Serves: 4-5
Heat: Medium / Preparation Time: 1 Hour. / Cook Time: 55 Mins.
For chicken
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 10 gms grated garlic
• 10 gms grated ginger
• 1 chili pepper, minced
• 5 gms finely chopped mint
• 10 gms finely chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp Ananta garam masala
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 900 gms chicken thighs
For Rice
• 6 cups of water
• 2 ½ tsp salt
• 5 Ananta green cardamom, smashed
• 1 tsp Ananta jeera saboot
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups basmati rice
For Onions
• 2 tsp ghee
• 2 thinly sliced medium onions
For Biryani
• 1 cup reserved boiling liquid
• ½ tsp saffron threads
• Finely chopped cilantro for garnish
Method
1. Prepare the marinade for chicken: Combine the vegetable oil, garlic, ginger, chili peppers, mint, cilantro, garam masala, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl and stir together. Add the chicken thigh pieces and mix until the chicken is thoroughly coated in the marinade. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 1 hour.
2. In a deep pan and wide pot, add the ghee and onions and sauté the onions until they are well caramelized. Transfer the caramelized onions to a plate and set aside.
3. Prepare the rice by washing it in a strainer under the running water until the water runs clear.
4. To boil the rice, add the water, salt, cardamom, cumin, and bay leaf to a pot and bring to a boil. Add the rice and boil for 7-8 minutes. Drain the rice, reserving 1 cup of the liquid to use later.
5. In The pot in which you caramelized the onions, add the chicken in a single layer, skin-side down. Fry until golden brown on one side. Flip the chicken over, and fry the other side until golden brown. Transfer the chicken back to the bowl you marinated it in and keep it aside.
6. To assemble the biryani, add the saffron threads soaked in milk to the rice and toss to distribute evenly. Add half the rice mixture to the bottom of the pot in which you browned the chicken.
7. Now, top the rice with the chicken in a single layer.
8. Next, top the chicken with an even layer of caramelized onions.
9. Now finish it by adding the rest of the rice in an even layer. Add 1 cup of the reserved water from boiling rice. Cover the pot with a lid and put the pot on the stove over medium heat and set the timer for 25 minutes. When you can see steam escaping from under the lid, turn down the heat to low, and continue cooking until the timer goes off and then turn off the heat.
10. Without opening the lid, set the timer for another 10 minutes to let the steam cook the biryani.
11. Finally, Mix the Chicken Biryani and transfer it to a serving plate. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve it hot.
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