Chicken Biryani

• Chicken with bones - 1kg - cut into big chunks
• Basmati Rice - 1 kg
• Cooking oil - 125ml for the korma and 25ml for the rice
• Cinnamon - 5g or 1 large strip
• Cardamom - 5-6
• Cloves - 6-7
• Onion - 4 medium or 500g
• Tomato - 4 medium
• Green Chilli - 6-8
• Ginger-Garlic paste - 180g or 6 heaped tblsp
• Chopped mint leaves - 5 tblsp
• Chopped coriander leaves - 5 tblsp
• Chilli Powder - 2 tsp
• Pepper ground - 1 tsp
• Ghee - 2 tblsp for the end
• Lemon juice - 1 tblsp
• Yoghurt (Curd) - 4 tblsp
• Oil - 200ml to fry the chicken
• Water - as required
• Salt - to taste

Ingredients to coat the chicken

• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• Chilli powder - 1 heaped tblspn
• Lemon juice - 2 tblsp
• Ginger-Garlic paste - 2 tblsp
• Salt - as required

1. Chop all the onion, tomato and herbs; Slit the chilli.


2. Wash, drain and soak the chicken with the ingredients listed under Ingredients to coat the chicken for about 30 minutes.

1. Heat a frying pan on the stove and add 200ml oil.
2. When the oil is hot enough, add as many pieces of chicken to the frying pan.
3. Fry for about 4-5 minutes on a medium heat on one side. Take care not to fry fully. Chicken should only be fried halfway through.
4. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
5. Repeat the above 2 steps for any remaining chicken pieces.
6. Keep this fried oil.

1. Before doing the following step, wash and soak the rice in a large saucepan of water for about 10-15 minutes.


2. Heat a 7-8 litre saucepan on a stove and add most of the cooking oil. Leave about 25ml of oil for the rice.


3. Add cinnamon and cloves; fry for a minute.


4. Add the oil from the frying pan.


5. Add chopped onion, stir and saute them on a medium heat until they become translucent.


6. Add chillies and ginger-garlic paste; fry for few minutes.


7. Add chopped tomatoes, coriander and mint leaves, chilli powder, ground pepper and fry for about 7-8 minutes.


8. Add salt, yoghurt and stir for about 1-2 minutes.


9. Add the fried chicken pieces and let it boil for about 3-4 minutes.


10. Switch off the heat.

1. Drain the rice from the water.


2. Add about 3 litres of water, 25 ml of oil, cardamom and bay leaves to a large saucepan and heat it.


3. Make sure that there is 3-4 times more water than the rice.


4. When the water starts boiling, add the rice.


5. Add required amount of salt; boil the rice on a big hob on a high heat for about 4-5 minutes or until it is 75% cooked. If a big hob is not available, boil it longer until rice becomes chewable consistency.


6. Drain all the water from the rice in a sieve/strainer.

1. Add about 300ml of water to the pan of chicken korma; Let it boil.
2. Add the nearly cooked rice to the pan.
3. Add lemon juice and ghee. Taste the korma and add salt if it is not enough. Stir slightly.
4. Cover and seal tightly; let the rice cook on a low heat for about 25-30 minutes.
5. Once the rice is fluffy and cooked, switch off the stove.
6. Chicken Biryani is ready to be eaten.

1. Drain the rice from the water.


2. Add 25ml of oil, ghee, cardamom, bay leaves to the pan of rice cooker; stir fry for about 1/2 a minute.


3. Add only the chicken pieces from the chicken korma.


4. Measure the korma. Add water to the pan of korma so that combined korma and water measures about 1 litre and 750ml totally.


5. Add this to the pan of Rice cooker. When the water starts boiling, add the rice.


6. Add lemon juice, ghee and salt if needed.


7. Cover and cook.


8. Chicken Biryani is ready to be eaten.

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