Chicken Biryani Step By Step Chicken Biryani Ruchiskitchen

Packed with fragrant rice and juicy, tender chicken pieces, it’s a perfect one-pot dinner recipe that your whole family will love! IMAGE Chicken Biryani is not just a dish; it’s an ambrosial experience, flavorful, aromatic, and completely divine! But, I have tried to dispel that myth and simplified the process of making authentic biryani to help you create this culinary masterpiece with confidence. With some time, a little patience, and a dash of passion, you can now unveil this exquisite recipe’s secrets and enjoy its rewards. Aromatic spices lend exclusive flavors to the dish and infuse the dish with irresistible deliciousness. Today, I am sharing a Dum Pukht chicken Biryani that dates back to the era of the Mughals. A unique style of steam cooking characterizes this stove-top Chicken Biryani recipe. In Dum Pukht Biryani, rice, chicken, aromatic spices, and herbs are cooked in traditional handis or heavy-lidded cast iron pan, which is later sealed with kneaded flour to keep all the steam and flavor locked in. One of the most intriguing facts is that when you serve biryani, you are serving the celebration of flavors and togetherness!

Wholesome and hearty Provides an exquisite symphony of flavors and textures One-pot complete meal Scalable recipe Can be made in advance and stored and Revered and admired by all age groups!

Introduce the Chicken biryani casserole to the table tonight and let its ‘oh-so-good’ aroma steal the spotlight!

Rice — Extra long Basmati rice is the most preferred choice for making Chicken Biryani. When cooked, the grains stay separate and fluffy and absorb the flavors of the spices and chicken well. Look out for the properly aged fragrant basmati rice for best results. Fresh herbs — Cilantro and mint are vital components of this Chicken biryani as they elevate the overall taste of the recipe. They add a burst of freshness to the dish and infuse a delightful fragrance while balancing the richness of spices and other ingredients. Whole Spices — The hallmark of traditional biryani recipes, whole spices create an aromatic base that infuses into the entire dish, imparting a unique flavor profile. Bay leaves, whole black cardamom, star anise, cinnamon sticks, cloves, peppercorns, and shahi jeera are the significant spices rendering depth and complexity of flavors to the recipe. Milk and Saffron — Saffron threads soaked in warm milk impart a vibrant yellow color to the dish besides the exquisite aroma. Saffron-infused milk enhances the overall taste and adds a subtle, luxurious flavor to the recipe. Ghee + Oil — Any neutral, refined oil is good for cooking the biryani. But homemade desi ghee will create wonders.

Avoid overcooking completely — Biryani is all about rice; therefore, cooking the rice right is imperative. Biryani calls for 70 percent cooked rice, which means it’s al dente. At this stage, the rice grains are slightly firm (not tough) when pressed in between the fingers. However, care should be taken to avoid turning them mushy with overcooking. Spices and herbs bring magical flavors — The magical deliciousness that conjures the senses is lent by the authentic spices and herbs as they infuse the rice with a remarkable aroma and drool-worthy flavors. Simply put, without the spices and herbs, the biryani would not be the masterpiece it is! Preparing the chicken for marination — Before adding the marinade, it is important to pat dry each chicken piece to remove the moisture, as it may interfere with the proper coating of the marinade on the chicken pieces. Once dry, add the marinade to the chicken pieces and leave it, therefore allowing time for the marinade to work on the chicken. This resting time lets the flavors seep into the chicken pieces and helps them to become irresistibly juicy and succulent. Birista as an essential add-on — Crispy fried onions or Birista are the essential element of the recipe that renders a magical flavor to the dish. Without the birista, biryani would lack the necessary flavor and be incomplete. You can easily prepare birista at home by frying the onion slices, or you can use the store-bought ones. When using the store-bought birista, remember to check the date on it as the stale ones will have a smell to them, which will ruin the biryani. For the crunchy birista — Biryani tastes superb when layered with the crunchy birista on the top. To make crunchy birista, I prefer to coat the onions with cornstarch. You may use besan in the place of cornstarch if the latter is not available. However, don’t forget to shake off excess flour, else it will mess up the oil. Shelf-life of the fried onions/ birista — Fried onions can be used to flavor many other recipes like pulaos, cutlets, marinades, and some soups. Therefore, you can make a big batch and store it for later use. They keep well for a month in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container. Selecting the right cookware — Biryani is slowly cooked over low heat, and the pot is sealed to lock in the steam and the flavors. For this, a heavy-bottomed pan is the most appropriate choice, as this will prevent the rice from sticking or burning at the bottom. For this recipe, I have used a Dutch oven. If you don’t have a thick-bottomed pan, use a grill below your thin skillet to prevent burning. Substitute for Shahi Jeera — Cumin seeds substitute Shahi Jeera perfectly. So, if you don’t have shahi jeera on hand, you can conveniently use cumin seeds. A helpful modification — The traditional biryani-making procedure includes adding marinated chicken to the parboiled rice and then steaming it in the sealed handis (pot). But I prefer to cook the chicken a little before layering it with rice. Small raw chicken pieces cook well with the parboiled rice, but the big chicken pieces and bone-in chicken remain undercooked. From an efficiency standpoint, I prefer to pre-cook these pieces slightly before layering. The downside benefit is that you end up with tender, juicy, and well-cooked chicken pieces. It’s a win-win with just a slight modification in the approach, and you get the most irresistible biryani to relish! Use Greek yogurt for best results — Full-fat Greek yogurt is the most preferred choice for this recipe as it brings excellent results. Irresistible oven-cooked biryani — If you don’t prefer the traditional method of cooking biryani in the pan/pot, try baking it in the oven. After assembling, bake it in a preheated oven at 325 degrees F for 20-30 minutes. Trust me, the oven biryani tastes equally good as compared to the stovetop biryani, as the consistent heat of the oven works great and brings fantastic results. So, gather your ingredients, and we are all set to begin our journey to curate a wonderful dish that not only tantalizes the taste buds but also brings the vibrancy and flavors of India’s culinary heritage to your dinner table tonight. And don’t forget to share it with your family and friends.