Chicken Biriyani - The flavor mix of Ambur & Hyderabadi

Would you like to convert a cute little chicken to yummy biriyani? Then scroll down:)

Chicken biriyani is one of the most loved food in India. Biriyani can be cooked in different methods and in different flavors. In this post, I am bringing in a new recipe combining Ambur biriyani and Hyderabadi biriyani.

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cook time:           2 hours

Serve:                   6 - 8

Ingredients Needed:

To make masala for biriyani:

Chicken................... 1 kg (cut into long pieces)

Onions..................... 3 nos (finely chopped)

Tomatoes................. 2 nos

Ginger garlic paste...2 tbsp

Green chillies...........4 nos (slit) 

Curd......................... 1 cup

Red chilli powder..... 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder...... 1/4 tbsp

Cardomom powder... 1/2 tbsp

Biriyani masala.........1 tbsp (optional)

Mint leaves............... handful (finely chopped)

Coriander leaves....... handful (finely chopped)

Lemon juice.............. 2 tbsp

To marinate chicken:

Onions...................... 2 nos (thin sliced and deep fried in ghee)

Ginger garlic paste... 3 tbsp

Green chillies........... 2 nos (finely chopped)

Red chilli powder..... 3 tbsp

Coriander powder..... 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder...... 1/2 tbsp

Curd......................... 1 cup

Lemon juice............. 1 tbsp

Mint leaves............... handful (finely chopped)

Coriander leaves....... handful (finely chopped)

Oil............................. 2 tbsp

Salt............................ to taste

To temper:

Cinnamon................. One 1 inch stick

Cardamom................ 5

Cloves....................... 8

Bay leaves................. 4

Star anise................... 1

Fennel seeds.............. 1 tbsp

Ghee.......................... 2 tbsp

Oil.............................. 1 tbsp

To cook rice:

Rice.................................................................. 500 gms

Cloves, Bay leaves, Cardomom, Cinnamon.... a few

Ghee................................................................. 1 tbsp

Salt................................................................... to taste

To make dum:

Mint leaves........................... handful (finely chopped)

Coriander leaves................... handful (finely chopped)

Cashew nuts......................... 10 (fried in ghee)

Warm Milk........................... 1/2 cup

Fried onions.......................... a little

Gravy from chicken masala.. as needed

Color powder........................ a pinch (optional)

Method:

To make masala:

Step-1: Wash and cut chicken and mix all the ingredients mentioned under "To marinate chicken". Close the bowl and set aside the marinate overnight in refrigerator.

Step-2: Heat oil and ghee in a kadai and add all the ingredients mentioned under "To temper" until the smell of Garam masala spreads in the kitchen:)

Step-3: Add 4 tbsp of curd and ginger garlic paste and saute quickly before it gets burnt:)

Step-4: Add chicken along with marinade and mix well from bottom. Close the vessel and let it cook for 8 - 10 minutes. Open the lid and mix occasionally. 

Step-5: Add onions and green chillies. Mix well and cook for 2 - 3 minutes.

Step- 6: Add tomatoes, mint leaves and coriander leaves. Mix well and cook until tomatoes are mushy.

Step-7: Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, biriyani masala, cardomom powder and curd. Mix everything really well. Take 2 spoons of gravy and keep it in a bowl separately. Cook the masala until you get the right consistency. (The masala should not be too watery or too dry)

Step-8: Finally add lemon juice and check for salt

To cook rice:

Step-1: Wash and soak rice for 20 minutes.

Step-2: Boil water in a vessel and add Cloves, Bay leaves, Cardomom, Cinnamon.

Step-3: Once the water reaches the boiling point, add rice and ghee. Dont forget to add the required amount of salt for rice.

Step-4: Carefully monitor the rice while boiling. Switch off the burner when the rice is half cooked and drain the water and spread the rice on a plate.

To make dum:

Step-1: Switch on the burner to low heat. Keep a tawa/pan over the burner and then place a vessel on it to prepare dum. 

Step-2: Put ghee in the vessel and spread the chicken masala followed by adding chopped mint leaves, coriander leaves, cashew nuts and milk.

Step-3: Spread the half cooked rice over the chicken masala and add the remaining mint leaves, coriander leaves and cashew nuts.

Step-4: Pour the required amount of gravy (that we took aside when making the chicken masala) on the top of rice

Step-5: Mix color powder with water and pour it over rice.

Step-6: Cover the vessel tightly with aluminium foil and let it dum for 15 - 20 minutes. 

Note:

• Add the required amount of salt for chicken during marination 
• The longer the time of marination, the tastier will be biriyani.
• Grind giner garlic to coarse paste 
• Keeping tawa/pan on the bottom while making dum saves biriyani from getting burnt
• If you dont have aluminium foil, then cover the vessel with a steel or iron plate and then place on top a small vessel filled with water for weight.

Now the yummy biriyani is ready and serve hot with Onion raitha and boiled eggs.

Confused how to eat the biriyani?? Don´t worry.. Watch the video below and have fun eating Chicken biriyani:)