‘Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani’ is a very famous fragrant dish from Hyderabad, India. It gained popularity during the Nizam rule in Hyderabad which is why we see a fusion of both mughlai and andhra-pradesh flavors in it.
It is always a crowd favorite whether in a party menu or a restaurant menu. Whenever I crave for this special biryani I always first think of ‘Paradise’ a very popular spot in Hyderabad to have Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani. I truly embrace all my memories of going to Paradise with my family to get together with my cousins on an occasional basis – Delicious spicy food on the table to go with the fun-filled conversations.
This biryani is prepared by arranging almost but not completely cooked chicken and basmati rice in layers and then cook to completion. The layers help the rice to breathe in the flavors of the spices and chicken well. It can be cooked either in a pressure cooker, cooking pot with a tight fitting lid (traditional way) or in a conventional oven.
I learned to make this Chicken Biryani from one of my very dear friends. We made it for a small get-together and it came out great. Since, then I made it a couple of times and now would like to share the recipe with all of you.
Prep time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 1 hr
Recipe:
For the chicken gravy,
– Chicken – 3 lbs (whole chicken cleaned and cut-up)
– Yogurt – 3 to 4 tsps
– Onions – 2 medium-sized
– Green chillies – 6 to 8
– Black Cumin seeds/Shahi Jeera – 1 tsp
– Cloves – 5
– Cinnamon sticks – 3
– Anise stars – 1 or 2
– Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tsp
– Turmeric powder – 1n1/2 tsp
– Red Chiili powder – 2n1/2 tsps
– Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp
– Coconut powder – 1/2 tsp
– Salt – 2 tsps or to taste
– Lime juice – 2 tsp
– Coriander/Cilantro – a handful
For the rice,
– Basmati rice – 3n1/2 cups
– Onions – 1 medium-sized
– Cumin seeds (regular/black) – 1 tsp
– Cloves – 5
– Bay leaves – 6 to 8
– Cinnamon sticks – 2
– Cardamom pods – 4 (slightly cut-open)
– Anise stars – 1
– Salt – 1 tsp
– Saffron threads – as required
– Fried Onions (optional)
To make the Chicken gravy,
1. Clean the whole chicken and rinse well under running water. Drain out all the excess water, cut-up and set aside. You can also use Chicken breasts and drumsticks instead of the whole chicken.
2. Take the chicken in a mixing bowl. Add shahi jeera, cloves, cinnamon sticks, anise stars, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, red-chilli powder, coriander powder, coconut powder and salt. I usually add only half the quantity of spices when marinating and add the remaining when cooking the gravy. Make cuts into the chicken pieces with a knife to make sure they are well coated with the spices. Add yogurt, coriander leaves and mix well. Refrigerate overnight or for at-least 3 to 4 hours.
3. When ready to cook, take a wide cooking pot on the stove. Heat about 3 tsps of oil. Add the remaining shahi jeera, cloves, cinnamon sticks and anise stars. Saute for a couple of mins. Now, add chopped onions and green chillies. Saute for about 10 mins until the onions are translucent.
4. Once, the onions are done add the remaining ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, red cilli powder, coriander powder, coconut powder and salt. Saute for a couple of minutes. Add a small cup of water. Remove the marinade from the refrigerator and add to the cooking pot. Cover and let cook for about 20 minutes so that the chicken is about 3/4th cooked. Set aside.
To make the flavored/tempered basmati rice. similar to pulav,
1. In a rice cooker, wash and then soak the rice with water about a little less than double the amount of rice, i.e., for 3n1/2 cups add about 5n1/2 cups of water instead of 6 cups.
2. Place a pan on the stove. Heat about 2 tsps of oil. Add cloves, bay leaves, cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods and anise stars. Saute for a couple of mins. Add chopped onions and salt. Suate until the onions are translucent.
3. Add the tempering to the rice cooker and cook the rice until 3/4th done. Keep an eye so as to not cook the rice completely.
To make the biryani in a conventional oven,
1. Prepare the oven by heating it to about 325 degrees F.
2. In separate bowls, take saffron threads with few drops of water, coriander + mint leaves, lime juice and fried onions (optional).
3. Take a baking dish or an aluminium tray. Using a tsp of oil, rub on all inner-sides of the tray so that the edges don’t get burnt.
4. Take the chicken + gravy and layer it evenly on the bottom of the tray. Then, add the rice layer. Now add a garnish of fistful of fried onions, coriander + mint leaves and saffron + water and tsp of lime juice. Repeat the layers of chicken, rice and garnish until done. Cover the tray with aluminium foil.
5. Place the tray in the oven and let cook for 25 to 30 minutes. When the timer beeps, remove the tray from oven and check if the rice and chicken are properly done. Else cook it further for 5 or 10 minutes.
Traditionally it is served with Mirchi ka Salan and Raita for a delicious meal.
Notes/Tips:
– Biryani can be cooked in a similar way in a pressure cooker or a pot with a tight fitting lid.
– Traditionally, saffron mixed with a few drops of milk is used. I prefer using water instead of milk.