Biryani is a celebration of all that is great about Indian food – the heady aromas, the vibrant colours, the fluffy rice and those addictive curry flavours. Make this Chicken Biryani with your protein of choice – or try a vegetable biryani!
Biryani recipe
One of the most requested recipes is finally here! Another RecipeTin Family effort, it took us seven attempts to get this biryani right.
Seven attempts means seven heated arguments about who would take the leftover biryani because somebody in the RecipeTin family, at any point in time, usually declares themselves to be on a diet to address blog-related weight gain concerns.
And it was worth it. (Belly and all.) Biryani, we can’t get enough of you!
WHAT IS BIRYANI, AND WHY DO I LOVE IT SO MUCH?
Essentially, it’s your favourite chicken curry (or vegetable or other protein of choice) buried under a mound of delicately spiced fluffy rice, all made in one pot. The rice is steamed over a low heat so it absorbs the flavours of the curry bubbling away underneath.
So in a nutshell, it’s every curry loving-carb monsters’ dream come true. It’s got my name written all over it!
ABOUT THIS BIRYANI
You’ll find variations of Biryani all across the Indian subcontinent, from Pakistan to Bangladesh, Afghanistan to India. There are 2 main types – one where the protein and/or vegetables are cooked mixed throughout the rice, and the other version known as Hyderabad-style biryani in India where meat and rice are layered and cook in a sealed pot over fire. The latter is the style of biryani I’m sharing today.
There’s a wonderful Afghani restaurant in my area called Sahar (Newport, Sydney) which serves a Biryani that’s a huge favourite among locals. Hands down, the best ethnic restaurant I know in the upper northern beaches.
HOW TO MAKE BIRYANI
Chicken marinated in a spiced yoghurt is placed in a large pot, then layered with fried onions (cheeky easy sub below!), fresh coriander/cilantro, then par boiled lightly spiced rice.
The crowning glory is to finish it off with a drizzle of saffron infused water to give it the signature patches of bright yellow rice, as well as ghee (or melted butter) for buttery richness.
The pot is then covered and cooked over a low heat for about 25 minutes during which time the rice absorbs the aromas and flavours of the curry underneath, whilst still being beautifully fluffy.
That moment when you lift the lid and are greeted with this sight…
…. that moment is only second to this: when you dig deep into the pot, ensuring you get some of every layer, and the full force of the aroma from the curry buried deep under the rice hits you, and it takes every single bit of will power to gravitate that spoon towards a bowl instead of attempting to shove that entire giant scoop in your mouth….
OK wait. Did you almost lose control too?
I’m almost done. Bear with me – just want to show you a few more things before handing over the recipe!
BIRYANI SPICES
There’s subtle flavourings used for the rice, and a load more used for the curry sauce.
There’s a lengthy list but there’s nothing exotic here, you can find all these spices at everyday supermarkets here in Australia. Some recipes call for Asafoetida which is an Indian spice that requires a trip to an Indian grocer. We tried it with and without, and I swear we could not taste a difference. So we don’t use it. 🙂
CHEEKY SUB FOR FRIED ONION
Thin slices of onion fried until sweet and a bit crispy, this is used as one of the layers in the Biryani as well as a garnish for serving.
If you aren’t a fan of deep frying or are a beginner cook, my cheeky alternative is using store bought fried onion (Asian or Indian stores) or Asian Fried Shallots (pictured below) which are sold at everyday supermarkets. They add the same oniony flavour with the added bonus of extra crunch!
THE ROOTS OF THIS RECIPE
Another recipe ticked off the Recipe Request list, another RecipeTin family effort!!
As always, we love to look to the pros to build a starting point for recipe inspiration. We ate biryani at our favourite specialty restaurants in Sydney, Pakistani chain Student Biryani in Auburn, and the Indian restaurant Paradise Biryani House in North Strathfield.
To learn the techniques, we looked at a few books (love the local library!), dozens of internet pages and Youtube videos from home cooks in India.
Yes the ingredients list is long – but you’ll find everything at the supermarket. And while there are a number of steps to make Biryani, it is actually quite a straightforward recipe. (Video is helpful too!)
And even if yours doesn’t turn out perfect, don’t be put off because even less than perfect biryani is still delicious (we happily scoffed the first few test batches despite the flaws!). – Nagi x
MORE GREAT CURRIES OF THE WORLD!
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Dal (Indian lentil curry)
-
Browse the Curry Collection
ON THE SIDE
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Give this Everyday Cabbage Salad an Indian spin by sauteing garlic and cumin seeds in oil before mixing up with other Dressing ingredients
-
No Yeast Easy Soft Flatbread. Perfect to use as naan!
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Chicken Biryani
Ingredients
- 750g (1.5 lb) chicken thighs , skin on, bone in, halved along bone (Note 1)
Marinade:
- 2/3 cup (150 ml) yoghurt , plain
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) water
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil (or other plain oil)
- 6 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cayenne (adjust spiciness to taste)
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 2 tsp garam marsala (Note 2)
- 2 tsp coriander
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 2 tbsp paprika , sweet / ordinary (not smoked)
- 1 3/4 tsp salt
Par Boiled Rice:
- 2 tbsp salt
- 10 cloves
- 5 dried bay leaves
- 1 star anise
- 6 green cardamon pods
- 2 1/4 cups (450g) uncooked basmati rice (Note 3)
Crispy Onions (Note 4):
- 2 medium onions (yellow, brown) , halved and finely sliced
- 1 cup (250 ml) oil , for frying
Saffron:
- 1 tsp saffron threads (loosely packed) (Note 5)
- 2 tbsp warm water
Biryani:
- 1 cup coriander / cilantro , chopped
- 1/4 cup (60g) ghee or unsalted butter , melted (Note 6)
Garnish:
- Crispy onions (above)
- Chopped coriander / cilantro
- Yoghurt (Note 7)
Instructions
- Mix Marinade in a large pot (about 26cm / 11" diameter). Add chicken and coat well. Marinade 20 minutes to overnight.
Par Boiled Rice:
- Bring 3 litres / 3 quarts water to the boil, add salt and spices.
- Add rice, bring back up to the boil then cook for 4 minutes, or until rice is just cooked still a bit firm in the middle. Rice will taste salty at this stage, disappears in next stage of cooking.
- Drain immediately. Set aside. (Note 10 re: leaving whole spices in)
Crispy Onions:
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Cook onion, in batches, for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown. Don't burn - they become bitter.
- Remove onto paper towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining onion.
Saffron:
- Place in a bowl, leave for 10 minutes+.
Biryani:
- Place pot with chicken in it onto a stove over medium heat. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove lid. Cook for 5 minutes, turning chicken twice.
- Remove from heat.
- Turn chicken so skin side is down - it should cover most of the base of the pot.
- Scatter over half the onion then half the coriander.
- Top with all the rice. Gently pat down and flatten surface.
- Drizzle saffron across rice surface in random pattern, then drizzle over ghee.
- Place lid on. Return to stove over medium heat.
- As soon as you see steam, turn down to low then cook for 25 minutes.
- Remove from stove, rest with lid on for 10 minutes.
To Serve:
- Aim to serve it so you get nice patches of yellow rice, white rice, the curry stained rice + chicken (rather than all mixed up). To do this, use a large spoon and dig deep into the pot, and try to scoop up as much as you can in one scoop.
- Turn out into bowl - or onto platter. Garnish with remaining onion and coriander with yoghurt on the side (see Note 7 for Minted Yoghurt)
Recipe Notes:
* Scaling recipe (click on servings and scale) - must scale pot size up/down
* Salt - yes you really need 2 tbsp salt to par boil the rice. The rice will taste salty at this stage but the salt comes out of the rice during the second stage of cooking. Trust me, you need that much salt in the water!
* Spiciness is mainly from cayenne, a bit from garam masala. So adjust to taste.
* Fresh spices - use fresh spices, not ones that have been sitting around in your pantry for years!
* Whole spices - the whole spices are typically left in the rice. They soften when cooked so to me it's not a big deal, I've never found it off-putting. If you're really concerned, either pick them out just before layering in the pot or wrap the spices in a small muslin or cheesecloth. 11. Storage - Leftovers keep well for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat in microwave. As rice is not quite as moist with leftovers, best to serve with yoghurt (even plain is fine). Even freezing should be fine, haven't tried it but rice and curry both freeze great so I see no reason why this wouldn't freeze well. Make Ahead - These are the things that can be done ahead: Par Boil the rice up up to 24 hours ahead of using. Marinate the chicken and cook it per recipe up to the point before rice covers it up to 2 days ahead. OR leave the marinated chicken in the freezer for up to 48 hours. Make saffron water and onion. Then on the day of, assemble the biryani layers and cook per recipe!
LIFE OF DOZER
This is how he spent most of today. (And yesterday. And the day before.)
Jess says
Hey Nagi!
In a few biryani dishes I’ve had recently, I noticed they had sultanas or raisins in the dish, added a certain sweetness to it, in your recipe, at what point can i add raisins?
Nagi says
I would plump them up in boiling water Jess then add them when you layer up the onion and rice! N x
Jen says
Made this last night, exactly as written, except used boneless, skinless thighs because that’s what I had. It was excellent. I really appreciated all of the notes and the video.
Nagi says
Woo hoo I am glad you liked it Jen!! N x
Leah says
I have made this recipe before and it is outstanding!! I want to make it ahead for an event and have it in a microwaveable container. After the chicken is cooked and rice parboiled, could you transfer to a casserole dish and finish the cooking in the oven?
Nagi says
Hi Leah – I suppose you could cook it covered in the oven although I haven’t tested this. Having the chicken at the bottom of the pan on heat means the chicken cooks and steams the rice so this might not work as well in the oven. Let me know how it turns out! N x
Leah says
This worked great in the oven!!
Leah says
This worked great in the oven! Rice and chicken cooked perfectly! Thanks for such a great recipe!
Glynnis Sharpe says
Excellent recipe, as always! I layered mine in casserole dish after cooking chicken and parboiled rice. Also added some crispy fried potatoes with the onions. Then sealed tightly with foil and lid and baked in the oven, yummy 😋
Kylie Grant says
Incredible! I’ve been looking for a biryani recipe for so long and none of them ever worked out. This couldn’t be more perfect. All of your recipes are so easy to follow, thanks again Nagi.
Megan says
I have made this numerous times and love it! But one issue I find the meal always is gritty, do you know why that could be?
kylie says
dear dozer my cooking skills were highly dubious, but then i found your mum’s fab website a year or two back and we havent looked back🥇🥇🤣even my husband’s fussy adult children will eat recipe tin eats. the biryani was an amazing hit. i felt very masterchef as i received glowing praise; turned out perfect. thank your mum for me in perfect dog style – big sloppy kisses🥰. this recipe is a ripper.
Nagi says
Woof woof!! Happy you enjoyed it Kylie – xx Dozer!
Mary Anne says
Just put the chicken in the marinade for an overnight soak and there’s a LOT of flavorful marinade. So quick question: when cooking the chicken do I cook it with the marinade or shake off the excess first? Sorry, I’m a Newbie!
Aeryn says
Wow 🤩 that was so amazing! I did everything right and I was very proud of myself, although I forgot to soak the saffron… so delicious and fragrant! Definitely cooking that again, the fam loved it. Thanks Nagi!
Nagi says
I am happy that you enjoyed it Aeryn! N x
Jihan Villanueva says
Hello! I don’t understand recipe notes number. How do you cut chicken with one not having the bone? Thanks!
Ashley says
This was wonderful with lots of flavor. I used boneless skinless thighs, as I did not want to deal with bone in. If I had to do over, I would make sure to have skin on thighs. I cooked in a Le Creuset dutch oven and the bottom kind of burnt (although not black char) the spices to the point I could not scrape it up with a wooden spoon.. just dried the bottom up really bad. I think if I had the fat from the skins it would have helped. I will try again though.
Juliana says
Nagi, this recipe is amazing! It tastes just like it would in Hyderabad and never fails to satisfy my Hyderabadi in-laws 🙂
Ash says
This has been on my “to cook” list for ages, and I finally did it a couple of nights ago – OMG! Made the vegetarian version and LOVED it. I used eggplant, mushroom, capsicum, zucchini, pumpkin, and cauliflower and it was delicious. I did cook the moisture out of the eggplant and mushroom for a bit before adding the rest of the veg and sauce, which worked well. Such a simple recipe (once you get all the spices measured out) but so, so full of flavour. Everything was cooked perfectly. Thanks for such a wonderful dish, Nagi!
Becky says
I love this recipe! Don’t be intimidated by the long list of spices – it is actually really simple to make. I have made it twice and both times the bottom of my pot ends up with the sauce burnt on the bottom – is the temperature too high or is this normal? It still tastes great, just a pain to clean
Nagi says
Hi Becky – Biryani does crust at the bottom much like paella or other rice dishes but it shouldn’t be burnt – just toasted and crusty. Maybe try a heavier based pot or a slightly lower temperature next time! N x
Shasha says
I’ve made this biryani twice and both times have been loved by everyone! The only complaint is that I didn’t make enough for 2nd & 3rd rounds!!
It’s an easy to follow recipe and delicious!! Thank you for sharing 🥰
Carole Opel says
Hi Nagi, I would like to make the Biryani recipe with Shrimp-should I use the same marinade as listed for the chicken? Thx Carole
Tracey says
This was so delicious and tasted very authentic.
Monica says
My husband says to rate this 20 stars!! Absolutely delicious! Followed the recipe almost exactly (added lemon juice and fenugreek leaves just for fun to the chicken marinade) and it turned out amazing! Thanks for putting in the hard effort to perfect and make this recipe!
CAROL M SCHULZ says
OMG Nagi, just made the vegetarian version for MY Xmas dinner at a carnivore household. Even with my dodgy hotplates, this turned out perfectly and soooo delicious (had to steal a big mouthful). Thank you so much. Yes a lot of ingredients but not as daunting or difficult as I thought at first reading. Love your site.
Akenimaw says
Wow, carnivores? They only eat meat, thats crazy.
Shasha says
Quick preparation and was a hit with the family! Only complaint was that they wished there was more and I should cook a larger serving!
Katharine Poole says
I made this last night, I used 3 chicken legs which I just split into two pieces. Also used the bought fried onions as a mid-week cheat. The results were absolutely amazing. It was super easy to prepare and the flavour is delicate and delicious. Will definitely be making this again and happy that I have lots left over!