Chicken biryani is one of the most popular Indian chicken dishes. In the recipe below, I present one of the best & simple chicken biryani recipes that we frequently prepare at home. When the biryani is cooked as per instructions given in the recipe, the chicken remains juicy, tender, flavor-packed, masaledar, and finger-licking good. The recipe is so easy that even first-time cooks and bachelors can try it in their kitchen!
What is chicken biryani?
Biryani is a popular rice dish made with aromatic Indian spices either with the meat of your choice (chicken, beef, goat, lamb, fish, prawns) or eggs or vegetables (potato, mushroom, baby corn, cauliflower, paneer, etc.).
First, the meat (or eggs or vegetables) and the rice are cooked separately. Then, they are arranged in layers and cooked together to infuse the rice with all the aromatic flavors.
You will be surprised to see how simple this biryani recipe is, yet it has the best taste and flavor. You will never order biryani from a restaurant again. You can check the video of making biryani here.
This biryani recipe is so easy that even bachelors and beginners can try this at home and impress their friends or loved ones.
Ingredients
I have listed the ingredients in the order I have used in the video of making chicken biryani.
Cooking the rice
1 cup Basmati rice
4 to 5 cups Water
1 teaspoon Salt
Chicken marination
400 grams Chicken thighs
¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
1 teaspoon Red chile powder
1 teaspoon Salt
Juice of 1 lemon
To make biryani
2 Onions, chopped lengthwise
5 to 6 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 inch Ginger, finely chopped
2 to 3 Green chilies, slit
2 Tomatoes, diced
6 to 8 strands Coriander leaves or cilantro
¼ cup Mint leaves or Pudina, loosely packed
1 ½ tablespoon Oil
1-inch Cinnamon stick (Dalchini)
3 to 4 Cardamom pods (Elaichi)
3 to 4 Cloves (Lavang)
2 Bay leaf (Tej Patta)
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
1 tablespoon Biryani or Tandoori Masala
1 tablespoon butter or ghee
¼ cup Water
How to make the easy & best chicken biryani?
Cooking rice
Wash and soak the rice in water for 15 minutes.
In the pot, add rice along with water and salt and bring it to a boil on a high flame. Reduce the flame to medium and cook till the rice is cooked through 80%. Drain and keep this aside.
Chicken marination
In a bowl, add chicken thighs, turmeric powder, chile powder, salt, and juice of a lemon. Toss and keep this aside for 15 minutes.
Making of chicken biryani
In a pan, add oil. Once hot, add cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, cloves, bay leaf, cumin seeds, and saute for a few seconds.
Add the marinated chicken and cook for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, add garlic, ginger, and green chilies. Flip the chicken and cook for another 2 minutes. Check the video here for a better understanding.
Add onion, tomato, coriander leaves, mint leaves, tandoori masala, and give it a good mix. Cook this for a minute. Now spread it evenly to cover the base of the pan.
Add partially cooked rice, spread evenly, and garnish with some more mint and coriander leaves.
Finally, add butter and sprinkle some more tandoori masala powder or biryani masala powder and splash ¼ cup of water. Cover this and cook on low flame for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked through thoroughly.
Tips:
- Use basmati or long-grain rice for the best result.
- Adjust the spices to taste.
- If the rice remains uncooked after the given time, splash water and continue cooking.
- Marination makes the meat flavorful, tender, and juicy when cooked. So do not skip this step.
- Chicken things and drumsticks are always good for biryani.
Instant Pot Chicken Biryani
Follow the same step for marination and soaking rice that is given above.
Turn on the Saute mode of your instant pot. Once hot, add cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, cloves, bay leaf, cumin seeds, and saute for a few seconds.
Continue to cook in the Saute mode. Add the marinated chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Then add garlic, ginger, and green chilies. Flip the chicken and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the bottom of the pot to make sure there is no food sticking at the bottom to avoid any burning.
Add onion, tomato, coriander leaves, mint leaves, tandoori masala powder, and mix well. Cook this for a minute. Now spread it evenly to cover the base of the instant pot.
Add the soaked (and drained) rice and spread it evenly over the chicken. Add ½ teaspoon salt and 1 cup water. See that all the rice is under the liquid. Close the lid of your instant pot and see that the pressure valve is in the sealing position. Select the Manual / Pressure High function and set the timer to 6 minutes.
Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes. Then release any remaining pressure.
Open the instant pot and gently mix the cooked rice with chicken using a silicone spatula to prevent the hot rice from breaking when tossed.
Garnish with some more coriander leaves, mint leaves, and enjoy.
Video recipe
Check the Video here.
FAQ
Basmati is the most preferred variety of rice for preparing a biryani. There are several varieties of Basmati available in the market. I generally prefer to get aged instead of newly harvested basmati rice as they are more flavorful and become fluffy when cooked.
You can also use other rice varieties such as Jeera rice or Jasmine rice if Basmati is not available. Ofcourse, the size of these rice varieties when cooked are much smaller and are more starchy than Basmati. If using any rice other than Basmati, it is best to let them cool to room temperature after the partial cooking stage, and then add them to your biryani for final cooking.
Chicken thighs and legs or drumsticks are the most preferred parts of chicken to use in the Biryani. Since biryani is cooked on a low flame for a long time, thighs and drumsticks retain the moisture / juiciness when served.
For a more healthy biryani, you can definitely use chicken breast, but in my experience they tend to dry out and turn chewy compared to chicken thighs.
Marinating chicken for at least 15 minutes with salt, lemon juice, and a pinch of turmeric is highly recommended. Marinating ensures that the meat is tenderized and flavorful.
Yogurt is definitely recommended if you are using chicken breast in the biryani. If you are using only chicken thighs and drumsticks, yogurt can be skipped.
Always prefer to use bone-in chicken thighs in my recipes because the chicken cooks evenly and remains juicy even when served after several hours.
Butter and ghee can easily substituted for one another without much change in flavors and richness of the biryani.
However, if you use vegetable oil for health reasons, you will make a small compromise on the authentic and traditional flavors.
Raita (yogurt/curd based salad) or Salan/Shorba can be served as a side with biryani. Some also use mint raita as a side with biryani.
No, it is not necessary. Traditionally when making large quantities of biryani at weddings and other feasts, it was convenient to serve the biryani from large pots if there were alternate layers rice and chicken.
Recipe card
Best and Easy Chicken Biryani Recipe | How to Make Biryani
Equipment
- 1 Large kadai
Ingredients
I have listed the ingredients in the order I have used in the Video.
- 1 cup Basmati rice
- 4 to 5 cups Water
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Chicken marination
- 400 grams Chicken thighs
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Red chile powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- Juice of 1 lemon
To make biryani
- 2 Onions, chopped lengthwise
- 5 to 6 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 inch Ginger, finely chopped
- 2 to 3 Green chilies, slit
- 2 Tomatoes, diced
- 6 to 8 strands Coriander leaves or cilantro
- ¼ cup Mint leaves or Pudina, loosely packed
- 1 ½ tablespoon Oil
- 1 inch Cinnamon stick (Dalchini)
- 3 to 4 Cardamom pods (Elaichi)
- 3 to 4 Cloves (Lavang)
- 2 Bay leaf (Tej Patta)
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 tablespoon Biryani or Tandoori Masala
- 1 tablespoon Butter or ghee
- ¼ cup Water
Instructions
Cooking Rice
- Wash and soak the rice in water for 15 minutes.1 cup Basmati rice
- In the pot, add rice along with water and salt and bring it to a boil on a high flame. Reduce the flame to medium and cook till the rice is cooked through 80%. Drain and keep this aside.4 to 5 cups Water, 1 teaspoon Salt
Chicken Marination
- In a bowl, add chicken thighs, turmeric powder, chile powder, salt, and juice of a lemon. Toss and keep this aside for 15 minutes.400 grams Chicken thighs, ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon Red chile powder, 1 teaspoon Salt, Juice of 1 lemon
Making of Chicken Biryani
- In a pan, add oil. Once hot, add cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, cloves, bay leaf, cumin seeds, and saute for a few seconds.1 ½ tablespoon Oil, 1 inch Cinnamon stick (Dalchini), 3 to 4 Cardamom pods (Elaichi), 3 to 4 Cloves (Lavang), 2 Bay leaf (Tej Patta), 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- Add the marinated chicken and cook for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, add garlic, ginger, and green chilies. Flip the chicken and cook for another 2 minutes. Check the video here for a better understanding.5 to 6 Garlic cloves, finely chopped, 2 to 3 Green chilies, slit, 1 inch Ginger, finely chopped
- Add onion, tomato, coriander leaves, mint leaves, tandoori masala, and give it a good mix. Cook this for a minute. Now spread it evenly to cover the base of the pan.2 Onions, chopped lengthwise, 2 Tomatoes, diced, 6 to 8 strands Coriander leaves or cilantro, ¼ cup Mint leaves or Pudina, loosely packed, 1 tablespoon Biryani or Tandoori Masala
- Add partially cooked rice, spread evenly, and garnish with some more mint and coriander leaves.
- Finally, add butter and sprinkle some more tandoori masala powder or biryani masala powder and splash ¼ cup of water. Cover this and cook on low flame for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked through thoroughly.1 tablespoon Butter or ghee, ¼ cup Water
Video
Notes
- Use basmati or long-grain rice for the best result.
- Adjust the spices to taste.
- If the rice remains uncooked after the given time, splash water and continue cooking.
- Marination makes the meat flavorful, tender, and juicy when cooked. So do not skip this step.
- Chicken things and drumsticks are always good for biryani.
- Check out the post above for complete instant pot chicken biryani instructions.
Nutrition
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Beth
I found this recipe a few days ago, and I made it last night for the family. It was a huge hit. I'm making it with shrimp next.
Suja md
This was delicious! We really enjoyed both making and eating it!
@estee_bestie
I want it!!! flavoured rice is my favorite thing! and love the Indian flavors
Diana Reis
Really delicious and l love that it is an all in one meal. So simple for a family dinner.