Easy Chicken Pulao | One Pot Spicy Chicken Pilaf

Best and easy chicken pulao with spicy and flavorful chicken thigh and drumsticks.

5 from 13 votes

Easy Chicken Pulao | One Pot Spicy Chicken Pilaf

Chicken Pulao is a popular and flavorful, easy one-pot rice dish prepared using chicken, rice, and a blend of aromatic spices.

This pilau is one of the best recipes for your weeknight dinner. It is also popularly served during family dinners and special occasions such as weddings and festivities like Eid, Iftar during Ramadan, and Christmas. It is simple and easy to make and can be cooked in large batches to feed the crowd.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings:

Calories: 416kcal

Author: Kushi

Equipment

Bowl
Pan or Pot or Pressure cooker

Ingredients

For the chicken marination

700 grams Chicken
1 ½ teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoon Yogurt or Dahi
1 inch Ginger
8 Garlic cloves
4 Green chilies
¼ cup Cilantro or Coriander leaves, finely chopped

For the pulao or pilaf

3 tablespoon Oil
1 teaspoon Whole peppercorns
1 inch Cinnamon stick
1 Star anise
3 Cardamom pods
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
3 Bay leaves
4 Green chilies, slit
3 Onion, medium sized, sliced
2 Tomatoes, sliced
2 tablespoon Coriander powder
½ tablespoon Tandoori masala powder
2 tablespoon Cilantro or coriander leaves, chopped
2 tablespoon Mint leaves, chopped
1 ½ cups Rice (Basmati or any rice of your choice)
3 cups Water
1 teaspoon Salt

Instructions

Chicken Marination

In a mixie jar (blender) or mortar and pestle, add ginger, green chilies, and garlic and make a coarse paste.
1 inch Ginger, 8 Garlic cloves, 4 Green chilies
In a bowl, add chicken, yogurt, salt, crushed paste from Step 1, and coriander leaves and mix. Let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
700 grams Chicken, 1 ½ teaspoon Salt, 2 tablespoon Yogurt or Dahi, ¼ cup Cilantro or Coriander leaves, finely chopped

Making of pulao

In a pan (or kadai or pot) on medium flame, add oil. Once the oil is hot, add peppercorns, cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, cumin seeds, bay leaves, and slit green chilies, and saute for a minute until aromatic.
3 tablespoon Oil, 1 teaspoon Whole peppercorns, 1 inch Cinnamon stick, 1 Star anise, 3 Cardamom pods, 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds, 3 Bay leaves, 4 Green chilies, slit
Add onions and saute for 6 to 8 minutes until the onion becomes translucent.
3 Onion, medium sized, sliced
Add tomatoes and continue to saute on a medium flame for 5 minutes.
2 Tomatoes, sliced
Add marinated chicken. Mix well and cook it for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, stir it again, cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add coriander powder and tandoori masala powder. Mix well. Cover and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
2 tablespoon Coriander powder, ½ tablespoon Tandoori masala powder
Add mint leaves and cilantro and mix well.
2 tablespoon Cilantro or coriander leaves, chopped, 2 tablespoon Mint leaves, chopped
Add basmati rice. Make sure you soak the rice for at least 15 minutes and then drain well before adding it to the pan. This will make your rice fluffier and cooks faster.
1 ½ cups Rice
Add 3 cups of water. If using any other rice variety, the amount of water may vary slightly.
3 cups Water
Add salt to taste and mix well. Be careful while adding the salt, as we have added salt while marinating the chicken. Bring it to a boil.
Cover and cook until the water is fully absorbed and the rice is cooked. It will take between 12 to 15 minutes on medium to medium-low flame. Switch off the flame, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Gently fluff the rice using a spatula. Serve hot and enjoy.
1 teaspoon Salt

Video

Notes

The amount of water required may vary depending on the brand and type of rice used. Use good quality rice.
Wash the rice nicely, and then soak it for 15 to 30 minutes, and drain. This step will remove excess starch and prevents your rice from turning sticky or mushy.
Adjust the spices and spice powders to your taste.
You can use garam masala or curry powder instead of tandoori masala powder.
Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes. It will make it more tender and flavorful.
Once you add rice and water, cook on medium-low to medium flame to avoid it from sticking at the bottom.
If you like the crunch in your pulao, garnish it with fried onions, roasted almonds, and cashews.
To make it more flavorful and take it to the next level, you can use homemade broth instead of water for cooking pulao.
We can't resist the smell and love to eat it hot. If you want fluffier rice, then once the pulao is done, let it sit in the pan covered for another 10 minutes before giving the rice a gentle toss.
Do not skip mint and coriander leaves while making pulao.

Nutrition