17/08/2026
Detailed Chicken Biryani Recipe — serves 4–6
Ingredients
Chicken marinade
* 1 kg chicken, preferably bone-in
* 1 cup plain yogurt
* 1½ tbsp ginger-garlic paste
* 1½ tsp red chilli powder
* ½ tsp turmeric
* 1½ tsp garam masala
* 1 tsp ground cumin
* 1½ tsp salt
* 1 tbsp lemon juice
* 2 green chillies, sliced
* ½ cup chopped coriander
* ¼ cup chopped mint
Rice
* 3 cups basmati rice
* Water for boiling
* 2 bay leaves
* 4 green cardamom pods
* 4 cloves
* 1 small cinnamon stick
* 1 star anise, optional
* 1½ tbsp salt
Biryani
* 3 large onions, thinly sliced
* ½ cup cooking oil
* 2 tomatoes, chopped
* ½ cup chopped coriander
* ½ cup chopped mint
* ½ tsp saffron
* 3 tbsp warm milk
* 2–3 tbsp ghee
* 1–2 tbsp kewra water or rose water, optional
1. Marinate the chicken
Mix the chicken with yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala, cumin, salt, lemon juice, chillies, coriander and mint.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. For better flavour, marinate for 4–8 hours.
2. Make crispy onions
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot.
Add the sliced onions and cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, until deep golden brown.
Remove about half of the onions and drain them on a plate. These will be used on top of the biryani.
Don’t let them become dark brown or they’ll taste bitter.
3. Cook the chicken
Using the same pot and remaining onion oil, add the marinated chicken.
Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for about 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is mostly cooked and you have a thick, fairly concentrated sauce.
The mixture should not be watery.
4. Parboil the rice
Wash the basmati rice several times until the water becomes relatively clear.
Soak it for 20–30 minutes, then drain.
Bring a large pot of water to a vigorous boil. Add salt, bay leaves, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and star anise.
Add the rice.
Cook until the grains are about 70–80% cooked — they should still have a firm center. This usually takes around 5–7 minutes, depending on the rice.
Drain immediately.
5. Layer the biryani
Keep the chicken mixture at the bottom of the heavy pot.
Spread the partially cooked rice over the chicken.
Top with:
* Fried onions
* Chopped mint
* Chopped coriander
* Saffron mixed with warm milk
* Ghee
* A little kewra or rose water, if using
6. Dum cooking
Cover the pot very tightly with a lid. You can place foil or a clean kitchen towel under the lid to help seal the steam.
Cook on low heat for 20–25 minutes.
Then turn off the heat and let it rest, still covered, for 10–15 minutes.
7. Serve
Gently fluff the biryani from the side and bottom upward so you don’t crush the rice.
Serve with:
* Cucumber-onion raita
* Fresh salad
* Lemon wedges
* Mint
* Pickles
The three secrets to really good biryani
1. Don’t overcook the rice.
It finishes cooking during the dum stage.
2. Make the chicken masala thick.
Too much liquid makes the final biryani mushy.
3. Keep the dum gentle.
High heat can burn the chicken and rice at the bottom before the upper layers cook.
