Chicken Biryani
A fuss-free chicken built around basmati rice, bone-in chicken thighs and plain yoghurt β roughly 75 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for frying pan / skillet and large pot. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention.
What you'll need
Shopping list (8)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
π Unit converter
How to make it
- Rinse the basmati rice until the water runs clear, then soak it in cold water for 30 minutes; meanwhile crush the garlic and ginger into a paste.
- Heat the oil in a heavy pot and fry the sliced onions over medium heat until deep golden brown, then remove half and reserve them for garnish.
- Add the whole spices to the remaining onions, stir in the garlic-ginger paste, green chillies and chopped tomatoes, and cook until the tomatoes break down.
- Stir in the biryani masala, turmeric and salt, add the chicken and yoghurt, then simmer covered for about 20 minutes until the chicken is tender and reaches an internal temperature of 75 C.
- While the chicken cooks, bring a large pot of salted water with the soaked rice to the boil and parboil the rice for 5 to 6 minutes until about 70 percent cooked, then drain.
- Spread the drained rice over the chicken curry, scatter the reserved fried onions, coriander, mint and the saffron milk on top.
- Cover the pot tightly, cook on the lowest heat for 18 to 20 minutes so the rice steams through, then rest off the heat for 10 minutes and fluff gently before serving.
You'll use: Frying pan / skillet Β· Large pot Β· Saucepan Β· Steamer
Ingredient substitutions
- Milk
- any unsweetened plant milk Β· Β½ cup evaporated milk + Β½ cup water
Tips & common questions
How long does Chicken Biryani take to make?
About 75 minutes from start to finish β an estimate based on the 7 steps and 15 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of milk?
Try any unsweetened plant milk. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes β use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Related recipes
Chicken Biryani is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: A home made plate of mutton biryani served with chicken kassa cooked in the bengali style.jpg by Subhrajyoti07, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top β how we source recipes.