This Hyderabadi chicken biryani is the most delicious and aromatic Indian dish ever, with juicy chicken in layers of fluffy rice, fragrant spices and fried onions. It has the perfect balance of flavors, so you get to experience and enjoy every ingredient. I share with you two easy ways to make biryani while still retaining the authentic taste.
About Biryani
One of the crown jewels of Indian cuisine, is Biryani, a classic dish that is part of the Mughlai culinary tradition, with its origin in old Persia and a rich fusion with Indian flavors and techniques. It is prepared with layers of fluffy basmati rice and exquisitely spiced meat or chicken.
Hyderabad, the city of my childhood, is famous for its biryani, and by far the most favored among the other regional versions. It is not overloaded with spices and uses techniques that allow every ingredient to shine.
There are two versions of Hyderabadi biryani.
- Pakki biryani - cooked meat or chicken is layered with parboiled rice and steamed together.
- Kacchi biryani - raw marinated meat or chicken is placed in a single layer in the bottom of a cooking pot and topped with partially cooked rice and steamed together. This is the easier method.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- One Step: You don't have to cook the chicken separately before layering it with the rice.
- Easy Cooking Methods for Fluffy Rice: (1) Rice cooker method is the most reliable for beginners. (2) Helpful tips for traditional method from my cultural experience.
Ingredient Notes
- Basmati Rice: I use the highest quality aged long grain basmati rice from a popular brand, such as Royal Chef's Secret. Look for the best variety in any brand at your Indian grocery store, which is usually the most expensive.
- Chicken with bone: I choose whole chicken with bone as it is the most flavorful. Chicken leg quarters or thighs will work too. But avoid chicken breast as it will be too dry. For boneless option, use chicken thigh meat.
- Yogurt: Just plain regular yogurt that is neither too thick nor too runny. Avoid Greek yogurt. To make it dairy free, try coconut yogurt.
- Spices: Homemade biryani masala recipe is below recipe card. For a ready-made option, try Shaan Sindhi biryani masala, but adjust the added salt and chili powder.
- Herbs: Fresh cilantro and mint will give the best results. But frozen cilantro and dried mint can also work for the marinade.
- Ginger and Garlic: Grate or grind these fresh for best results.
- Saffron: High quality saffron adds great flavor. Read more here Saffron Tea.
- Onions: Thinly slice the onions. I use my mandolin slicer. To fry them quick and crisp, sprinkle some flour on the onions before frying. Gluten-free flour alternatives are corn starch or rice flour plus corn starch.
- Ghee: Drizzle the rice with ghee to take your biryani up a notch.
Top Tips
- Frying Onions: Use fresh oil. Don't let them turn soggy or dark brown. Drain on paper towels.
- Raw Soaked Rice: This layer of rice will absorb all the juices from the marinade while cooking.
- Cooking Pot: If cooking on stove, use a wide thick-bottomed pot. Very deep and tall pots are not suitable.
- Traditional Rice Cooking Method: For this method, soaking rice prior to cooking will make the grains stronger, as we do for our lamb biryani recipe.
- Fluffy Rice: If you take a fistful of biryani and throw it on a plate, the rice should scatter like pearls and not clump together. With this recipe you will get that perfection every single time!
- Rice to Chicken Ratio: Rule of thumb is to use equal amounts of rice and chicken by weight. Example: one pound rice for one pound chicken. If you want more chicken, use 1½ to 2 times the quantity of rice.
- Juicy and Flavorful Chicken: Marinate the chicken for a long time to infuse the flavors. Cook it until well done, juicy and falling off the bone.
- Spices and Aromatics: Don't skimp on the spices, fried onions, oil, salt and seasonings. You need that for robust flavor.
- Elegant Presentation: The final dish should have rice grains in a variety of colors from the absorption of spices, juices and saffron.
How to Serve
We often serve biryani at festive occasions. It is considered a complete meal with a side dish such as baghare baingan (eggplants in rich sauce), mirchi ka salan (chili peppers in creamy sauce) or Hyderabadi tomato egg curry and a yogurt salad called raita.
For a more elaborate menu, add a dessert — kheer (rice pudding) or falooda (great for summer).
Full Recipe Video
★ DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE COMMENT AND GIVE IT A STAR RATING BELOW!
Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani
Full tutorial video above. Chicken Biryani is an aromatic and mouth watering Indian dish with juicy chicken in layers of fluffy rice, fragrant spices and fried onions. It is easier than most recipes while retaining the authentic taste. Cook like a native but with more ease! Two methods below.
Course :Main Course
Cuisine :Indian
Servings: 12 Cups
Calories: 287kcal
Ingredients
Fried Onions
- ¾ lb onions yellow, thinly sliced
- 1½ cups cooking oil high smoke point, peanut oil
Chicken Marination
- 1½ lb chicken with bone, cut and clean, avoid chicken breast
- ⅔ cup yogurt plain
- 1½ tablespoons ginger garlic paste or grated ginger and garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust per taste
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric ground
- 1 chili pepper jalapeno, serrano or cayenne, adjust per taste
Spices for Marinade
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 black cardamom
- 5 green cardamom
- 5 cloves
- 1 bay leaves large
- 1 teaspoon shah Jeera Note 8
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Biryani Rice
- 2 cups basmati rice long grain
- 1 teaspoon salt 1¼ tablespoons salt if using cooking pot method
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil leftover from fried onions
- ¼ cup cilantro fresh, chopped
- 2 tablespoons mint fresh, chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon saffron ground and dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water
- 2 tablespoons ghee recommended
Whole Spices for Rice (Note 4)
- 1 black cardamom
- 3 green cardamom
- 4 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cinnamon stick
Equipment
- Rice Cooker
- Wide Cooking Pot 5 quart, 10 inch diameter, oven proof
Instructions
Fry Onions
- Heat oil at medium high in a wide frying pan. If you place your palm about 3 inches over the surface of oil, you should feel the heat. Or use a candy/fry thermometer to check temperature.
- Fry onions in batches. Do not crowd the pan. Fry until crisp light golden brown. Set aside.
Marinate Chicken
- In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken with all the marinade ingredients and ⅓ of fried onions. For yogurt, start with ½ cup and increase as needed to ¾ cup. The mixture should be thick and not runny.
- In a spice grinder, process spices for marinade until fine powder. Add to chicken marinade and mix. Marinate for about 3 to 5 hours.
Cook Rice (Two Methods, Choose one)
- Rinse rice 4 to 5 times in lots of water until it is clear. Drain well. Soak ⅓ cup basmati rice in water for one hour. Save the rest for next step.
- Rice Cooker Method: In a rice cooker, take 2½ cups of water, 1 teaspoon salt, 1½ tablespoons cooking oil and whole spices. Bring it to a rolling boil, add remaining 1⅔ cups basmati rice and stir. Cook rice just until all the water is absorbed. In my rice cooker this process takes about 15 to 20 minutes.It is important to NOT let the rice steam until it is fully done. When all the water is absorbed well, transfer cooked rice immediately over the chicken in the assembling step below.
- Cooking Pot Method (watch at 7:55 minutes in full video above): In a large cooking pot, boil 6 cups of water with 1¼ tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon cooking oil and whole spices. Add the rice and cook at medium high to high heat until the grains are soft but al dente like pasta, about 4 to 5 minutes, gently stirring in between. Drain rice in a colander and set aside.
Assemble Rice and Chicken Layers
- Scoop out and discard any watery liquid collected on the surface of the marinade. Transfer chicken with marinade to a wide, oven proof cooking pot (10 inch diameter). Tip: Chicken should be lightly coated with marinade. Too much marinade can make rice soggy.
- Top the marinated chicken with cilantro, mint, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ tablespoon cooking oil and most of the remaining fried onions.
- Drain the soaked basmati rice very well and spread it over the fried onion layer. This raw soaked rice will get cooked with the juices from chicken.
- Next, layer all the cooked rice. Top with remaining lemon juice, saffron water, fried onions and ghee. Tip: If you prefer, pick out the whole spices from cooked rice before steaming.
- Place one sheet of parchment paper, followed by two sheets of aluminum foil over the cooking pot. Place the lid tight for a good seal.
Steam (Two Methods, Choose One)
- Oven Method: Bake biryani in a preheated oven at 350ºF for one hour, until steam builds up well.
- Stove-Top Method: Heat the biryani at medium high for about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook for one hour until steam builds up well.
Serve
- Remove from oven or stove. Let it cool five minutes and gently mix rice and chicken. Using a spatula, mound the biryani on a serving plate, making sure to present the rice in various colors - white, yellow, orange and brown. Place some chicken pieces on the top. Scatter fried onions, herbs and extra saffron rice on top.
- Serve it with mirchi ka salan and raita.
Notes
- Rice cooker: Use minimal water to cook rice. Test 1¼ to 1½ cups water per cup of basmati rice and check.
- Frying onions: If you are unable to deep-fry onions then shallow-fry them until crisp golden brown like in this Persian noodle soup recipe and adjust oil used.
- Optimal amount of salt and oil is very important. If everything else is perfect and you don't use right amount of salt, that alone can ruin the taste of biryani. I use a minimum of 2 tablespoons of oil per cup of raw rice, as there are additional ingredients - chicken, onions, etc.
- Whole spices can also be cooked wrapped in a muslin cloth (like boquet garni) or in a metal mesh cooking infuser. If using whole spices for marinade, then double the amount of spices. Ground spices are more intense.
- Meal Prep: Combine chicken with marinade and fry onions a day before.
- Storage and Freezing: Leftovers can be stored in refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or frozen for later.
- Scale Recipe: Click on number of servings and slide. Adjust the cooking pot size.
- Shajeera: These are referred to as black cumin or black caraway seeds in Indian stores. The labeling is not consistent. Ask your Indian grocer for “shahjeera”.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 287kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 408mg | Potassium: 280mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 170IU | Vitamin C: 4.7mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1.1mg
Did you make this recipe?I would love to know about it. Tag me @thedeliciouscrescent.
More Indian Recipes
- Haleem (one pot dish)
- Egg Paratha (omelette layered paratha)
- Chicken Curry (with coconut sauce)
Troubleshooting
Here are fixes for common issues while making biryani. Comment below for any other troubleshooting questions.
How to prevent rice sticking or getting burnt in the bottom?
If cooking on stove top, place the cooking pot over a flat griddle or heat diffuser. This will help prevent the rice getting burnt in the bottom.
How to fix dry biryani?
Use chicken on bone. Cook with enough yogurt and juices but don't overcook the meat. Use optimal amount of water for the rice. And if rice is undercooked before steaming, then sprinkle some water all over before placing the lid.
How to fix wet biryani?
Scoop out juices collected over marinated chicken and discard. Do not use too much yogurt. And do not overcook rice, but if it get's overcooked then spread it on a large plate and aerate a bit before layering.
Biryani Masala
Grind all the spices below into a fine powder and store in airtight container. One fourth of this blend will be enough for the biryani recipe in this post. To make it more spicy, use extra spice blend.
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 4 black cardamom
- 20 green cardamom
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 4 large bay leaves
- 4 teaspoons black cumin seeds (shahjeera)
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon mace (optional)
This post was first published on The Delicious Crescent in May 2016 and has been updated for your benefit.
Dave Bloch
Hi Roxana, thanks for sharing your stunning recipe. If we have no grinder and want to use a store bought biryani mix, like Shan or Haveli, how many tablespoons should we use assuming we follow the same amounts of the other ingredients in your recipe.
Thanks Dave
Roxana Begum
Thanks Dave. I would check the amounts recommended on the package for the quantity of chicken and rice used. Also please keep in mind these mixes may have some salt and chili powder, so will need to adjust that as well.
Fiona
Roxana I was delighted to find your newsletter in my inbox this morning. Your recipes are lovely, and today I am preparing everything to make this special Chicken Biryani for tomorrow’s dinner. You explain everything in so much detail, and everything that I make from this blog always turns out perfectly. Thank you!
Roxana Begum
Thank you so much Fiona, for your lovely feedback. I appreciate you taking the time to share your insight. It makes my work so much more worthwhile.
Sara
Hi, I will be trying this recipe but wanted to first ask won’t the chicken burn or stick to the bottom of the pot when cooking for one hour in the oven? Any tips to prevent this? Thanks!
Roxana Begum
No, it will not. The chicken should be coated with sufficient marinade and arranged in a suitable sized cooking pot as mentioned in the recipe. The chicken will also release juices while cooking and is cooked with a tight fitting lid, so the steam that is generated will be retained inside. Please view the video and pictures, which should help further. For cooking on stovetop, please refer to troubleshooting tips.
Charlotte
This chicken biryani dish is the best I’ve ever tasted. Had to use mayo instead of yoghurt but still worked wonders. The layers of spicing is delicate but delicious. Thanks so much, Charlott
Ashraf calicut
Real taste, number one.
Dina Bruce
Wow this rice dish is just so wonderful! The spices were perfect! Yum!
Ashley
YUM - this is like a restaurant-level dish! Thank you for sharing this.
Roxana Begum
Yes and so easy too.
Beth
This is one of the best chicken dishes I have ever made in my life! The flavors are so bold!
Kate
This is the ultimate chicken biryani! Soooo flavorful.
Roxana Begum
So glad you like it.
Helen
Such a delicious blend of spices and herbs - so much great flavour!
Roxana Begum
Thanks yes in perfect balance.