Authentic Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 whole chicken cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 4 cups extra long grain basmati rice
  • Salt
  • 1½ tbsp chili powder
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
  • 2 tbsp ghee preferably homemade
  • 1 tbsp fresh ground coriander powder
  • 2 - 2½ tbsp yogurt preferably homemade
  • 4 small sized limes
  • 1 bunch - mint
  • 1 bunch - cilantro
  • 1 tsp - fresh ground fennel (sounf)
  • 5 bay leaves
  • ⅛th tsp - ground equal parts of cloves and cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp javantri
  • 3 star anise
  • ¼th tsp fresh ground nutmeg (jajikaya)
  • ½ tsp fresh ground marati moggalu - optional
  • 2 black cardamom - optional
  • 5 threads pure saffron - optional
  • Optionally julienne cut onions and deep fry.
Instructions
  1. Soak basmati rice.
  2. Meanwhile, take chicken pieces in a bowl. If drumsticks or any pieces are big, make deep cuts with a knife. So that marinade spreads inside too.
  3. Add 1½ tbsp oil, salt, chili powder, coriander powder, ground cloves and cinnamon, ginger garlic paste, ½ bunch chopped mint, ½ bunch cilantro, yogurt. Squeeze 2 limes. Mix well.
  4. Drain water from rice. In a pot, add 4 cups of water, rice, salt. Heat to medium-high. When water starts boiling, turn heat to medium-low. Cook until all water is evaporated. Turn off the stove.
  5. Add mint, javantri, nutmeg, Marathi mogga, fennel powder, 1 lime juice, star anise, bay leaves to half cooked rice. Mix well. Do not mix hard with a spoon. Instead carefully fold.
  6. Take an aluminum or heavy-bottomed pressure cooker. Do not use regular steel cooker. Steel cookers tend to burn in the bottom. Also, make sure cooker bottom is wide. Tall cookers don't work well. It is ideal if chicken spreads in one layer or at the most 2 layers in the bottom.
  7. Add remaining oil to cooker. Spread all over the bottom.
  8. Spread chicken. Don't leave space between pieces. If you leave space, rice will seep to bottom and it will burn.
  9. Now add rice on the top. Top with ghee and saffron.
  10. Close the lid tightly. Do not put cooker whistle.Turn stove to medium-high. In 5-10 minutes, steam comes out of the cooker. Let steam come for 2 minutes, then put whistle and turn stove to medium-low. Keep for 10 minutes. Then turn to low for 10 minutes. Turn off the stove.
  11. Wait for cooker de-pressurize.
  12. Remove biryani carefully, into a big bowl. Do not to mush. Squeeze remaining limes. Garnish with cilantro and fried onions.
  13. Serve hot with raw onion.
Recipe by Ujwala's Delicacies at https://www.ujwalasdelicacies.com/authentic-hyderabadi-chicken-biryani/