Chicken Biryani – An Easy Recipe Guaranteed to be Delicious
As crazy as it may seem, there are literally thousands of recipes for preparing chicken. Now, with the holiday season approaching, it’s understandable to find ourselves in a situation looking for something new, yet familiar. Not every recipe is easy to follow, but with some experience and time on our side, there is a strong chance that our dish will be delish. However, it is difficult to choose from a sea of recipes.
An easy way is to explore the Arabic cuisine which you can do on Coctil and even easier is to try a recipe that is almost guaranteed to become finger-licking, e.g. chicken biryani! Though it’s elaborate, the ample use of spices, the fragrant basmati rice and pleasant colour combination arisen from using saffron make chicken biryani an all-time favorite dish. Here’s one of the simplest recipes you should try this holiday.
Chicken Biryani
Ingredients
For Marinade
- 2 tablespoons of garam masala (ingredients and method given below)
- 1 tablespoon of chili powder
- 1 1-inch piece of ginger
- 2 tablespoons of garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- ¾ cup of plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoon of turmeric powder
- ½ cup of cilantro, chopped
- 1-2 green chili peppers
- 2 tablespoons of salt
For Garam Masala (for marinating)
- 1 tbsp. big cumin seeds (Shah Jira)
- 1 ½ tbsp. coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp. seeds of big cardamom (Badi Ilaichi)
- 2-3 1-inch pieces of cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. cloves
- 1 tbsp. fennel seeds (Saunf)
- 1-2 anise pods (optional)
- 2 tbsp. of oil
For Whole Garam Masala
- 1 ½ tbsp. cloves
- 1 ½ tbsp. black peppers
- 3-4 bay leaves
For Chicken
- 2lb of skinless chicken cut into 10-12 pieces
- 2 big onions sliced
- Salt to taste
- Water for cooking
For Rice
- 3 cups of Basmati rice
- 3 tablespoons of ghee
- 2 tablespoons of salt
- Water for cooking
- 6 eggs boiled and shelled (for garnishing – optional)
- 1 teaspoon of saffron crushed in one tablespoon of warm milk
- Chopped green cilantro for garnishing
Instructions
For Garam Masala
Stir fry all the ingredients given in the section of garam masala till they become brown. Then grind them in a grinder to make a fine powder.
For Green Spice Paste:
Grind ginger, garlic, green chili peppers and cilantro by adding a little water to make a fine thick paste.
For Marinating
Add garam masala, green spice paste, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt and lemon juice to yogurt. Coat every piece of chicken with this mixture evenly. Keep it aside for at least half an hour. You can even refrigerate it overnight.
For Chicken
Turn your instant pot on and then add 2 tablespoons of ghee and sliced onions. Stir it frequently during the next 15 minutes, or until you notice the onion begins to caramelize. Take out some of it, to garnish biryani later on. Add one tablespoon of ghee to IP when you notice that the rest of the onions have caramelized in the pot. If you want your dish to be extra hot, you can add jalapeno. Then add marinated chicken. Add water till the chicken pieces are submerged. Set IP to manual mode for 4 minutes for chicken on bone, and 3 minutes if it’s boneless on Saute mode. Let it cook till dried. Take it out and keep it aside.
For Biryani
Wash basmati rice and keep it aside for draining for approximately 20 minutes. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of ghee in your IP and first fry whole cloves, black peppers and bay leaves over it till they become light brown. Then fry rice over the ghee. If it seems too dry, add more ghee. Now add water till its level is 2 inches higher than that of the rice. Half cook the rice in your instant pot.
Take half the rice in another pan and make a layer of chicken over the remaining half. Now spread the rest of the rice that you took out on the chicken. Sprinkle the saffron water over the biryani. Cook the biryani till the rice is fully cooked.
Garnish with the slices of boiled eggs, fried onions and chopped green cilantro.
Your lip-smacking biryani is ready. Enjoy it with your family!
Get many such exciting and delicious dishes on Coctil. Try them and get admiration from your family and friends.