This One Pot Chicken Pulao or Chicken Tahari is a finger-licking spicy dish made keeping in mind the satiating blend of chicken, tomatoes, and aromatic basmati rice. This dish is perfect for a quick meal where everything is put into one pan and the result is a delicious flavourful Pulao.
Here are some of the other Pulao Recipes that I love to make for my weekday meals – Prawn Pulao, Mumbai Style Tawa Pulao, Hyderabadi Zafrani Pulao, Achari Chana Pulao, and Gosht Yakhni Pulao.
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What is Chicken Pulao?
When I crave for Chicken Biryani but need something easier and quick, this scrumptious Chicken Pulao comes to my rescue. Also known as Chicken Tahri, this Pulao is a finger-licking one-pot chicken and rice meal made using rice and is mildly flavored with Indian spices.
Believe me, This Chicken Pulao tastes just like your favorite biryani but is a lighter version of the same. While our usual biryani has layers, in this Pulao I have mixed everything together to make a one-pot meal.
With minimum preparation and very little time, it is a great dish that is perfect for a weekday dinner. It’s not heavy like a Biryani but tastes as delicious.
This dish is,
- One-Pot
- Complete meal
- Wholesome
- Delicious
- Comforting
- Mildly Spiced
- Cooked in less than 30 minutes
- Easy to adapt
Ingredients
Chicken Pulav requires very basic ingredients which are mostly available in Indian Pantry. This recipe is very adaptable and if something is not available, you can go ahead and skip it and it will still taste delicious.
For The Marination:
Chicken – Try to use bone-in chicken to make this pulao. The bone releases a lot of juice while cooking making this pulao very delicious. I used a whole chicken, but you can definitely use chicken thighs or drumsticks. If bone-in chicken is not available, you can use boneless chicken chunks as well.
Yogurt – Use plain thick yogurt to marinate the chicken.
Others – You will also need ginger garlic paste, basic spices like Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder. Mint and coriander add an amazing flavor to this pulao.
Freshly made garam masala adds a beautiful flavor to this pulao but if you are pressed with time, use the one that you already have.
For making the Pulao:
Rice – Use the best quality basmati rice to make it. Having said that, this dish tastes great with any kind of rice.
So don’t be afraid to try out the one that you have in your pantry. Even brown rice works great in this recipe. Just increase the liquid a bit if using it.
Ghee – I have cooked this pulao in ghee. You can also cook it in vegetable oil or any other oil of your choice.
Liquid – I have used water to cook the rice and chicken but you can use chicken broth or coconut milk to cook the pulao.
Adding coconut milk, will give you a slight different flavour with a subtle creamy texture.
Spices – You will need regular whole spices like cloves, cinnamon, black cardamom, and black peppercorn.
When added to hot oil, these whole spices adds a delicious flavour and aroma to the Pulao.
Fresh Ingredients – You will need fresh ingredients like onion, green chilli, ginger paste, tomato, lime juice, mint, and cilantro.
Make sure that the mint leaves and cilantro are fresh and not wilted, otherwise, they will not adding the required refreshing taste.
You can adjust the amount of green chilies as per your taste. If you do not like spicy food or making it for your kids, you can completely avoid adding it.
How to make Chicken Pulao
Add chicken, yogurt, ginger garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, salt, mint, and coriander in a bowl.
Leave aside for 30 minutes.
Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan.
Once the ghee is hot, add cloves, cinnamon, black cardamom, and black peppercorn and fry for a few seconds.
Add onion and fry for 2-3 minutes.
Add ginger paste and fry for 3-4 minutes.
Now add green chilli and tomato and fry for 2-3 minutes.
Add the chicken with marinade and cook for 3-4 minutes on high heat.
Simmer the heat and cover and cook until chicken is 80% done. Remove the lid and cook on high heat until all the water is reduced.
Add lemon juice and rice along with 3 and ½ cups of water and salt to taste.
Top the pulao with coriander and mint.
Cover the pan with a tight lid. Cook the pulao on very low heat for 20-25 minutes.
Remove the lid and fluff the pulao with a fork. Drizzle some ghee on top. Garnish with fried onion, fresh coriander, and mint and serve hot with raita.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken Pulao is a one-pot meal, which gets ready in just 30 minutes, whereas Chicken Biryani has a lengthy process and is time-consuming.
In Chicken Biryani, there are layers of Chicken Masala, Flavoured Rice, Fried Onions, etc, everything is cooked separately and then cooked together once more on dum, but in Chicken Pulao, it is a mish-mash of everything. You just put everything together, cook, and your Chicken Pulao is ready.
I use long grain Basmati Rice to make my Pulao too, as they are aromatic and turns out fluffy and separate. Having said that, you can make this pulao in any rice that you have handy.
You can even use other healthy alternatives such as Brown Rice, Quinoa, Couscous, Broken Wheat instead of white rice to make this Pulao. But make sure, that the cooking time will differ in each of these ingredients.
Yes, you can use Mutton instead of Chicken to make the Pulao, but the cooking time will differ. Mutton takes longer than Chicken to cook.
You can even use Prawns or Fish instead of Chicken in this Pulao.
Serving Suggestions
Chicken Pulao is a delicious meal in itself and hardly need any accompaniments along.
But if you have time, serve it with Onion Tomato Raita or Boondi Raita and some Mint Coriander Chutney to take it to the next level.
You can also serve fried Papad and sliced Onions on the side. I also make Kachumber Salad sometimes to go with this Chicken Pulao and Raita.
You can also serve it along with your favorite Salan such as Keema Kaleji, Mirchi Ka Salan, or Egg Salan.
Do top the pilaf with crispy Birista, fried cashew nuts and almonds, and fresh mint and cilantro.
Variations
Green Masala – You can add a green masala made using coriander, mint and green chilies in the pulao to make Green Chicken Pulao. Make a paste of the greens and add it in the pulao along with other ingredients.
Mild Chicken Pulao – Skip adding the spice powders and make a very mild chicken ka pulao using only whole spices. The whole spices add a delicious flavor and aroma to this Pulao.
Saffron -You can also make a saffron-flavored chicken pulao by adding saffron soaked milk while cooking the rice.
Potato & Peas – You can add big chunks of potato pieces and green peas in the Pulao along with Chicken, just like the Bengali Style Biryani.
Veggies – You can add vegetables like carrot, peas, methi or fenugreek leaves, spinach leaves, or beans to this pulao to make it more filling and healthier.
Coconut Milk – Instead of cooking the rice in water, use thin coconut milk instead for an added flavour and creamy texture.
Instant Pot Recipe (Electric Pressure Cooker)
This Chicken Tahari can be easily made in an Instant Pot or an electric pressure cooker. The process is almost the same as the stovetop method.
You just have to reduce the amount of liquid and the cooking time is much less when made in Instant Pot. So here you go.
- Add chicken, curd, ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, salt, mint, and coriander in a bowl. Leave aside for 30 minutes.
- Press SAUTE mode in Instant Pot and add ghee in it.
- Once the ghee is hot, add cloves, cinnamon, black cardamom, and black peppercorn and fry for a few seconds.
- Add onion and fry until slightly browned.
- Add ginger paste and fry for 3-4 minutes.
- Now add green chili and tomato and fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the chicken with marinade and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add lemon juice and rice along with 1 cup of water and salt to taste.
- Close the lid of the Instant Pot and press PRESSURE COOK.
- Set the timer to 6 minutes and close the lid of the pot.
- Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release automatically for 10 minutes.
- Move the valve to open and release the extra pressure.
- Open the lid and fluff the pulao with a fork.
- Drizzle some ghee on top.
- Garnish with fried onion, fresh coriander, and mint and serve hot with raita.
Storage Suggestions
This Pulao will stay good in the refrigerator for about 2 days in a sealed container.
Heat it on a pan or microwave, before serving it again. If you feel it has gone dry, sprinkle a little water on top and heat it properly.
Pro Tips By Neha
Wash the rice 2-3 times.
Make sure you soak the rice for about 20 to 30 minutes before cooking, as it will result in fluffy and separate rice.
You can marinate the chicken for as long as you want. If you are planning to make it in the morning, you can marinate it overnight too.
Use long grain Basmati Rice for the best results, as they turn out be more aromatic.
For a healthy version of this Pulao, use quinoa or brown rice instead of white rice.
Make this Pulao in ghee for the best taste. Ghee or Clarified Butter adds a rich flavour to this Chicken Pulao.
Do not miss out on mint and coriander leaves, it takes the dish to another level and use the fresh ones.
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Recipe Card
Chicken Pulao Recipe
Ingredients
- 750 g Chicken (Curry Cut)
- 1 cup Yogurt
- 2 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- 3 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
- 2 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tsp Garam Masala Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Mint (Chopped)
- 2 tbsp Coriander (Chopped)
- 3 tbsp Ghee
- 3-4 Cloves
- 2 inch Cinnamon Stick
- 2 Black Cardamom
- 1 cup Onion (Sliced)
- 1 tsp Ginger Paste
- 3-4 Green Chilli (Slit into half)
- 1 cup Tomato (Chopped)
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 2 cups Basmati Rice
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Add chicken, yogurt, ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, salt, mint and coriander in a bowl.
- Leave aside for 30 minutes.
- Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan.
- Once the ghee is hot, add cloves, cinnamon, black cardamom and black peppercorn and fry for a few seconds.
- Add onion and fry until slightly browned.
- Add ginger paste and fry for 3-4 minutes.
- Now add green chilli and tomato and fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the chicken with marinade and cook for 3-4 minutes on hight heat.
- Simmer the heat and cover the pan. Cook until chicken is 80% done.
- Remove the lid and cook on high heat until all the water is reduced.
- Add lemon juice and rice along with 3 cups of water and salt to taste.
- Cover the pan with a tight lid.
- Cook the pulao on very low heat for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove the lid and fluff the pulao with a fork.
- Drizzle some ghee on top.
- Garnish with fried onion, fresh coriander and mint and serve hot with raita
STEVE SALLOOM
Dear Neha,
Since I made the chicken biryani last time, I had left over spices (I made extra then). I decided to use these spices in making Chicken Pulao using your recipe.
Based on the experience making chicken biryani, my family is not much of rice eaters. They love the chicken and they can skip the rice. So for this recipe, I used 2- cups of Basmati Rice but I used 6.5 pounds (~3 kilograms) of chicken, legs and thighs. Every member of the family also received one boiled egg that I also cooked in the pot.
I used homemade chicken broth rather than just plain water. I also used a 9-quart (~8.5 liter) heavy bottom cooking vessel, Le Creuset.
The whole pot was consumed in two sittings, lunch and dinner, with a cup of cooked rice left behind.
I managed not to burn the Le Creuset by stirring the contents frequently. I also made sure that there was plenty of liquid present in the vessel.
Overall, the Chicken Pulao was very tasty and relatively easy to make. The next time I make either Chicken Biryani or Chicken Pulao, I would like to experiment with a few modifications.
Thank you for a lovely healthy and easy recipe!!
Neha Mathur
Happy to hear 🙂