Tried & True Delicious Chicken Biriyani!

Indian food has been one of my very favorite cuisines to cook for many years. It was the first type of food that inspired me to learn how to cook back in 2007! I purchased all the books I could get my hands on and studied them to learn techniques. I went to Indian grocery stores and bought every Indian spice available to try to learn the flavor profile of each one. It really was so much fun. I had two friends at the time that also loved 3 hour cheesy Bollywood movies and I would spend all day cooking to create a big buffet for us to enjoy while watching them. To this day- I feel weird making just ONE Indian dish at a time. If i’m going to do it- I usually set aside enough time to make one meat and one veggie dish at minimum.

But I digress- If I’m being honest I never really cared for or about Biriyani. I liked it but I didn’t LOVE it. I especially didn’t enjoy biting into whole cardamom pods. A few times I considered working for a recipe for the blog and when I saw the amount of steps.. I immediately dropped the idea. It didn’t feel worth it..

Then- earlier this year when ordering takeout I threw in an order of biyirani for fun and Rich (my husband) LOVED it!! I was shocked when he said it was his new favorite thing. So of course- if there is a recipe that he loves I have to master it. Thats just how it goes :) It took me more tries that I would like to admit… I made it about once a month for the past 5 months to get it JUST right. Finally I landed a phenomenal version that I know you will love as much as we do!

So- again. I had no plans to create my own recipe. Instead I researched and found the most popular chicken biriyani recipes online. I settled for one on YouTube with lots of rave reviews.. and I followed the directions to a T very very carefully.

It tasted decent.. but the rice ratio was wayyyy off for my taste. It was bland!! Plus the bottom layer of the rice and chicken burned!! Such a bummer to put in that kind of effort only to have a recipe burn. I went back to the comments and discovered many other people had run into the same issues.

This is why I test my recipes many times over so that IF you choose to make what I post you can depend on it turning out. There’s nothing more maddening than wasting time and ingredients!

So.. naturally I created my own! :) And this recipe I LOVE. Like LOVE LOVE LOVE! The flavor is so fresh & beautiful!! I am now a HUGE biriyani enthusiast! SO I guess it just depends on the recipe.. using fresh crispy fried onions and big bunches of fresh herbs really works magic.

So I give you.. a tried and true Chicken Biriyani that is 100% worth the steps and time!! This is a recipe that I will make once a month for us for many years to come!!

Tips for working with Ginger:

Freeze & Grate it!! I have been doing this for many years and always forget to mention it. I hated the way my ginger always went bad in the fridge not fully used. Freezing it in the solution. It lasts for many MONTHS. Plus frozen it grates incredibly easy. I don’t even bother peeling the skin off. Its also easy to mince it with a knife when its frozen. For this I just allow it to sit out for a few minutes first before cutting off however much I plan to chop. Place it back in a baggie or small container and put it back into the freezer for the next time.

Outrageously Delicious Chicken Biriyani!

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Yield: 12 Large Servings

Author: Brittany Angell

Prep time: 1 HourCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 1 H & 30 M

I have been working on this recipe the past year wanting to get it absolutely perfect in every way. There is no getting around it- Biriyani is a little bit of a labor of love. (Though as you get to understand the concept it does get quicker to make!) The process takes me maybe an hour and a half total. But- nonetheless if I'm going to spend that amount of time making something it must be spectacular! And this- recipe IS spectacular. Its the best biriyani I have ever had bursting with fresh bright flavor from the herbs. It makes the whole house smell amazing & will be one of those recipes you will keep coming back to.

Ingredients

Yogurt Chicken Marinade

• 3 Lbs Boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into pieces.
• 10.6 ounces Greek Yogurt (Regular or dairy free- low fat or regular)
• 1 Tsp Turmeric
• 4 Tsp Garam Masala
• 5 Tsp Ginger Paste /Shredded Ginger
• 2 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 2 Tsp Cumin Seeds
• 2 Tsp Salt
• 1/2 ounce fresh mint chopped. (to go into the marinade) *One container of mint from the store will be perfect even if the ounces are not exact.
• 1/4 Tsp ground Cardamamom
• 1/8- 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 2 Tsp Paprika
• 2 bunchs fresh cilantro leaves chopped (one bunch to mix in with the marinade and the second to use when layering the biriyani!)
• 6 Tbsp Butter (regular or dairy free) or Oil of choice to cook the chicken

Fried Red Onions

• 3-4 Large Red Onions Sliced into thin strips
• Several Inches of oil in a Heavy Bottomed Skillet or Pan safe for frying. (Vegetable, Avocado. Coconut oil, Lard or Spectrum shortening)

Instructions

Par-Boiled Seasoned Rice

1. 10 cups of water
2. 2 Tbsp Salt
3. 1 1/2 Tsp Cumin Seeds
4. 2 Cinnamon Sticks
5. 1/8 Tsp Cardamon Powder
6. 3 1/2 Cups Rice

To assemble

1. Make the marinated chicken: Add to a large bowl the yogurt, lemon juice and all of the spices. Stir in boneless skinless chicken thigh pieces. Cover and place in the fridge for 1 hour or up to 2 days.
2. Turn on oven to 400 degrees to preheat.
3. When you want to begin cooking the biriyani : Start by frying the onions over medium high heat until lightly golden brown. This can take 15-25 minutes depending on the temperature of your oil. (Place the fried onions on paper towel to drain excess oil.)
4. After the onions start frying par boil the rice. Bring the 10 cups of water, salt and spices into a large pot and bring the water to a boil and stir well. Pour in the uncooked rice and set timer for 6-8 minutes. In this time the rice will start to cook and swell- but will be al dente. It should still have a bit of a bite to it. Pour the rice and its water into a strainer and set aside (do not rinse out the salt/seasoning!)
5. Add the 6 tbsp butter or oil to the dutch oven (around 6-8 quarts in size) that you plan to layer the rice into. Heat over medium high heat- then add in the chicken and all of its marinade. Sauce and cook with a simmer for 10 minutes until the chicken has cooked through Remove half of the chicken and its sauce its a small bowl- keeping half in the bottom of the dutch oven.
6. Spread the remaining half of chicken and its sauce over the bottom of the pan evenly. Pour half of the rice evenly over it. Place half of (2nd bunch) of fresh cilantro over the rice - and then sprinkle half of the fried onions over the cilantro.
7. Then do the second layer: Evenly spoon the 2nd half of chicken and its sauce over the last onion layer. Then add all of the remaining rice spreading it evenly then finish with the last of the cilantro and fried onions. Cover the dutch oven with tinfoil and then also with its lid.
8. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Do not open it at any point! The steam needs to stay in the pot to finish cooking the rice.
9. Remove the dutch oven pan from the oven- and keep it sealed up allowing it to sit/cool for 10 minutes.
10. Open & Serve!

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