Preparation (Making fried onions, partially cooking the rice, and marinating the chicken)

Fried onions or Birirsta

• Slice medium-sized onions and separate the layers.
  3 Onions
• Heat oil in a pan for frying. Add the sliced onions and fry them on a medium flame for a few minutes and then on low flame till it turn golden brown. It will turn crisp as it cools down.
• Make sure not to burn them. They will turn bitter. Transfer it to a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
• For the best flavor, you can use the same oil to make biryani.

Marinate the chicken

• In a blender, add garlic, ginger, and green chilies and blend it to a smooth paste.
  1 inch Ginger, 8 to 10 Garlic cloves, 4 Green chilies
• Add chicken thighs, garlic, ginger, green chile paste, yogurt, red chile powder, and salt and mix well to combine.
  400 gram Chicken, ½ cup Yogurt, 1 teaspoon Red chile powder, 1 ½ teaspoon Salt
• Marinate this for atleast 30 minutes. You can refrigerate the marination overnight for the soft, tender chicken.

Partially cook the rice

• Wash the rice in water, soak for 30 minutes, and drain.
  1 cup Basmati rice or long-grain rice
• Bring salted water to boil in a pot. Add the drained rice and cook until it is ¾th of 75 percent done.
• Drain and uncover the pot. Keep this aside.

How to make Hyderabadi chicken biryani?

• Add oil or ghee to a heavy-bottomed pan (matka / clay pot) or any pan you are comfortable cooking the biryani.
  3 tablespoon Oil or Ghee
• Add the marinated chicken, juice of 1 lemon, garam masala powder, 2 tablespoon each of mint and coriander leaves, ½ cup fried onions, and mix.
  Juice of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon Garam masala powder, 4 tablespoon Mint leaves, 4 tablespoon Cilantro, ½ cup Fried onions
• To this, add half of the partially cooked rice and spread, top it with 1 tablespoon each of coriander leaves, mint, fried onions, and sprinkle some tandoori masala.
• Add remaining partially cooked rice, pour saffron milk and tablespoon of ghee. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of coriander leaves, mint leaves, and fried onions, and sprinkle some tandoori masala.
  1 tablespoon Ghee, 8 to 10 saffron strands or kesar

How to dum cook biryani?

• Place the biryani pot over the hot tawa or griddle. Dum cook in any one method.
• Method 1: Cover the pot with the lid and place a heavy-weight pot with water on it, as shown in the image. This is easy and serves the purpose.
• Method 2: You can make chapati or bread dough, stick it to the rim of the pot, and cover it with the lid.
• Method 3: Use aluminum foil or moist cloth to seal the rim completely and then place a heavy lid.
• Cook on medium-low flame for 15 to 20 minutes and then on low flame for 10 minutes. If you are patient, turn off the stove and let it rest for another 15 minutes. (A kitchen filled with the aroma of biryani makes you hungry)
• When done, you will see that the chicken is tender and juicy, and the rice is cooked to perfection. If you see any moisture content or the chicken is uncooked, cover and cook until it is done.

Instant pot Hyderabadi chicken biryani

• Marinate the chicken, soak the rice, and fry the onions as mentioned in the steps given above.
• Turn on the saute mode of your IP. Once hot, add oil, marinated chicken, juice of 1 lemon, garam masala powder, 2 tablespoon each of mint and coriander leaves, ½ cup fried onions, and mix.
• Drain and add the soaked rice and spread it evenly over the chicken. Add 1 cup of 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 7 minutes.
• Let this sit for 5 minutes. Then, quickly release any remaining pressure.
• Add remaining fried onions, cilantro, and mint leaves as needed (as layers are not created in IP), along with ghee and saffron milk, and gently mix using a silicone spatula until everything is well combined.

Bake the biryani in the oven:

• Layer the biryani in your casserole dish the way you do it in the pot. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 400 degrees F or until done. The baking time may vary based on the depth of your casserole dish.