Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani, is a popular chicken version of the famous “Hyderabadi Biryani”. A recipe, perfect for ‘Home cooking’!
This traditional Biryani is made using goat/ lamb meat but chicken, fish, shrimp or veggies are also used as a popular alternative ?
Biryani and it’s History
Biryani, is an Indian dish consisting of basmati rice, spices, meat or vegetables. Originating in Persia, it was brought to India by the Mughals and quickly spread throughout India.
Each state/ region in India is popular for it’s own version of biryani. Among them, Hyderabadi dum Biryani, is the most loved and famous. This authentic dish comprises of Basmati rice, meat/ vegetables, ghee (or butter), spices, yogurt and nuts.
What is Hyderabadi Cuisine?
Hyderabad is a metropolitan city in the South of India. It’s a capital city of an Indian state of Telangana.
An old Indian city, that was for a long time ruled by Qutub Shahi dynasty, Mughal Dynasty and lastly the Nizam dynasty.
Hence, the food here has Turkish, Mughal and Arabic influences. This is in combination with the regional influences of Telugu and Marathi cuisines.
Other Hyderabadi Recipes: Hyderabadi Vegetable Biryani, Hyderabadi Lukhmi, Hyderabadi Kheema Pulao, Dahi Ki Chutney
Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani
This famous Chicken Biryani has 2 variations: Kacchi (Raw meat) and Pakki (cooked meat) Biryani. Cooking this recipe requires patience and attention to detail.
Kacchi (Raw meat) biryani: the marinated raw meat (here chicken) and half-cooked rice are layered and slow cooked using ‘Dum’ technique to cook the marinated meat and rice together.
It basically involves 3 steps:
- Cooking the rice with whole spices
- Marinating the chicken
- Layering chicken and rice (with a few herbs and seasonings) and cooking using ‘Dum’ technique.
Pakki (cooked meat) biryani: the marinated meat (here chicken) is first cooked and layered with half-cooked rice. They are then cooked together using the ‘Dum’ technique.
It basically involves 3 steps:
- Cooking the rice with whole spices
- Marinating and cooking the chicken
- Layering chicken and rice (with a few herbs and seasonings) and cooking using ‘Dum’ technique.
What is ‘Dum’ technique of cooking?
‘Dum’ is ‘slow cooking’ in a ‘handi’ (or a clay pot) that goes back in time.
Layer rice and meat (here chicken) in a clay pot and cover its mouth with a clay saucer. A mixture of flour and water seals the saucer over the clay pot. This is left over hot charcoal for hours. Steam that generates inside the pot helps in cooking.
Cooking in real-time
I followed the Pakki (cooked meat) technique to make this dish.
In real-time, use an oven safe dish and oven or a crock pot. If using a crock pot, seal it’s lid with flour and water mix.
Sharing my version of this traditional recipe. Hope you enjoy making it as much as I did! ?
Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani
Ingredients
For Rice
- 2 cups Basmati Rice
- 1.5 tsp Ginger garlic paste
- 1 tsp cardamon
- 7-8 whole cloves
- 3-4 bay leaves
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
- 6-7 whole peppercorn
- 5 cups water Approx. Or water as required to boil rice.
- Salt to taste
For Chicken Marination
- 1.5-2 lbs Chicken or 1 kg chicken. I used boneless skinless chicken thigh. You can always use chicken with bones
- 3 tbsp plain yogurt or coconut yogurt or non-dairy yogurt or cream
- 2 tsp Ginger garlic paste
- 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1 1/2 tsp Cumin
- 2 tsp Red chilli adjust according to your taste
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
- Salt to taste
For Cooking
- 3 tbsp Ghee or butter for caramelizing onions and for biryani
- 2 tbsp cooking oil for cooking chicken
For Garnish
- 1 medium Red Onion sliced and caramelized
- 1 tsp saffron or kesar
- 1/4 cup Almonds chopped
- 1/4 cup cashew nuts chopped
- 3 tbsp Cilantro chopped
- 3 tbsp mint leaves chopped
- 1/4 cup milk or coconut milk/ almond milk (non-dairy)
- 2-3 whole Green chili sliced
Instructions
Prepping & Marinating
- Measure, wash and soak basmati rice. Let it soak for 30 minutes before cooking.
- Clean and cut the chicken pieces into 3/4 inch or medium size pieces. Wash.
- In a medium sized bowl, beat yogurt to get a smooth consistency. Then add all ingredients for marination and mix well.
- Take washed and cleaned chicken pieces in a separate container and add the marination mixture. Mix well. Let it marinate for 3-4 hours or overnight. If you are pressed for time, marinate for a minimum of 2 hours.
Cooking Rice
- In a large pot, bring around 5 cups of water to a boil. When the water is hot, add the spices listed under 'For Rice'. Get it to a boil and add rice.
- Gently stir with a spoon occasionally while the rice is cooking. Don't reduce the flame.
- Just when the rice is about 75% cooked (the rice grains should have a slight bite to them), drain the rice in a colander. Gently fluff and keep aside.
Cooking the chicken
- In a pot or a non stick pan, heat oil. Add only the marinated chicken pieces to it and cook. Keep aside the marination gravy. This will be used later.
- Once the chicken pieces are cooked, remove from heat. The cooked chicken will also have a thick gravy.
Layering and cooking
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius or 360 degree Fahrenheit.
- Grease a thick bottom oven safe pan/ disposable aluminum tray with butter (ghee) or cooking oil.
- In a separate pan, heat ghee (or butter). Add sliced onions and fry until they turn golden brown or caramelized. Remove from pan and drain into a bounty to remove excess ghee.
- Heat milk and saffron in a small bowl. For convenience, use a microwave. Else, heat milk in a small saucepan and add saffron. Bring it to a boil and remove from heat. Keep aside.
- Layer half of the cooked chicken with its cooked gravy and sprinkle half of chopped mint, cilantro and nuts. Next layer half of the 75% cooked rice.
- Sprinkle half of fried onions, green chili, saffron milk, almonds and cashew nuts.
- Layer the remaining cooked chicken along with it's cooked gravy.
- Layer the remaining rice and sprinkle the remaining fried onions, green chili, cilantro, mint, saffron milk, almonds and cashew nuts. Also add the left over marination gravy.
- You can make 2 layers of chicken and rice or 4 layers. Or more than that (depends on the depth of the container and the quantity you are cooking). But the top most layer should always be that of rice.
- Seal the container with an aluminum foil. Bake the biryani for 20-25 minutes.
- Serve hot and delicately flavored biryani with 'Dahi Ki Chutney' and 'Mirchi Ka Salan'. Enjoy!
It reminds me a lot of a curry dish that I make. I am a big fan a herbs and spices and this looks really good. I think the key would to get the meat cooked correctly first.
Yes Kenneth, you are right. Marinating and cooking the meat is the key.