Name: How to make Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani-restaurant style
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Ingredients: Cinnamon stick…3.5 inch; Cloves...15 pieces; Star Anise... 1 piece; Bay leaves...3 small leaves; Green cardamom...20 pieces; Black peppercorns…1 tsp.; Cumin seeds…1/2 tsp.; Coriander seeds….2 tsp.; Mace (small piece, optional); Chicken (with bone) …700g; Basmati rice…700g; Thinly chopped onion… 225g; Fresh ginger/garlic paste...2 tablespoon; Chopped coriander leaves... 1.5 cup; Chopped mint leaves... 1.5 cup; Fresh lime juice… 4 tbsp.; Green chilies... 12; Plain unsweetened yogurt…4 tbsp.; Cumin seeds... 1/2 teaspoon; Shahi Jeera... 1 teaspoon; Turmeric powder... 1/4 teaspoon; Kashmiri red chilli powder... 1 tbsp.; Normal red chilli powder… 1/2 tsp.; Saffron... a pinch; Rose and Kewra essence... 1 drop each; milk... 1/4 cup; orange food color... a pinch; oil... 5 tbsp.; Ghee... 3 tbsp.; Salt... to taste

This is a step by step recipe so you can nail the taste of hyderabadi chicken biryani in your kitchen!

How to make Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani-restaurant style

Author: Nupur Bhattacharya Courses:Chicken Chicken rice recipes Gluten Free Main course Rice/Biryani/Pulao

Difficulty:IntermediatePrep time: 30 minutesCook time: 40 minutesRest time: 30 minutesTotal time: minutesServings:8 servingsCalories: kcal Best Season:

Instructions

Recipe for Fresh Garam Masala for the biryani

Set a pan on medium heat
Add cinnamon sticks, cloves, green cardamoms, star anise, bay leaf, black peppercorns, cumin seeds, and coriander seeds
Stir for ~3 minutes till they turn aromatic
Transfer everything to a grinder jar along with a small piece of javitri (mace)
Grind to a fine powder and set it aside

Getting the saffron and colors ready for the biryani

Warm the milk to lukewarm (you can use a microwave)
Add saffron into the milk
Add a drop of rose essence and a drop of kewra essence into the milk
Add a pinch of orange food color and mix well and set aside

Marinating the chicken

To the chicken add 1 tbsp. of fresh lime juice
Add kashmiri red chilli powder, normal red chilli powder, ginger garlic paste (1 tbsp.), turmeric powder, fresh garam masala powder (1 tsp.), a handful of coriander leaves, a handful of mint leaves, yogurt, 1 tsp. salt (or to taste), and oil (1 tbsp.)
Mix thoroughly and let it marinate for 1 hour at least.
Best would be to marinate overnight in the refrigerator if you can

Cooking the chicken

To a pan set on medium heat add approximately 5 tablespoons of oil
Add thinly sliced onions and keep stirring until they become dark brown in color. This should take approximately 15 minutes.
Keep aside approximately 2 tablespoons of the fried onion for garnish
Add 1/2 tsp. shahi jeera
To the rest of the onions in the pan add the rest of the fresh ginger garlic paste (save ~1 tsp. of ginger garlic paste for adding in the water while cooking the rice)
Add the marinated chicken and mix well
Stir fry the chicken for 5 min
Add rest of the fresh garam masala (save ~1 tsp. of the fresh garam masala for adding in the water while cooking the rice)
Add green chillies and mix well
Turn down the heat, place the lid on and let it cook for approximately 10 minutes while stirring intermittently.
Repeat the process till the chicken cooks through completely. You can add 2-3 tbsp. of water to the chicken so it doesn’t burn
Add 1 tbsp. of lime juice
Add the rest of the mint leaves and coriander leaves (save a little for garnish)
Add salt till the chicken tastes slightly salty because it is going to be mixed with a lot of rice

Cooking the rice

Soak basmati rice in water for 30 min
In a deep pot take 4 liters of water
Add enough salt to the water so it tastes like sea water. For approximately 4 liters of water we need about 3 tbsp. or 9 tsp. of salt
Add the remaining 2 tbsp. of fresh lime juice, the remaining ginger garlic paste and the remaining garam masala and mix thoroughly
Add a splash of oil (~1 tbsp.)
Once the water comes to a boil add the pre-soaked basmati rice
Cook till the rice is 80% done (the rice should break easily but not be pasty) this should take approximately 15 minutes on medium heat
Strain the rice

Putting the chicken and rice together

Take a flat pan or tawa and set it on medium heat
On this flat pan place the Biryani pot. This prevents the chicken from burning while the biryani cook
Spread the rice (immediately after straining) evenly on the chicken
Sprinkle some of the orange colored saffron milk on the rice
Add more orange color to the milk and add on the rice
Keep repeating this so you get different shades of orange color
Spread ghee on the rice
Garnish with the remaining coriander leaves, mint leaves, and fried onions
Sprinkle 3-4 tbsp. of water on the rice
Place the lid on and make sure to use a lid that fits well
Make sure that the vent of the lid is covered
Let the rice cook on medium heat for 10 minutes and then on low heat for 15 minutes