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. There is a 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 justly 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 This Recipe Works
One Step: You don't have to cook the chicken separately before layering it with the rice.
Perfect Rice: Two easy cooking techniques for fluffy rice - (1) a more reliable rice cooker method and (2) great tips for traditional method.
What Makes a Perfect Biryani
- Texture of Rice Grains: The cooked rice is fluffy and separate. If you take a fistful of biryani and throw it on a plate, the rice will scatter like pearls and not clump together. With this recipe you will get that perfection every single time!
- 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 has rice grains in a variety of colors from the absorption of spices, juices and saffron.
Ingredient Notes
- Basmati Rice:Ā I use the highest quality aged long grain basmati rice from a popular brand, such as India Gate Classic. 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:Ā Just plain regular yogurt that is neither too thick nor too runny. Avoid Greek yogurt. To make it dairy free, try coconut yogurt.
- Spices:
- I use ground spices to marinate the chicken. If using whole spices, double the amount because ground spices are more intense.
- Flavor the rice with whole spices wrapped in a muslin cloth or metal mesh cooking infuser.
- Homemade biryani masala recipe is below. 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 amazing taste.
- Saffron:Ā High quality saffron adds great flavor. Read more hereĀ 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.
How To Make Easy Biryani
*Here is the step-by-step overview of the process. Full recipe with measurements and video tutorial are below in the post.
Fry the Onions
- Slice onions very thinly and fry them in batches using fresh oil, until crisp and light golden brown.
- Don't let them turn soggy or dark brown. Drain on paper towels.
Marinate the Chicken
- In a wide cooking pot, combine chicken with all marinade ingredients, ā fried onions and ground biryani spice blend. Marinate for 3 to 5 hours.
- 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 1Ā½ to 2 times the quantity of rice.
Cook Rice (Two Methods)
- Rinse basmati rice until clear. Soak ā cup rice in water. Use remaining rice for cooking.
- Rice cooker method: Bring water to a boil with salt and oil. Add rice and cook just until water is absorbed. Tip: Test a ratio of 1Ā¼ to 1Ā½ cups water for 1 cup basmati rice.
Traditional method (watch at 7:55 minutes in full video below): Boil rice in lots of salted water, using a ratio of 3 cups of water for 1 cup of rice with 2 teaspoons of salt. Cook it al dente like pasta, for 4 to 5 minutes and drain the rice immediately. We use this method for our lamb biryani recipe. Tip: For this method, soaking rice prior to cooking will make the grains stronger.
Assemble Rice and Chicken in Layers
- Top the marinated chicken with chopped cilantro, mint, half lemon juice, some oil and most of the remaining fried onions. Tip: If cooking on stove, use a thick bottomed cooking pot. Very deep and tall pots are not suitable.
- Add Soaked Rice: Drain soaked rice and spread it over the chicken. This raw rice will absorb all the juices from the marinade while cooking.
- Final Rice Layer: Transfer all the cooked rice over marinated chicken. Top with remaining fried onions, lemon juice, saffron water and ghee.
Steam and Serve
- Steaming: Cover with parchment paper, followed by aluminum foil and fit the lid tight for perfect seal. Bake in oven for one hour, until steam builds up well. (Stove top method: Alternatively, heat biryani at medium high for 10 minutes and then simmer at low for one hour until steam builds up well.)
- Serve: Cool biryani for five minutes. Gently mix rice and chicken and enjoy!
How to Serve
Biryani is typically served at festive occasions and considered a complete meal, along with a saucy 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, you can add other dishes such as:
- Mains: Nihari, Keema Curry
- Bread: Naan, Paratha
- Vegetarian: Aloo Gobi, Tadka Dal
- Appetizers: Meat Cutlets, Fish Patties
- Desserts: Kheer, Falooda
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
- ā teaspoon nutmeg
- ā teaspoon mace (optional)
Troubleshooting
Here are fixes for common issues while making biryani. Comment below for any other troubleshooting. I grew up cooking this amazing dish and will be glad to help.
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.
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.
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.
More Rice Recipes
- Hyderabadi Lamb Biryani
- Saffron rice with chicken, yogurt and spinach
- Chicken Kabsa
- Persian green bean rice
Full Recipe Video
ā DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE COMMENT AND GIVE IT A STAR RATING BELOW!
Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani
Ingredients
Fried Onions
- Ā¾ lb onions yellow, thinly sliced
- 1Ā½ cups cooking oil high smoke point, peanut oil
Chicken Marination
- 1Ā½ lb chicken with bone, cut and clean, avoid chicken breast
- ā cup yogurt plain
- 1Ā½ tablespoons ginger garlic paste or grated ginger and garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust per taste
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Ā½ teaspoon turmeric ground
- 1 chili pepper jalapeno, serrano or cayenne, adjust per taste
Spices for Marinade (Note 4)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 black cardamom
- 5 green cardamom
- 5 cloves
- 1 bay leaves large
- 1 teaspoon shah Jeera Note 10
- Ā½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Biryani
- 2 cups basmati rice long grain
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust per taste
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil leftover from fried onions
- Ā¼ 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 6)
- 1 black cardamom
- 3 green cardamom
- 4 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- Ā½ cinnamon stick
Equipment
- Wide Frying Pan
- Rice Cooker
- Wide Cooking Pot 5 quart, 10 inch diameter, oven proof
- Spice Grinder
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 ā of fried onions. For yogurt, start with Ā½ cup and increase as needed to Ā¾ 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 aboutĀ 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 ā cup basmati rice in water for one hour. Save the rest for next step.
- Rice Cooker Method: In a rice cooker, take 2Ā¼ cups of water, Ā¾ teaspoon salt, 1Ā½ tablespoons cooking oil and whole spices. Bring it to a rolling boil, add remaining 1ā 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 layering 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 1Ā¼ 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, stirring in between. Drain rice in aĀ colanderĀ 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, Ā½ 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 350ĀŗF 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.Ā
- Serve it with mirchi ka salan or Hyderabadi tomato egg curry and raita.
Notes
- Rinse basmati rice several times until the water is clear and not starchy.Ā
- Rice cooker: Use minimal water to cook rice. Test 1Ā¼ to 1Ā½ 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.
- Branded biryani spice mixes may include salt and chili powder. If using that, then adjust salt and chili powder.Ā
- 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.Ā
- Meal Prep: Combine chicken with marinade and fry onions a day before.Ā
- 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 āshahjeeraā.
Nutrition
More Indian Recipes
This post was first published on The Delicious Crescent in May 2016 and has been updated for your benefit.
Judy baldwin
My hubby and i were on holiday in Newzealand and decided to go and have dinner in an idian resturant.Im a lover of Chicken Byriani. However the meal was not of any kind of standard just rice slop wirh the smallest amount if chicken.so i googled chicken Byriani.and came accross this recipe.
I made for dinner tonight OMG Delicious far better than the slop we were served in Newzealand.
Delicious and mouth watering perfection thank you.
Very easy to make
St
In one spot you say Shajeera is black cumin and in another recipe you call Shajeera Black caraway. Which is it? Pictures will help
Roxana Begum
Google for shajeera and the pics that show up on Indian spice websites will give clear idea. I plan to post a video of the recipe too.
Saif
Chicken Biryani is one of my favorite chicken dish. The first time I tried this when my indian neighbor invited me in his place, and made this dish. It is absolutely mouthwatering
absul
Thanks for this step by step recipe . I will definrtly try this recipe. oits alsmost simlar to the swahili east african coast biryani. thanks
Theron
Looking forward to trying this recipe today. In the event I'm going to be using pasta method of pre-cooking the rice, when would I add the Biryani spice blend? I'm thinking to add 1/3 to the chicken marinade and the rest to the rice after I pre-cook it, but I'm not sure if that's the best method.
Thanks and I'll update you on the results (using a serrano, so should be spicy which I life).
Roxana Begum
The ground spices listed as "biryani spices" in the recipe are for mixing into the chicken marinade. And the "whole spices" are for the rice, but optional.
Andy
Namaste Roxana. It says in spice blend notes that only 1/4 of the spice blend recipe is enough for the following briyani recipe. But then in the briyani recipe you wouldnt know to use only a 1/4 of spice blend. If only 1/4 is needed it should be very very clear in the briyani recipe itself. Maybe in brackets in marination notes and in brackets on ingredients for spice blend. Is only 1/4 needed or all of it? Thank you so much
Roxana Begum
Thanks for your feedback :) The full recipe with all ingredients is in the recipe card at the end of post. The "biryani spice blend" listed in blog post is if you want to make it in bulk for multiple use.
Ash
This is an amazing recipe! I love all your tips in the beginning too and most importantly everyone loved it and gobbled it up in the blink of an eye!
Gen
Made this, just! Amazing taste! Only bit you gotta be careful on is the spices part - these are strong-tasting spoces, so be sure to follow the recipe closely. Thanks for this!
Roxana Begum
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback :)
Genn
Ive never made briyani in my life and Iām trying this tonight! Iāll share the outcome later on!
Mark
I made this a while ago as a birthday treat to myself, and it was beyond worth the herculean labours of tracking down the ingredients here. So much so that I've made it several times since. This time, I'm remembering to say: Thanks!!!!
Roxana Begum
So happy :) thanks for sharing.
Lucy
This looks delicious! Iād like to make it, but with a pre-ground Biryani spice mix. Approximately how much of the mix should I use in TBSPs?
Roxana Begum
It depends on the spice mix because they may differ in aromatic intensity. You could try one tablespoon and adjust next time. But do check the amount of chili powder and salt in the mix and adjust for the recipe.
Mai
The dish looks delicious. Iām going to make it over the weekend. Iām a bit confuse on the Assembly directions step 2... was more spice added to the mixture before adding the uncool rice?
Roxana Begum
Sorry, I didnt understand that well. But ground spices are used for the chicken and whole spices for rice.
Sripada das
Hello Roxanna,
What a fantastic recipe. I made this and followed the instructions to the letter and it turned out beautifully. i want to make this with lamb instead of chicken. What changes would i need to make?
Regards
Roxana Begum
Thank you so much Sripada. With lamb, I would choose tender lamb (young) which I know will cook in an hour. If not sure about cooking time, then cook about 1/3rd done and then proceed. I would mix in about 2 full tbsp raw papaya paste for tenderizing meat.
Hannah
I donāt have a rice cooker - does it matter? How should I cook the rice without one?
Roxana Begum
You can boil the rice in lots of salted water and drain as in this dill rice recipe
Soumya
If i use garam masala powder for the marinade, how much should i use?
Roxana Begum
It depends on the garam masala powder because they may differ in aromatic intensity. You could try one tablespoon and adjust for the next time.
Anonymous
Ughhhhh! Amazing! I just made this today and just finished my plate. Sooo delicious. I had it with a hot lentil curry and Raita... saving this for many many many more biryani occasions. Thank you!
Elena Petrova
It is a great recipe. Now I can cook byriani like a pro. My husband used to order this a lot from takeaway, now he tried mine and said it was authentic and excellent. My previous attempts with other byriani recipes were not nearly as good
Roxana Begum
I loved reading this Elena. So happy :)
Vince
Are black caraway seeds nigella seeds?
Roxana Begum
No, not nigella seeds. Please get the Shahjeera at an Indian store. They are variably referred to as black cumin or black caraway. The shahjeera are thin, dark and slightly curved at the tips like caraway seeds.
Adlena
Thank you for the lovely recipe with precise instructions. I would be trying out this recipe soon hopefully it turns out well. I have a question regarding the oil used for frying the onions. Do we discard the oil after using or would it be included into the biryani rice later?
Also, the regarding the amount of salt used. Do we only add salt when cooking the biryani rice or also into the chicken marinade?
Roxana Begum
Thanks Adlena. The 1.5 cups of oil mentioned for frying onions is to be used only for frying. You will not need to use that oil from frying into the biryani. Later in the recipe there is some olive oil listed for using with the rice. Salt is included in the ingredients for both the marinade and rice in the recipe.
John Pereira
thanks for giving tipes how to make biryani