Chicken Biryani

Chicken Biryani (New recipe )

Tip – Please use same measuring cup to measure rice and water

Serves: 3 - 4

Ingredients

For the  chicken:

750 g chicken pieces, cut into medium size pieces

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon red chilli powder

½ teaspoon salt

Wash and clean chicken pieces. Drain out water thoroughly. In a wide bowl, marinate chicken pieces evenly with turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Cover and keep aside for half an hour.

Other ingredients

1 tablespoon oil / ghee

3 cloves (optional)

3 cardamom

1 small bay leaf

1 stick cinnamon

3 onion, finely sliced

1 tablespoon thick  ginger – garlic paste

3/4 teaspoon red chilli powder (or 1 teaspoon for more spicy rice)

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

1  teaspoon coriander powder

1 tomato, finely chopped (1 big size or 2 small size)

4 tablespoon finely chopped mint and coriander leaves (do not add thick stem)

Marinated chicken pieces

Extra 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder

1 cup water (200 ml / 8 oz – Indian standard measuring cup) – to make chicken gravy

2 teaspoon lime juice (do not miss this ingredient)

2 cups (Indian standard measuring cup of 200 ml / 8 oz capacity)  Dawat basmati rice (3 ½ cups water required for 2 cups Dawat brand basmati rice) or 2 cups jeerakasala (Zeera zamba) rice (3 cups water required for 2 cups jeera rice

Raita / pickle for serving

Method

Dilute red chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder in  2 tablespoons  of water and keep aside (spice mix).

Wash and clean rice. Soak in 2 cups of water for half an hour. Drain out water completely.

Heat oil in a pan or karahi  (big size karahi)  on medium heat. Add whole spices (cloves, cardamom, bay leaf and cinnamon) and fry on a low heat till fragrant.

Add sliced onions and fry till golden color.

Add ginger – garlic paste and stir well for 2 – 3 minutes until the raw smell goes.

Add diluted spice powder and mix well for 2 minutes until the water dries up.

Add chopped tomato and fry well for 2 – 3 minutes.

Add chopped mint and coriander leaves, marinated chicken pieces, garam masala powder, 1 cup water and adjust salt to taste (or 1 teaspoon).. Mix all the ingredients well. Cover with a tight lid and cook on a medium to low heat for 25 minutes until 3/4^th done (In India, normal cooking time for broiler chicken is 30 – 40 minutes. Popular brands are  Suguna and Venky’s brand).

Once you add the marinated chicken, note down the timing.

At this stage (until 3/4^th done) open the lid and check quantity of the gravy (Switch off the heat. Carefully remove chicken pieces from the gravy and measure the gravy. It may be 1 to 1 ¼ cup.

Now transfer chicken pieces, gravy (1 cup gravy), lime juice, drained rice and 2 ½ cups water (add water as per the variety of  rice. 3 ½ cups  water required for  Dawat and 3 cups water required for jeerakasala rice. 1 cup gravy + 2 1/2 cups water)

Adjust salt if required.

Cover again and cook on a medium to low heat for another 15 – 20 minutes or until done / rice cooked well and water dries up.  Stir occasionally. Serve with raita / pickle / korma..