Eid Recipe: Chicken Biryani

• servings: Recipe: serves 6-8
• total time: 2 hours 17 minutes

Ingredients

For the marinade:

1kg Chicken in small pieces (I used 2 baby chickens)

200g yoghurt

1 ½ tbsp garlic ginger paste

Juice of 1 lemon

3 tomatoes

2 green chillis (optional)

2 tbsp fresh coriander

1 cup fried onions

4-5 tbsp biryani masala

1 tsp ground cumin (optional)

2-3 potatoes

For the rice:

3 cups/750g sella basmati rice

3 Litres water

2 bay leaves

2 green cardamom pods

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise

1 lemon, slices

1 tbsp fresh coriander

1 ½ tsp salt

For layering:

Fresh coriander

Fresh mint

Fried onions

Lemon slices

Saffron mixed with milk and/or Red or orange food colour

Directions

Fry Onions: Slice and fry 2-3 large onions in oil until golden and crispy. Drain and set aside.

Marinate Chicken: To the chicken, add yogurt, garlic-ginger paste, lemon juice and the biryani masala. Blend ¾ of the fried onions, tomatoes, green chilies and coriander, then add to the marinade. Marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight if prepping ahead.

Cook Chicken: Heat 4-5 tbsp oil or ghee in a pan, add the marinated chicken and chopped potatoes, cook on medium-high heat for 30-40 minutes until the oil separates and the masala darkens. The mixture should be as seen in the video with a thick sauce. Taste and adjust the salt accordingly at this point.

Cook Rice: Boil rice in aromatic water until 80% done. Drain and set aside. Remove the whole spices and lemon slices.

Layer the Biryani: In a large pan, layer half of the chicken masala, then half of the rice. Top with coriander, mint, fried onions and lemon slices. Repeat with the remaining chicken and rice. Add saffron milk or food colouring on top with extra fried onions.

Dum Cook: Cover with a lid and cook on the lowest heat for 30 minutes. For best results, put the pot over a tawa/pan for even heat. Remove from heat and rest for another 10-15 minutes with the lid still on.

Serve: Serve hot with raita and salad. Enjoy!……#chickenbiryani #biryani #biryanirecipe #eid #ramadanrecipes #EasyRecipes #rice #pulao #desifood