Chicken Biryani Rice

Name: Chicken Biryani Rice
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (or substitute double the weight with bone-in chicken (skin removed)); 1 cup plain yogurt; ½ tbsp turmeric powder; 1 ½ tbsp ground garam masala powder; 2 tbsp ground biryani masala powder; ½ tbsp kashmiri chili powder (or other spicy chili powder); 1 tsp ground paprika; 4 cups basmati rice; 6 cups water; 5 garlic cloves; 3 tbsp fresh ginger; 8 cardamom pods; 4 star of anise; ½ cinnamon stick; 3 whole fresh chili; 4 tbsp ghee; 1 tbsp coconut oil; 2 medium red onion; 3 small tomato or 2 medium tomatoes; 10 fresh curry leaves; 4 bay leaves; 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander); 1 cup chopped fresh mint **optional; 40 cashews; ¼ cup of golden raisins; 1 white onion (fried)

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Chicken biryani rice is made with fragrant basmati rice, curry leaf, spices, ginger, garlic, marinated tender chicken, fresh mint, cilantro, toasted cashews, and golden raisins.

This is not categorized as a Mediterranean or Middle Eastern recipe, but it's too good to not share (kind of like this Bengali chicken curry). If you are looking for a way to try new spices and flavors and love chicken and rice, this recipe is for you, my friend!

Chicken Biryani

Biryani is popular across South Asia. There are many different variations, depending on the region.

My Sri Lankan friend, Sophia, gave me this Indian chicken biryani recipe that was passed through the Indian side of her family. She supervised me making it a few times, and I detail step by step instructions below. If I can make it, so can you!

Ingredients Notes

Chicken biryani rice has a lot of ingredients and spices. I will break down the spices into three categories: chicken marinade, biryani rice, and biryani rice toppings.

Chicken Marinade

Chicken: Use skinless chicken breast or a whole chicken cut up without the skin. Boneless skinless chicken breast is also an option.
Yogurt: Use plain yogurt, either fat-free or full-fat.
Chili powder: I like to use Kashmiri chili powder, however, any red chili powder is suitable. If you do not like spice, omit the chili powder.
Biryani masala powder: You might need to find this ingredient in a specialty grocery store or online. Biryani masala powder is a variety of ground spices that is an essential ingredient in this recipe.
Ground garam masala powder: Look for this in a specialty grocery store or online if you can't find it in your local grocery store.
Paprika: Any ground paprika works.
Tumeric: Ground turmeric gives this biryani recipe a nice color.
Lemon: Fresh lemon is the best option for this recipe.
Salt to taste

Rice Ingredient Notes

whole spices for Indian chicken biryani rice

Basmati rice: Basmati rice is the preferred rice for this dish. Sona masoori rice is a second preference.
Fresh curry leaf: This ingredient is hard to find at a local grocery store. I highly recommend using this ingredient if you can find it. Dried curry leaf is an appropriate substitute.
Garlic: I always recommend using fresh garlic. In this case, the garlic and ginger will be mashed together.
Fresh ginger: Use fresh ginger with the peel removed, if possible
Cardamom pods: Use whole dried green cardamoms.
Red onion: I prefer red onion, however, white onion and yellow onion are an appropriate substitute.
Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon is not an appropriate substitute. This recipe needs a whole cinnamon stick.
Star anise: This spice has a licorice taste and adds a lot of flavor to the rice. This ingredient needs to be whole as well. If it's ground, it will add too much flavor, which will overpower the rest of the dish.

Topping Notes

Golden raisins: Brown raisins are not an appropriate substitute. You can find golden raisins at your local grocery store. The raisins can be toasted or not toasted at all.
Cashews: I recommend buying raw cashews and toasting them.
Mint: Fresh mint leave are used for this recipe. I do not recommend using dried mint. If you don't have fresh mint on hand, omit the mint.

See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for ingredient quantities.

What Is Curry Leaf?

Fresh curry leaf is an herb that is different from curry powder. Curry leaf is very aromatic and adds a lot of flavor. When cooking with curry leaves, remove the leaves individually from the stem.

How To Make Indian Chicken Biryani Rice

Chicken biryani rice is split into three stages: marinating the chicken, making the rice, and making the rice toppings. I've broken these three stages into more detail in the next sections.

Marinate the Chicken

Remove the skin from the chicken, if there is any. Cut the chicken into 2" (5 cm) sections. Squeeze some fresh lemon and salt on the chicken. Let sit while preparing the biryani marinade.

chicken biryani marinade ingredients in a bowl

Add the yogurt, garam masala powder, biryani powder, chili powder, and turmeric powder in a bowl.

Mix everything. It will look a little bit like spicy mustard.

chicken marinating with biryani marinade

Add the biryani marinade to the chicken and mix well. Let the chicken marinate for a minimum of 15 minutes.

Soak the basmati rice grains for 10 minutes while the chicken is marinating.

Make The Biryani Rice

Prepare the ingredients. Slice the red onion. Slice the chili peppers down the middle. Roughly chop the tomatoes. Remove the peel from the ginger and cut it into similar-sized pieces as the garlic.

garlic and ginger mashed with a mortar and pestle

Mash the garlic and fresh ginger with a mortar and pestle until pulverized. A ginger garlic paste will form.

cooking the spices and red onion in ghee

Add the ghee and coconut oil to a large pot on medium-high heat. Once it's hot, add the cinnamon stick, curry leaf, red onion, cardamom pods, star anise, and bay leaf.

adding the marinated biryani chicken to the spices

Add the mashed garlic and ginger paste once the red onion softens. Then, add the sliced green chilies, marinated chicken pieces, and chopped tomatoes. Mix well. Turn the heat to medium and cover the pot. Cook for 10 minutes.

Add the soaked basmati rice.

Pour in the water (or stock). Mix everything. Turn the heat on high to get the rice to a boil. Once the rice starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium.

Once the water is level with the rice, stir the rice with two turns. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes on very low heat or until the rice is tender.

Prepare the Toppings

Roast the cashews and golden raisins in a pan in the oven at 400 ℉ (205 ℃) for 5 minutes. Alternatively, roast in a pan on the stovetop in a frying pan on medium heat until the color changes.

cashews and golden raisins on a pan to be toasted

Slice the white onion into circles. Deep fry in oil or pan-fry in olive oil until golden brown. Remove the fried onions using a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate.

Chop the mint and cilantro (coriander leaves).

adding chopped cilantro and chopped mint to the biryani rice

Mix the fresh herbs into the fluffy rice. Top the rice with toasted cashews, golden raisins, and caramelized onions.

Serve the cooked rice as a complete meal alongside a yogurt salad or bowl of homemade yogurt.

Tips and Tricks

Two types of chicken work best for this recipe: a whole chicken cut up into pieces with the bone (remove the skin) and using chicken breast chunks without the skin and bone.
Marinate the chicken. The chicken can be marinated while soaking the rice and preparing the biryani rice ingredients.
Use ghee. If you don't have ghee on hand, you can use butter. The taste will not be the same, but it will still be close enough.
Use long-grain rice(like basmati rice). Basmati rice is the best for this recipe, with sona masoori as a close second!

Substitutions and Variations

Use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breast.
Make this instant pot chicken biryani by cooking the rice in a pressure cooker.
Turn up the spice by adding more red chili powder or green chilis.

FAQs

Is chicken biryani very spicy?

If you make chicken biryani at home, you can control the spice. The recipe is spicy because of red chili powder and green chilies.

What does chicken biryani taste like?

Chicken biryani is aromatic rice that has fresh herbs, whole spices, fried onions, dried fruit, nuts, and marinated meat.

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