic-chillies paste. Fry for another minute and then add the spice powders chicken masala + coriander powder + fennel powder + pepper + turmeric. Saute for a minute.
  • Then add the chopped tomatoes and cook until they turn soft. At this stage, the mixture will turn mushy
  • Add the washed and cleaned chicken pieces + salt + sugar + 1 cup water and mix well. Bring to boil and cook closed until the chicken is completely cooked. The meat will let out water so don't add too much. Cook on a low flame until done. Then, garnish with garam masala, coriander leaves, mint leaves and more pepper powder. Mix well and set aside.
  • The chicken gravy should be a bit watery as you see below. If not, add more water and cook further for a bit longer.

Layering the Chicken Biryani

  • About an hour before serving, take a large serving dish and add a layer of rice. Top off with some chicken and gravy. Add more rice. Repeat this 2 more times. Keep the dish closed and at the time of serving, gently mix and transfer to plates.
  • Serve chicken biryani with raita and papad