
اَعُوْذُ بِاللهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيْمِ
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمن الرَّحِيْمِ
Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaathu everyone!
If you haven’t had biryani rice, then you are missing out. There are so biryani recipes out there, but this Pakistani chicken biryani recipe is the one for me.
The first time I made homemade Sindhi chicken biryani masala instead of using a store-bought masala was in Ramadan. I had absolutely no clue how to make chicken biryani without the packet and I looked up a lot of recipes to finally come up with my own. When I finally did make it my sister and mother liked it, but my brothers not so much. My brothers claimed it was really bland and didn’t have any flavour. I decided that the next time I would have to adjust the ingredients accordingly in the hope that the biryani would have more flavour. And it worked! I actually prefer this chicken biryani recipe to restaurant style chicken biryani as I always find the Indian rice in restaurants quite hard.
Another tip I have is to wash the rice really thoroughly and be sure to soak it. I know some people don’t do that, but I have noticed a significant difference when I have been too lazy to soak the rice or have forgot to. When you wash the rice, it helps to remove the starch. Depending on the rice you use you might need to wash more or less as some rice is not as starchy as others. Soaking the rice is important because the rice absorbs the water to give a fluffier texture. Again, the length of time of the soaking depends on the type of rice used as some will need to be soaked for longer. Be careful not to oversoak the rice as that is a thing.
So, this might sound strange to you now, but the way I make this chicken dum biryani recipe is by putting it in the oven. It’s something that I have learnt from my mother. You can just cover it with a lid and allow it to steam on top as I have written in the recipe, but I find putting in the oven actually helps a lot and makes the rice absorb all the flavours and the chicken becomes really tender and moist. You can do it without putting it in the oven and it will still taste delicious, but I really do recommend you put it in the oven for the best chicken biryani. I usually put it in the oven for half an hour at gas mark 8 and the rice becomes really soft and absorbs all the flavours from the chicken masala. Trust me, try it. If you don’t have an oven you can always use the hob.
On my YouTube video I have double the amount of the ingredients that I have written in this recipe and that’s because someone pointed out that the amount makes a lot of food. I have a very big family, but I realise most people do not. I have adjusted it accordingly so it makes a smaller amount and I would say this recipe as is would probably feed about 6-8 people.
Try this spicy rice recipe for the perfect chicken dum biryani.
Chicken Biryani
Chicken biryani is an aromatic, mouth-watering and authentic Indian dish with succulent chicken in layers of fluffy rice and fragrant spices. This chicken recipe is easier than most recipes but retains the authentic. A Pakistani chicken biryani recipe that is filled with vibrant colours and bursting with flavour from the array of spices and herbs. Biryani might seem like a challenging and demanding dish but with this chicken dum biryani recipe you will be able to make the best chicken biryani to please all your guests. It tastes so good that you will be able to serve it up even a few days later. Sure to become a family favourite, this easy chicken biryani is not too spicy and is perfect for a weeknight dinner alongside homemade raita.
Ingredients
- For Boiling Rice:
- 2 tsp Salt/Namak
- 400g Rice
- For Chicken Masala:
- 500g Chicken
- 25ml Vegetable Oil
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 Bay Leaves/Tez Paat
- ½ tsp. Black Peppercorns
- ½-inch Cinnamon Stick/Darchini
- ½ tsp. Cloves/Laung
- 2 Black Cardamoms/Bari Elachi
- 3 Green Cardamoms/Choti Elachi
- ½ tsp. Cumin Seeds/Jeera
- 2 Onions/Pyaz (finely diced)
- 5 Garlic Cloves/Lehsan (chopped)
- ½-inch Ginger/Adrak (crushed)
- 1 Tomato
- 2 tsp. Salt/Namak
- 2 tsp. Chilli Powder/Laal Mirch Powder
- 2 tsp. Garam Masala
- ½ tsp. Turmeric Powder/Haldi
- ½ tsp. Coriander Powder/Dhaniya Powder
- ½ tsp. Black Pepper/Kali Mirch Powder
- 75g Yoghurt/Dahi
- 150g Potatoes/Aloo
- Coriander/Dhaniyaa (finely chopped)
- For Layering:
- 2 Green Chillies/Hari Mirch (finely chopped)
- Coriander/Dhaniyaa (finely chopped)
Directions
- In a bowl wash the rice until the water runs clear
- Leave it to soak it in cold water for at least an hour
- In a pan, heat up the vegetable oil on medium heat
- Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, cloves, black cardamoms and green cardamoms
- Sauté the whole spices for a few minutes
- Add the sliced onions, garlic cloves, ginger and salt
- Cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes until the onions are softened
- Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes
- Add the garam masala, chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and cumin seeds
- Cook for 10-15 minutes until the spices are cooked
- Add the chicken and mix
- Cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the colour of the chicken changes
- Whilst the chicken is cooking, boil the rice until almost cooked and drain
- Add the yoghurt and mix before cooking for another 10 minutes
- In another pot, add some water and allow to come to a boil
- Add the soaked rice and cook the rice until 80% cooked
- Drain the rice and layer the rice, chicken masala, green chillies and coriander
- Cover with lid and allow to cook for 20-25 minutes on low heat
- Your chicken biryani is ready!
Made this today
Best homemade Briyani ever 😍
Hats off to you
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! Nothing beats a plate of homemade biryani!
LikeLike
So this recipe needs 1.25 kg of rice?
LikeLiked by 1 person
i am so sorry! That was a mistake on my part. I only used 750g, but you can adjust it accordingly to how much you want it. I have updated the recipe so it should only say 750g now!
LikeLike
So, I made this. It doesn’t say anywhere how many servings this is for, so I’ll tell you: it made 8 x 500g portions. That’s 4 kilos of food! I had to use 2 pots – one in the oven, one on the stove.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Vince,
I apologise for the inconvenice. My recipes always make a lot more than what people would usually make as I have a large family. I will keep your comment in mind and adjust future recipes accordingly. I will remake this biryani recipe to update it to create a recipe for a smaller amount of biryani. How did the biryani taste?
Sadia
LikeLike
The actual curry was good. The rice came out sticky, but I think that’s because it was such a big batch that it was difficult to wash and par-cook. In future, I would probably make the rice in 2 or 3 batches. I thought that the whole biryani was too salty, but perhaps that’s my taste. I also think that it’s a bit too spicy, but that could be because I added too many fresh chillies – especially since it already has chilli powder and 2 rounds of black pepper.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much for your words! I will take this into mind and will adjust the recipe accordingly to make a smaller serving. 🙂 I often forget that not everyone will be cooking for so many!! I will be remaking this recipe soon, so I can update it.
LikeLike