This aromatic chicken biryani is a simplified one-pot recipe for a classic Indian chicken and rice dish. In this easy recipe, marinated chicken is cooked with long-grain basmati rice and is flavored with fresh herbs, caramelized onions, fragrant spices, delicious aromatic mint leaves,fresh thyme, and freshly chopped cilantro. Enjoy this restaurant favorite even on weeknights in less than an hour.
Cooking the Biryani
Yes, I will admit that cooking this chicken masala biryani is a bit of a process. Like any Biryani, I suppose. Some people do feel intimidated by the thought of cooking biryani.
But it can be easy if you prepare in advance. I usually marinate my chicken with spices overnight. Doing this also speeds up the process a little when you’re ready to cook.
Also, with practice, cooking a biryani becomes much easier. Although I prefer popping my biryani in the oven, you can totally cook it on the stovetop.
You have to remember to cook it on a very low heat and constantly check on it. The moisture on the stovetop does dry up quicker than in the oven, so it can burn if you don’t keep a close eye on it.
Why will this become your ‘go-to’ One Pot Biryani?
Ingredients
Marination
- 2 large whole chickens,
- 1kg chicken fillets
- Yogurt: 1/2 cup
- Salt, to taste
- Bay Leaves, 2
- Crushed Cardamom
- Cinnamon, 2 large piece
- Turmeric: 1 1/2 tsp
- Kashmiri chili powder
- Garlic paste: 1 tablespoon; ginger paste: 1 tablespoon
- Green chilli and Browned onion, 3/4 cup
- Mint leaves: 1 cup; curd: 1/2 cup; and oil: 1/4 cup
In addition to ghee (or oil), ginger-garlic paste, freshly chopped cilantro, and mint, here’s what you need to make this aromatic and delicious chicken biryani in one pot. You can also use a few optional toppings, like cashews and hard-boiled eggs, to finish the dish.
Chicken
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After cutting up the chicken into the required pieces, rinse well and leave in a colander for excess water to drain out. Marinate the chicken with all the spices: cardamom, cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, soomph, chilli powder, yogurt, ginger/garlic paste, tomato paste, and the pureed tomatoes. Refrigerate overnight or for an hour
Rice, Potatoes, and lentils
- Soak and wash the long-grain basmati rice thoroughly
- Soak and wash the brown lentils thoroughly
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Option 1: Steam the potatoes until slightly tender. Season with salt and shallow fry in a little oil until golden brown. Set aside.
- Option 2: Add potatoes to the curry.
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You can soak the dry lentils overnight. Place it in a pot with enough water to cover it, and cook until tender but not mushy. Set aside
Biryani
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Heat 6 tablespoons of butter from the 100 grams of butter with a few drops of oil. Add the cinnamon sticks, bay leaf, star anise, and black cardamom. Fry until fragrant
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Add one onion, a curry leaf, thyme, and green chillies. Sauté until the onion is golden brown
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Add the marinated chicken and the chopped mint leaves. Add salt and cook on high heat for 5 minutes
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Reduce the heat and simmer until the tomatoes are cooked, about 10 minutes. Add the cooked lentils to the chicken
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Add the rice on top of the chicken. Sprinkle the saffron water over, if using. Cut the remaining butter and spread it on top, together with the fried onions. Pour a cup of water over the biryani and pop it into the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 1 hour. Please check in between cooking times to see if it needs more water. Add more, only if necessary. You can increase the cooking time a little if the potatoes are not fully cooked after an hour.
Tip!
If you want to currify the lentils and potatoes, add the soaked, washed, and drained lentils to the curry, and now add the potatoes. Do not stir. Put on the lid and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Now add the uncooked basmati rice. I used 4 cups of rice and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, and then lower the heat.
Basmati cooks in 15 minutes. Please be mindful when cooking, and you will enjoy this delicious chicken biryani!
Onion
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For the crispy fried onion, heat half a cup of oil in a pot and fry the onion on low heat until golden brown and crisp. Please keep an eye on the onion, or it can burn. Drain on a paper towel and set aside
Serving Suggestion: Make a Meal
I like to serve chicken biryani warm, with a side of cucumber raita (cucumber yogurt dip) and a simple cucumber-tomato-onion salad, or garden salad, drizzled with fresh lime vinaigrette.
How to Double This Recipe
Multiplying this recipe is easy. You can easily double this recipe by using the required amount of ingredients.
Tips for Making Fried Onions
Fried onions are a huge contributor to the flavor of any biryani. When I’m short on time, I sometimes use store-bought fried onions from the spice shop, and those work great for biryani. Making them at home takes a bit of time, so I like to plan ahead when I can.
I prepare them in the oven, cool them, and store them in an airtight container in the fridge (or freeze them) for later use. Here’s how to make them:
Fried Onions in the Oven: Thinly slice 4 large onions (red, yellow, or white). Toss with melted ghee or oil along with ½ teaspoon salt. Spread on a baking sheet and cook in a preheated oven at 425°F for about 22–25 minutes, until they are golden brown. Flip them half-way through.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Rice: For best results, choose a good-quality, long-grain variety of basmati rice. I personally prefer extra-long basmati for this recipe.
- Chicken: If you like to use skinless ‘bone-in’ chicken (thighs or drums) in this recipe,
- Marination: Marinating chicken for just 30 minutes makes a big difference in flavor and tenderness. Try not to skip that step.
- Order of steps: If you follow the directions in order: marinate chicken, soak rice, caramelize onions, sauté chicken, and pressure cook biryani, this recipe comes together in an hour.
- How to prevent the ‘Burn’ Message: Deglaze the pot after caramelizing and sautéing. Brown bits stuck at the bottom can cause the burn sign, so be sure to remove those. If needed, clean the pot in between steps.
- Fried onion shortcut: caramelizing onions takes about 13–15 minutes. You can fry them a few days in advance or use store-bought fried onions to save on that time.