Chicken Biryani

During Winter, curry, in any shape or form is on our menu at least twice a week, but during the hotter Summer months when a blow-your-head-off curry just seems too unbearable to handle, I still need my spicy fix, so I often revert to biryani. I have an intense love of anything lamb but chicken is a close second. Not only is it cheaper but it also requires less cooking time which means the biryani gets to be eaten sooner. Even though the best curries are made with a variety of aromatic spices, if you don’t have all the spices in your pantry you can easily use a good quality curry paste and curry powder/garam masala. An old Indian friend of mine gave me many of her mom’s tips for making the best biryani and adding a layer of crispy potatoes to the top was one. Another was to serve the finished biryani with buttermilk sauce which is a non-negotiable for us now.

Ingredients Needed

Basmati rice. Chicken breasts. Boneless chicken thighs can be used too. Onion. Fresh garlic cloves. Ginger. Spices: Cardamom pods, cumin, coriander, turmeric powder, paprika, hot masala. Spice shops often have biryani masala which will also be delicious. Other spices like cinnamon stick, red chili powder, bay leaf and saffron can also be used. Chicken broth/chicken stock. Chopped tomatoes. Salt and black pepper. Potatoes. For the buttermilk raita: Buttermilk, coriander, cumin, turmeric, chilli powder, fresh lemon juice and salt. For the spiced butter: Butter/ghee, turmeric and salt.

How to make chicken biryani

Biryani can seem complicated as there are so many steps before you get to the final dish but they are all so worth it. Start by making a simple chicken curry. Fry the chicken until golden brown then remove from the pan. Add all the aromatics and fry until fragrant then add the chicken back in. Pour in the tomatoes and stock and allow to simmer until the chicken is cooked. To speed things up, I cook the rice in chicken stock until almost completely cooked as then it the biryani needs less time in the oven. Fry the potatoes until crisp and do the same with the onions and then it’s assembly time. In a large pot or Dutch oven, layer the rice with the chicken curry and spoon over spiced butter in between. Top with the crisp potatoes and fried onions then cover and bake until golden brown on top. Serve with the buttermilk raita or a spoonful of yogurt and sprinkle over fresh coriander leaves/cilantro.

What kind of rice is used in biryani?

You can use any long grain rice for biryani but Basmati rice is traditionally used. I love using Jasmine rice as well as the rice adds such fragrance to the finished dish.

Is garam masala and curry powder the same?

Although both are spice blends, Garam Masala is often more flavorful and packs a larger punch than curry powder. Curry powder is most often based on turmeric where as Garam Masala is not. Garam Masala also varies from region to region and often contains sweeter spices like nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom. If you can’t find Garam Masala, try to use a really good quality spice blend/curry powder.