Whip It Up Wednesdays – Shweta’s Chicken Biryani

Biryani is not any simple food, its an emotion. This Whip-it-up-Wednesdays we get you a mouth-watering recipe of Chicken Biryani from Shweta’s kitchen.

Who doesn’t love a plate of flavourful Biryani? The delicious Chicken Biryani is an evergreen classic and really needs no introduction. It’s aromatic, it’s heavenly and one of the most loved delicacies not just among South Asians but across the globe.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings(4 Plates)

Ingredients:

A. Chicken Marination

1. One Kilogram chicken
2. Three cups yogurt
3. Three teaspoons ginger garlic paste
4. Three teaspoons garam masala powder
5. One teaspoon green cardamom powder
6. One teaspoon roasted coriander powder
7. One teaspoon roasted cumin powder
8. One teaspoon red chili powder
9. Half teaspoon turmeric
10. One teaspoon salt
11. One teaspoon green chili paste
12. Two teaspoons lemon juice
13. Half cup mint leaves (chopped)
14. Half cup cilantro (chopped)
15. Two medium-size onions (chopped and fried)
16. Two teaspoons ghee

B. Boiling Rice

1. 750 grams Basmati Rice (soaked in water for thirty minutes)
2. Three liters water
3. Half teaspoon salt
4. One teaspoon oil
5. Five cloves
6. Four green cardamoms
7. two black cardamoms
8. Half teaspoon cumin seeds
9. Two cinnamon sticks (three-inch-long)
10. Seven black peppercorns

C. Cooking Chicken

1. Two tablespoons oil
2. Two bay leaves
3. Two whole star anise
4. Two whole dry red chili
5. Marinated chicken

D. Cooking Biryani

1.Two teaspoons ghee
2. Eighty percent cooked chicken
3. Seventy percent cooked rice
4. Half cup fried onions
5. One tablespoon mint leaves
6. One tablespoon cilantro
7. Six saffron strands
8. Quarter cup milk
9. Half teaspoon garam masala powder

Note:- Soak the saffron strand in milk for fifteen minutes before cooking biryani

Instructions

A. Chicken Marination

1. In a saucepan, heat oil (to deep fry the onions) over a high flame
2. Once the oil is hot enough, add the onions in batches and deep fry until brown in color

3. Drain the onions from oil and keep aside. We will keep half cup fried onions for later use and will use the remaining for marination
4. Once onions are fried switch off the stove
5.Clean the chicken (cut into medium size pieces if required) and put it in a large bowl
6. Add yogurt/curd and mix well
7. Add fried onions(leaving half-cup aside for later use)
8. Add remaining ingredients and mix well
9. Let chicken marinate for two hours

B. Boiling Rice

1. Wash the rice three times in water
2. Soak the rice in water for thirty minutes
3. Take a large pan over medium flame and add 2.5 to 3 liters of water in it
4. Add salt, cloves, green cardamom, cumin seeds, black cardamom, cinnamon sticks, peppercorn and mix well
5. Add oil and mix well
6. Let the water boil
7. Once the water is boiled add the soaked rice in boiling water
8. Cook the rice until 70 percent cooked
9. Once the rice is 70 percent cooked, switch off the stove and drain the water in a rice strainer
10. Run the rice strainer through cold water and keep aside to further drain off any extra water

C. Cooking Chicken

1. Take saucepan over a medium-high flame and add oil in it
2. Once the oil is hot, add bay leaves, star anise, whole red chili and saute for 30 seconds
3. Add marinated chicken and saute it

4. Check for salt and add as per taste if needed
5. Cook the chicken until 80 percent cooked
6. Once the chicken is 80 percent ready, switch off the stove

D. Cooking Chicken Biryani

1. Take a large saucepan with a thick base
2. First, add rice layer in it
3. The second layer is of chicken

4. Garnish with fried onions, mint and cilantro
5. Sprinkle garam masala powder
6. The third layer is again of rice followed by chicken layer and then garnish with fried onions, mint and cilantro
7. Fifth and the top layer is of rice
8. Garnish with fried onions, mint and cilantro
9. Add saffron soaked milk and ghee
10. Sprinkle garam masala powder
11. Cover the pan opening with aluminum foil and put the pan lid thoroughly sealing the pan.
12. Put a flat pan/Tawa over a low flame
13. Once Tawa is hot, keep your saucepan over the flat pan/Tawa for 30 minutes
14. Serve the Chicken Biryani hot for best taste.

Tips:

1. Do not boil the rice over 70 percent. It needs to be cooked with chicken later.
2. Do not cook the chicken over 80 percent
3. We are using more water about 2.5 to 3 liters so that the rice will be fluffy after boiling
4. You can adjust the spice level as per your taste
5. If we do not have saffron, pinch of turmeric in milk or use one teaspoon Keora water.