Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani
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Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani

Hyderabadi chicken biryani is an aromatic, mouth watering and authentic Indian dish with succulent chicken in layers of fluffy rice, fragrant spices and fried onions. This recipe is easier than most recipes while retaining the original taste and presented step by step. Cook like a native but with more ease!

Biryani is a classic Indian mixed rice dish that is part of the Indian Mughlai culinary tradition, which traces its roots to central Asian cuisine and a rich fusion with Indian flavors and techniques. Biryani is prepared by layering parboiled basmati rice, marinated or cooked meat/chicken, fried onions, fresh herbs, lemon juice, saffron water, etc., and then steaming it together. The final dish will have fluffy rice grains in a variety of colors from the absorption of spices, juices and saffron.

There are two versions of Hyderabadi biryani:

Also see What is Biryani?

What is perfect biryani?

If you take a fistful of biryani and throw it on a plate, the rice should scatter as fluffy grains and not clump together. The meat or chicken should be well done, juicy and falling off the bone.

What type of cooking pot should I use?

It is best to use a wide and thick bottomed cooking pot over the stove. A dutch oven that is 5 to 6 quart will work well. Very deep and tall pots are not suitable. You want the rice to be spread out so it will not cook up sticky.

How to prevent rice sticking or getting burnt in the bottom?

If cooking on stove top, placing the cooking pot over a flat griddle or heat diffuser, will help prevent the rice in the bottom from getting burnt.

What is the ideal time for parboiling basmati rice?

For traditional method (cooked like pasta) boil rice in lots of salted water, using a ratio of 3 cups of water with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 cup of rice. It will take between 4 to 5 minutes to for perfect doneness. Drain the rice on time. [Parboiling makes the starch gelatinized making it further less susceptible to being sticky.]

What is the best rice to chicken ratio?

Rule of thumb is to use equal amounts of rice and chicken by weight, which is 1:1 (one pound rice to one pound chicken). If you want more chicken you can use a ratio of 1:1.5 or 1:2.

How to fix dry biryani?

Use chicken on bone. Cook with enough yogurt and juices but don't overcook the meat. Use optimal amount of water for the rice. And if rice is undercooked before steaming, then sprinkle some water all over before placing the lid.

How to fix wet biryani?

Any water that is collected over marinated chicken should be scooped out and discarded. Do not use too much yogurt. Excess juices can be cooked off by evaporating while stirring on high heat and without the lid. Do not overcook the rice, but if it get's overcooked then spread it on a large plate and aerate a bit before layering.

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani Recipe

FMM: This turned out pretty well. The rice was cooked perfectly. I used a stainless steel saute pan with a cover (no aluminum foil) and baked it in the oven. It definitely has an Indian flavor and was quite hot. I used a whole jalapeno pepper, washed then sliced into rings. I did not take out the seeds - maybe next time I will tone down the heat. I think it would be better if I had also made some Naan or other Indian bread and maybe Raita (yogurt, onion, mint, lemon juice) to tone down the heat. I did not use saffron due to it high cost.

FRIED ONIONS [deep-fried] - This is also called barista, an essential ingredient to make biryani. Biryani making is incomplete without deep-fried onions.
3/4 lb onions yellow, very thinly sliced
[flour]
1 1/2 cups peanut oil

CHICKEN MARINATION
1 1/2 lb chicken with bone, cut and clean (It is best to use whole chicken, with bone, cut and clean. Chicken leg quarters or thighs will work too. Avoid chicken breast as it will be too dry.)
2/3 cup yogurt plain
1 1/2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste or grated ginger and garlic
1 teaspoon salt adjust per taste
1 teaspoon chili powder [for instance, Kashmiri red chilli powder, can sub. cayenne pepper, or red pepper flakes or whole dried chilis ground to a powder]
1/2 teaspoon turmeric ground
1 chili pepper jalapeno, serrano or cayenne, adjust per taste

BIRYANI SPICES FOR CHICKEN MARINATION (can use 1/4 Biryani Masala recipe instead)
1 cinnamon stick
1 black cardamom
5 green cardamom
5 cloves
1 bay leaves large
1 teaspoon shah Jeera (black cumin seeds, can substitute a smaller amount of cumin - see note below)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

WHOLE SPICES FOR RICE (used when cooking the rice)
1 black cardamom
3 green cardamom
4 cloves
2 bay leaves
1/2 cinnamon stick

BIRYANI
2 cups basmati rice long grain
1 teaspoon salt adjust per taste (more if using the Pot Method to pre-cook the rice)
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup cilantro fresh, chopped
2 tablespoon mint fresh, chopped
1 teaspoon saffron ground and dissolved in 2 tablespoon hot water
2 tablespoon ghee optional

[See the Chicken Marination section below. Marinade the Chicken overnight.]

FRIED ONIONS
Heat oil at medium high in a wide frying pan. If you place your palm about 3 inches over the surface of oil, you should feel the heat. Or use a candy/fry thermometer.

Sprinkle some flour on the onions before frying, to make them fry quicker and crisper. Fry onions in batches. Do not crowd the pan. Fry until crisp light golden brown. Don't let it turn soggy or dark brown. Drain on paper towels. Set aside.

CHICKEN MARINATION

Combine chicken with all marinade ingredients and 1/3 of fried onions.

TIP: Add yogurt, starting with 1/2 cup and increase as needed to 3/4 cup. The mixture should be thick and not runny.

BIRYANI SPICES: Grind biryani spices in a spice grinder. Add to chicken marinade and combine. Marinate for about 3 to 5 hours.

RICE PREPARATION
Rinse rice 4 to 5 times in lots of water until it is clear. Drain well. Soak 1/3 cup basmati rice in water for one hour. Save the rest.

Note: 2 cups of rice was too much using Uncle Ben’s Rice - try 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 cup rice total.

Rice Cooker Method: In a rice cooker, take 2 1/2 cups of water, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil and whole spices. Bring it to a rolling boil, add remaining 1 2/3 cups basmati rice and stir. Cook rice just until all the water is absorbed. In my rice cooker this process takes about 15 to 20 minutes.

It is important to NOT let the rice steam until it is fully done. When all the water is absorbed well, transfer cooked rice immediately over the chicken in the assembling step below.

Cooking Pot Method: In a large cooking pot, boil 6 cups of water with 1 1/4 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon cooking oil and whole spices. Add the rice and cook at medium high to high heat until the grains are soft but al dente like pasta, about 4 to 5 minutes, gently stirring in between. Drain rice in a colander and set aside.

ASSEMBLY OF RICE AND CHICKEN LAYERS
Transfer chicken with marinade to a 4 to 5 quart wide thick bottomed oven proof cooking pot (9 to 10 inch diameter). Make sure there is not too much marinade around chicken pieces and that it is not runny. Scoop out and discard any watery liquid collected on the surface of the marinade.

Scatter cilantro, mint, half the lemon juice and ½ tablespoon olive oil over the chicken/marinade. Then scatter most of the fried onions.

Drain the soaked basmati rice very well and spread it over the fried onion layer. (This raw soaked rice will get cooked with the juices from chicken).

Next, layer all the cooked rice. Top with remaining lemon juice, saffron water, fried onions and ghee.

TIP: If you prefer, you may pick out the whole spices from cooked rice before steaming.

FINAL STEAMING
Place one sheet of parchment paper, followed by one to two sheets of aluminum foil over the cooking pot. Place the lid tight over it. Bake biryani in a preheated oven at 350ºF for one hour, until steam builds up well.

Alternatively, it can be cooked on a stove in a thick bottomed cooking pot. Heat the biryani at medium high for about 10 to 15 minutes and then reduce to low and cook for one hour until steam builds up well.

Let it cool five minutes and gently mix rice and chicken. Using a spatula mound the biryani on a serving plate, making sure to present the rice in various colors - white, yellow, orange and brown. Place some chicken pieces on the top. Scatter browned onions, chopped herbs and extra saffron rice on top.

Serve chicken biryani with Hyderabadi tomato egg curry and/or raita prepared with creamy yogurt, chopped red onions, deseeded jalapenos and cilantro.

Notes

Rinse basmati rice several times until the water is clear and not starchy.
Perfectly fluffy rice grain is essential for the taste of biryani.
Basmati rice typically will need less water than other long grain rice varieties to yield fluffy cooked rice.
Aged basmati rice will give the best results and is more fragrant.

Additional moisture: Keep in mind moisture from other ingredients such as the chicken, herbs and yogurt. So the cooked rice should be fluffy, separate, retain shape well, not too wet and delicate. The soaked rice should be drained very well. Chicken should be just lightly coated with the marinade. If the marinade is excessive it can result in the rice becoming soggy.

Slice onions finely: I used the 7.5 mm setting on my mandolin slicer.

Adjust oil as needed: If frying directions are followed properly, then oil absorbed by onions should be about 1½ tablespoons. But if not followed, then more oil will be absorbed and amount needed should be adjusted.

Chicken: It is best to use whole chicken, with bone, cut and clean. You may use chicken leg quarters or thighs too, but avoid chicken breast as it will be too dry.

Optimal amount of salt and oil is very important. If everything else is perfect and you don't use right amount of salt, that alone can ruin the taste of biryani. I use a minimum of 2 tablespoons of oil per cup of raw rice, as there are additional ingredients - chicken, onions, etc.

Whole spices can also be cooked wrapped in a muslin cloth, like the one used for boquet garni or a metal mesh cooking infuser. If using whole spices for the marinade, just double the amount of spices in the recipe. When whole spices are ground, the flavors are more intense.

Make Ahead: Chicken can be mixed with the marinade a day before. Make the fried onions ahead.

Storage and Freezing: Biryani freezes beautifully. Leftovers can be stored in refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or frozen for later.

Ghee: It is available at many supermarkets and Indian grocery stores. You can easily make it at home from butter: To prepare ghee, melt unsalted butter and let it simmer at a low setting. Allow the milk solids settled at the bottom of the pan to toast to a light brown. Strain the light golden liquid ghee from the top.

Shajeera: These are referred to as black cumin or black caraway seeds in Indian stores. The labeling is not consistent. Ask your Indian grocer for “shahjeera”. [They taste similar to cumin (Cuminum Cyminum) but in very milder way. If you can't find shahi jeera in your pantry, use small amount of jeera (cumin).]

Servings: 12 Cups