Easy Chicken Biryani
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This delicious Chicken Biryani recipe is easy to make and is ready for the table in 30 minutes. Wonderfully fragrant and flavorful, it’s sure to be a hit and become part of your Indian dinner rotation!
Biryani is a super popular dish across the globe and that’s no surprise. With its heavenly aroma and its mouth-watering flavor combinations, biryani is downright delicious. Today I’m sharing a quick and easy Chicken Biryani recipe that we’re confident you’re going to love.
This chicken biryani recipe is perfect for anyone wanting to capture the flavor of a traditional biryani without having to pull out the lengthy list of spices typically needed for the job. And that’s not to say that this biryani suffers in flavor. No way. Rest assured, it’s packed with flavor and everyone from novice to experienced chef is sure to enjoy it!
Be sure to allow the chicken to marinate, which can be done up to a day ahead. The rice can likewise be cooked well in advance. Then when it comes time to cook you’ll have a hot and ready meal in less than 30 minutes.
What Kind of Rice Do I Need to Make Chicken Biryani?
There are many, many different kinds of Biryani, all specific to various regions, each with their own ingredient and cooking method variations. Turkey, Iran and South Asia all have their own variations and India alone has at least a dozen different versions of Biryani. But whether it’s made with chicken, mutton, fish or vegetables, and whatever other ingredients may or may not be included, every biryani has one ingredient in common: Rice. And the most commonly used rice for biryani is basmati rice.
Basmati rice is unique from other types of rice. With its attractively long and slender grains, it’s delicious flavor, wonderfully fragrant aroma (basmati is from the Sanskrit word meaning “fragrant”) and its perfect texture, basmati rice remains one of the most preferred kinds of rice among chefs worldwide.
Basmati rice is lighter and fluffier than regular rice and doesn’t stick together and it’s this latter characteristic in particular that is essential to achieving the perfect biryani.
How to Prepare the Basmati Rice
Any sources for traditional biryani will emphasize the importance of cooking the rice just right. This isn’t difficult to achieve, you just have to know how to do it. In order for biryani to have the right texture, basmati rice has to be thoroughly washed and then soaked for at least 20-30 minutes before cooking it. And then it must be parboiled, meaning it’s cooked only three-fourths of the way so that it’s still slightly “al dente”. The rest of its brief cooking time takes place with the meat.
With the right rice in hand all you need to make chicken biryani is some chicken, yogurt, onions, garlic, ginger, curry powder, cinnamon, raisins, almonds, chicken broth and cilantro. And with those ingredients you’ll get a vibrantly flavorful and wholesome meal that your whole family will enjoy.
Chicken Biryani Recipe
Let’s get started!
Combine the chicken in a bowl with the yogurt, curry powder, and cinnamon and let marinate for at least 1 hour but preferably for 4 hours.
Heat the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the onions until golden, 7-8 minutes.
Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the chicken and all of the marinade along with the salt. Stir to combine, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the cooked rice, cilantro and raisins. Pour the chicken stock over the mixture. Bring to simmer. Cover and simmer 3-4 minutes until the mixture is heated through. Add salt to taste.
For something refreshing, serve this with our Cucumber Raita and a Mango Lassi for dessert!
Enjoy!
For more delicious Indian recipes be sure to try our:
- Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Mango Chutney
- Tandoori Chicken
- Eggplant Curry
- Chana Masala
- Masoor Dal
- Indian Broccoli with Paneer
- Egg Curry
- Saag Gosht
- Panch Phoron Roasted Potatoes
- Tandoori Breaded Fried Mushrooms with Yogurt Sauce
- Chicken Xacuti
- Mango Lassi
- Fruit Chaat
- Cucumber Raita
- Dosa
- Naan
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Easy Chicken Biryani
Ingredients
- 2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts , cut into bite-sized pieces (or use thighs for more flavor)
- ½ cup whole plain yogurt
- 3 tablespoons quality curry powder
- BEST Homemade Curry Powder (click link for recipe)
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium yellow onion , chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
- 2-3 tablespoons raisins
- 2 cups parboiled basmati rice (i.e. only three-fourths of the way cooked, slightly "al dente", see instructions below), about 1 cup + 2 tablespoons uncooked rice
- Chopped cilantro and sliced almonds for garnish
Instructions
- Combine the chicken in a bowl with the yogurt, curry powder, and cinnamon and let marinate for at least 1 hour but preferably at least 4 hours.
- To parboil the rice: Thoroughly rinse the rice until the water draining from it is clear and no longer milky. Soak the rice in a bowl of water for 15-30 minutes. Fill a pot with salted water. Drain the rice and add it the pot. Bring it to a boil and cook for 4-6 minutes until the tips of the rice are clear. Pour the rice into a strainer and rinse with lukewarm water. Let the rice thoroughly drain while you continue with the next steps.
- Heat the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the onions until golden, 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the chicken and all of the marinade along with the salt. Stir to combine, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the rice, cilantro and raisins. Pour the chicken broth over the mixture. Cover and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the rice is soft and the mixture is heated through. Add salt to taste. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet May 12, 2014
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
I haven’t made this yet so I can’t rate it. But I’m uncertain about the quantity of rice. The recipe calls for 2 cups of partly cooked rice. How much uncooked rice should I start with to make 2 cups of partly cooked rice? Or does that really mean 2 cups of rice, partly cooked?
Hi Marty, you’ll need just slightly more than 1 cup of uncooked rice, about 1 cup + 2 tablespoons.
I’ve never written before but I have been making your recipe for years now, and it is my stepsons choice for dinner on his birthday every single year. I don’t change a thing about it and it’s perfect, I just wanted to say thank you…
Oh thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment, Amber, I really appreciate that <3 And I am so happy that my recipe has become your stepson's choice for such a special occasion, thank you! <3
I used half the curry called for because I was afraid it would be too spicy. That was a mistake. I’ll make this delicious dish again, but next time I’ll use the recommended amount of curry.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Diana, thank you! Yes, it depends on the curry powder itself. Some are mild and some are spicy. Madras curry for example is typically pretty hot.
This recipe sounds excellent and I am definitely going to make it. But I’m wondering if you have a suggestion for something other than cilantro. I’m one of those weird people to whom cilantro just tastes off. Any suggestions? Thank you very much.
Hi Nikki! You’re definitely not alone. You can add a little cumin (like 1/2 teaspoon) along with the curry powder and cinnamon (cumin is the seed from the cilantro plant) and/or add some chopped parsley. Both will complement the overall flavor.
I looked it up and cilantro is the leaves of the coriander plant. So you would add coriander seed, not cumin.
Hi Marty, ugh, yes that it 100% correct and I absolutely know that (was just explaining that to a reader yesterday) and obviously had a moment of brain fog! Thank you for pointing that out!