Restaurant Style Chicken Biryani

Biryani is a flavorful and very popular rice dish with its origins from India. This recipe is a No Fail, and perfect for your biryani cravings! It is easy and simple to make a restaurant quality chicken biryani at home. This recipe is basically a dump and cook, one pot meal, saves a lot of time and cuts down process, but without compensating on the authentic flavors. Serve the chicken biryani with onions – tomato raita ( yogurt based dish) to compensate the spices. Recipe includes detailed instructions, tips and step by step pictures.

There was days when our family use to crave for a good biryani. We have tried-tasted many many restaurants biryani dish and have ended up with only disappointment. But when you have the sure shot recipe , right Ingredient and correct measurements, Its One Easy Recipe to make at home. My aunt gave me this recipe and definitely its one of our favorite Biryani recipes.

Follow the Exact Recipe and Tips given and I am sure this Restaurant Style Chicken biryani will make you crave for countless times.

Side Dishes 

Raita is the perfect side for this Chicken Biryani . Raita balances the spices in the chicken biryani. Check out the recipe for Raita here Onion Tomato Raita.

Other Suggestions – Also can be served with boiled eggs and salna (plain chicken curry) , Any meat curry / gravies.

Storage And Reheating Instructions

Biryani can be stored in a air tight box and can be refrigerated and stays good for couple of days. Refrigerate immediately if you have any leftover . Refrigerate the storing box on the inner side – away from the refrigerate door.

Reheating – Use a clean-dry ladle to scoop the biryani out every time. Sprinkle Some water on the biryani and cover the bowl or plate with a lid/ cover and microwave on high for 2 to 5 minutes depending on the quantity of food. (By sprinkling some water over the rice before reheating, rice retains the moisture and prevents it from getting dry).

How To Save Preparation Time ?

Cutting the Chicken , cleaning and chicken Marination can be done the previous night and can be refrigerated . This reduces the preparation time.

Also flavors in the chicken deepens from the marinade.

If Reducing The Quantity Of Serving Size In The Recipe?

If you are making the same recipe with 1/2 kg chicken and 1/2 kg basmati rice , then reduce all the other ingredients to exactly 1/2 the quantity from the given measurements.  But Cooking time and resting time (DUM) will remain the same.

Also In the Recipe Card (Below) you can Adjust the serving size . Automatically quantity for each ingredients will show you the exact measurements for your respective serving size.

Alternative For Basmati Rice And Water Measurements

Exact water measurement is given for 1 Kg of BASMATI RICE . If you are using any other rice varieties ( sona masoori , seeraga samba , brown rice )adjust water measurements as per the quality of the rice.

For 1 cup of basmati rice, the ratio of water I used is 1 and 1/4 cup. ( 1 cup = 180 ML).

Step By Step Pictures Of Biryani Preparation

How To Cleaning the Chicken – Cut the chicken thighs or whole chicken to 1 to 2 inch pieces and put it into a bowl and add all ingredients under cleaning the chicken – Add 1 tsp turmeric powder , 2 tsp yogurt / curd , 2 tblspn white distilled vinegar,1 tsp salt , cut chicken pieces and add water until the chicken is totally immersed. Mix it well and leave it for 15 minutes undisturbed. Now drain the water and rinse the chicken in cold running tap water once or twice , drain the water completely and set the chicken pieces aside.

Ingredients for Chicken Marination – Cleaned Chicken pieces , yogurt /curd, pepper powder, medium sized tomatoes (roughly chop them and only whip in the mixie / food processor just once or twice- do not fully puree it), lemon Juice, fresh mint leaves /pudina , cilantro leaves /kothamalli , red chilli powder,  ginger and garlic paste, salt and turmeric powder. Set aside.

Ingredients for Biryani – basmati rice (wash and rinse the rice twice in water and soak the rice for 30 minutes in a bowl filled with enough water) , whole almonds, oil , ghee /clarified butter, whole green cardamom ,cinnamon stick,  clove, whole green chillies, finely chopped onions , ginger and garlic paste and salt. Set aside.

Almonds Puree /Paste – Take the whole almonds (with skin) in the mixie / food processor and powder them finely and then add 1/4 cup water and grind it to a smooth paste. Set aside.

How To Marinate The Chicken ?

Take a wide bowl and add all ingredients under Marination and Mix it well and Set aside the marination for at-least 1/2 an hour or overnight (refrigerate it covered in a airtight box or zip-lock , if marinating it overnight ).

Biryani Preparation 

Take oil and ghee/ clarified butter in the pressure cooker ( I used 10 Litres pressure cooker size) and heat in medium-low flame , Once oil is hot add cardamom ,cinnamon and clove and saute for a minute or until fragrant. Add whole green chilies (do not slit or chop) and finely chopped onions and fry the onions till it turns translucent or slightly brown. Now add  ginger and garlic paste and saute for a minute/ until the raw smells goes.

Now add the marinated chicken with all the masala / marinade and saute well until you see oil starts to ooze out on the sides of the masala ( oil starts to separate ) from the chicken masala/ marinade. Make sure the flame is in medium and stir in between, so the masala doesn’t get burnt at the bottom.

Now add water , grounded badam / almonds paste , salt and stir it well. Bring it to boil. When it starts boiling, add the soaked rice ( drain the water completely after soaking for 30 minutes and then add the rice only ). Stir rice and chicken curry altogether and at this stage check for salt ( when you taste the water it has to be LITTLE salty ). Now put the lid on the pressure cooker with the sealing ring (rubber gasket ). When the STEAM BUBBLES ALONG WITH the WATER , put the weight and IMMEDIATELY SIMMER THE STOVE for EXACTLY 10 MINUTES ( No Need to wait for the Whistle to come ) After 10 minutes switch off the flame.

Take a thick towel / cloth and fold it and cover it over the top of the pressure cooker lid Without removing the pressure cooker from the heat (This way biryani will be in DUM – Sealing the pressure from escaping) . Let it rest for 10-15 Minutes.

Now remove the towel and open the lid of the pressure cooker and carefully fluff-up the rice without breaking the rice. Serve hot with boiled eggs and /or Any raita (yogurt / curd mixed with onion,tomato,green chillies and salt) on the side.