Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani boasts of a beautiful cacophony of flavors that is known in the entire world. A delicious medley of fine long grain rice spices and chicken pieces, this Hyderabad Biryani is very easy to make and a delight to eat. Here is how to make it at home.
Some of the other biryani recipes I’ve posted are Mutton Biryani, Hyderabadi Vegetable Dum Biryani, Kathal Ki Biryani, Egg Dum Biryani, and a seafood special Fish Dum Biryani.
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What is Biryani?
Biryani is basically rice cooked with meat in layers and on very slow heat or dum.
There are many ways in which biryani is prepared and each method is unique and has its own significance, depending on which region it belongs too.
There is Hyderabadi Style Biryani, Lucknowi Biryani, Ambur Biryani, Donne Biryani, etc to name a few. Each and every region has its own Biryani and every one of them tastes delicious.
About This Recipe
Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani is a popular recipe made with rice, chicken, and a whole lot of spices. What’s great about Hyderabad biryani is its unique taste and influences from different parts of the world, especially from the Mughals.
It’s one dish that’s really close to everyone’s heart and the perfect definition of soul food.
This delectable dish is made with tender, juicy pieces of chicken cooked to perfection with Indian Spices and caramelized onions, each rice grain bearing the flavors of this royal treat.
Hyderabadi Biryani is prepared in two ways – Kacchi or Pakki Biryani.
Kacchi Biryani is where the meat is not cooked separately but gets cooked along with the rice while in the pakki biryani, the meat is cooked prior to layering it with rice.
The method I have mentioned below is Kacchi Biryani method and I will soon be posting the Pakki Biryani method too.
This Chicken Biryani is,
- Aromatic
- Lip-smacking
- Loaded with tender pieces of Chicken
- Perfect for special occasions
- Great for your weekend meals
- A great dish for Pot Lucks
Ingredients
Chicken – Here, I have used Chicken with bones which is the best for biryani. If it’s not available, you can use boneless chicken too.
First marination – Here, we will marinate the chicken twice for the best flavor. In the first marination, we will use ingredients including shahi jeera, ghee, ginger paste, garlic paste, garam masala powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, vegetable oil, green chili paste and lemon juice.
Second Marination – For the second marination, we will need yogurt, mint, coriander, and golden fried onion.
Rice – Use Long Grain Basmati Rice for the best results. They turn out separate, fluffy, and aromatic, which tastes yummy in this Biryani.
You can use any rice you want, but the long grain Basmati Rice gives you the best results.
For Potli – In the potli, we will add black cardamom, green cardamom, javitri, cloves, cumin seeds, black peppercorn, star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaf. This potli will be used to flavor the rice. The mild flavour from the potli makes all the difference.
Other Ingredients – Other than the above-mentioned ingredients, we will need cumin seeds, ginger garlic paste, green chili paste, kewra essence, lemon juice, ½ cup milk, saffron soaked in water and salt.
Step by Step Recipe
Mix shahi jeera, ghee, ginger paste, garlic paste, garam masala powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, vegetable oil, green chili paste and lemon juice in a bowl.
Add chicken and mix well.
Marinate the chicken for 10-12 hours.
Add yogurt, mint, coriander and golden fried onion in the marinated chicken and mix well.
Take a cloth and add black cardamom, green cardamom, javitri, cloves, cumin seeds, black peppercorn, star anise, cinnamon and bay leaf and make a potli.
Wash the rice and soak in water for 40-45 minutes. Heat water in a large pot. Add potli masala, cumin seeds, ginger garlic paste, green chilli paste, kewra essence, lemon juice and salt in the pot and bring the water to a boil.
Drain the rice and add it in the boiling water.
Transfer the chicken along with the marinade in a heavy bottom pan.
Once the rice gets 80% cooked, take it out using a sieve and spread it over the chicken evenly.
Sprinkle ½ cup milk, saffron soaked in water, golden brown onion and ghee on top.
Cover the pan tightly with a lid.
Place the pan on high heat and cook for 5-6 minutes. Simmer the eat to very low and cook the biryani for 35-40 minutes. Remove the lid and mix the biryani gently. Serve hot with raita or salan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Both the taste and visual appeal of Biryani should stand out in its preparation.
Now while this recipe takes care of the taste, the visual appeal comes only through rice grains.
Longer the grain better would be the biryani. I always choose the rice which is extra-long and stands out as individual grains.
This gives the visual appeal of a blooming flower and makes eating biryani an enjoyable experience.
Hence Basmati rice is the best choice to make Biryani, it stands out individually, without forming lumps while cooking.
In the market, you now even get specially selected long grain Basmati Rice, which is perfect for this Biryani.
The age of rice is also very crucial to make good biryani. Choose the rice grain which is at least 2 years old. The older the rice, the better it is.
Yes, you can follow the same recipe and make Mutton Biryani instead. You can even use raw papaya paste to tenderize the mutton. Also Mutton takes a longer time than Chicken to cook, so Mutton Biryani might take a little more time to cook.
This recipe uses two marinations,
For the first marination, I will recommend keeping it overnight or for a minimum of 10-12 hours, so that the meat soaks up the flavors really nice.
For the second marination, you can keep it aside for 15 minutes to 2 hours, depending upon how much time you have in your hands.
If you add all the ingredients in a pressure cooker and want to cook it like a one-pot meal, it is not considered Chicken Biryani, it is Chicken Pulao. Chicken Biryani has perfect layers, and thus cooking it in a certain way is important to get that traditional flavor.
To make green chilli paste, add a few green chillies in a grinder. Add little oil and grind to make a smooth paste. Use as much required in the recipe and store the rest in refrigerator for upto 7 days. You can also freeze this paste in ice cube tray and take out one cube for one recipe.
Storage Suggestions
Chicken Biryani can be stored in the refrigerator for upto 3 to 4 days in an airtight container. Heat it properly, before serving. If you have a lot of portion, heat only the amount you want to serve.
You can even freeze Biryani for about a month. Just let it cool down completely before freezing. Thaw it overnight and heat it again, before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Chicken Biryani can be served with any raita of your choices like Onion Tomato Raita, Boondi Raita, or Pineapple Raita.
You can serve Mirchi Ka Salan or Ande Ka Salan with it too.
Don’t forget to top the biryani with some browned onion before serving.
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Recipe Card
Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani Recipe
Ingredients
For the rice
- 3 cups Long Grain Basmati Rice
- 1 tsp Shahi Jeera
- 2 Black Cardamom
- 2-3 Green Cardamom
- 2 flowers Javitri
- 3-4 Cloves
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 5-6 Black Peppercorns
- 2 Bay Leaf
- 2 inch Cinnamon
- 2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1 tbsp Green Chilli Paste
- 4 tsp Salt
- 2-3 drops Kewra Essence
For the chicken
- 500 g Chicken (Curry Cut)
- 1 tsp Shahi Jeera
- 2 tsp Ghee
- 2 tsp Ginger paste
- 2 tsp Garlic Paste
- ½ tsp Garam Masala Powder
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- ½ tsp Cumin Powder
- 2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 2 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 4 tsp Green Chilli (Finely Chopped)
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 200 g Curd
- 2 tbsp Mint (Chopped)
- 2 tbsp Coriander (Chopped)
- ¼ cup Golden Fried Onion
For assembling the biryani
- ½ cup Milk
- 10-12 strands Saffron (Soaked in 2 tbsp milk)
- ½ cup Golden Fried Onion
- 3 tbsp Ghee
Instructions
For the rice
- Wash the rice and soak in water for 40-45 minutes.
- Heat 10-12 cups of water in a large pot.
- Take a cloth and add cumin seeds, black cardamom, green cardamom, javitri, cloves, cumin seeds, black peppercorn, cinnamon and bay leaf and make a potli.
- Add potli masala, ginger garlic paste, green chilli paste, kewra essence and salt in the pot and bring the water to a boil.
- Drain the rice and add it in the boiling water.
For the Chicken
- Mix chicken with shahi jeera, ghee, ginger paste, garlic paste, garam masala powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, vegetable oil, green chilli and lemon juice and marinate for 10-12 hours.
- Add curd, mint, coriander and golden fried onion in the marinated chicken and mix well.
Assembling the biryani
- Transfer the chicken along with the marinade in a heavy bottom pan.
- Once the rice gets 80% cooked, take it out using a sieve and spread it evenly over the chicken.
- Sprinkle ½ cup milk, saffron soaked in water , golden brown onion and ghee on top.
- Cover the pan tightly with a lid.
- Place the pan on a very slow heat for 35-40 minutes.
- Remove the lid and mix the biryani gently.
- Serve hot.
