Chicken biryani

Name: Chicken biryani
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 2 h 55 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1.2 kg chicken thighs and drumsticks, skinless, on the bone; 200 g plain whole-milk yogurt; 6 clove garlic, finely grated; 25 g fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated; 2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder, or paprika; 0.5 tsp ground turmeric; 2 tsp garam masala; 2 tbsp lemon juice; 1.5 tsp salt, for the chicken; 450 g basmati rice; 5 tbsp vegetable oil; 3 large onions, thinly sliced; 2 green chilies, slit lengthways; 1 tbsp salt, for the rice water; 4 green cardamom pods; 4 cloves; 1 cinnamon stick; 2 bay leaves; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 pinch saffron threads; 3 tbsp warm milk; 2 tbsp ghee, melted; 20 g mint leaves, chopped; 20 g fresh coriander, chopped

2 h 55
Prep 30 min
Cook 1 h 15
Serves 6
hard

Start cooking

Spiced chicken cooked with deeply browned onions, layered with fragrant basmati, saffron milk and herbs, then sealed and steamed.

Method

1
Mix the yogurt, garlic, ginger, chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, lemon juice and 1.5 tsp salt in a bowl. Add the chicken, coat well, cover and refrigerate.
2
Rinse the rice in several changes of cold water until it runs almost clear, then leave it to soak in fresh water.
3
Crumble the saffron into the warm milk and set it aside to infuse.
4
Heat the oil in the casserole over medium-high heat and fry the onions, stirring often, until deep golden brown and crisp at the edges.
5
Lift out half the onions onto kitchen paper and leave the rest in the pan.
6
Add the chicken with all its marinade and the green chilies and cook over medium heat, turning, until the outside is no longer pink.
7
Cover and simmer gently, stirring now and then, until the chicken is nearly cooked and the sauce is thick rather than watery.
8
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to the boil with 1 tbsp salt, the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves and cumin seeds.
9
Drain the rice, add it to the boiling water and cook until the grains are about two-thirds done, still firm with a white core.
10
Drain the rice well. Scatter half the mint and coriander over the chicken, then spread the rice over in an even layer without pressing it down.
11
Drizzle the saffron milk and melted ghee over the rice and scatter over the reserved onions and remaining herbs.
12
Seal the pot with foil and the lid and cook over the lowest possible heat.
13
Turn off the heat and leave the pot closed.
14
Open the pot and scoop from the side to the bottom so each portion gets rice and chicken. Serve with raita.

Notes

The rice must go in only part cooked. It finishes in the steam from the chicken, and fully boiled rice turns soft and sticky.
If your pot has a thin base, set it on a heat diffuser or a flat griddle for the sealed steaming stage so the bottom does not scorch.
The whole spices stay in the rice. Warn your guests, or pick them out as you serve.

Equipment

Mixing bowl, Large heavy casserole with a tight lid, Large pot, Colander, Kitchen foil

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