Thank you to Uncle Ben’s for sponsoring this post!
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 simply delicious. Today I’m sharing an Easy Indian Chicken Biryani. At the request of several of my readers I will be sharing the traditional “full-length” version in the near future, but in the meantime here is a quick and easy biryani for those of you who don’t have the lengthy list of Indian spices needed for the job but who would still like to capture the spirit of a delicious biryani and have it ready to eat in less than 30 minutes!
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. It’s 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.
But basmati rice is a little fussy and requires quite a bit of care in order to make biryani the right way. It has to be thoroughly washed and then soaked for at least 20-30 minutes before it can be cooked. And then it must be parboiled, only three-fourths cooked. The rest of its cooking time takes place with the meat. Any sources for traditional biryani will emphasize the importance of cooking the rice just right. The cornerstone of a good biryani rests on the preparation and final texture of the rice. For this Easy Indian Biryani I’m using UNCLE BEN’S® READY RICE® Basmati. Having already been washed, soaked and parboiled, it’s perfect for making biryani. All of the time-consuming steps have been taken care of for you and the basmati rice is now ready for the final step of the cooking process – to be added to the flavorful meat and spices and cooked for just a few final minutes.
And so, within less than 30 minutes, you’ll have a healthy, wholesome, deliciously aromatic and flavorful meal that your whole family can enjoy. Chicken, rice, curry, cinnamon, raisins, almonds, fresh cilantro…a vibrant and exotic combination of ingredients that will have your taste buds singing before the meal is through.
Let’s get started!
Gather up your ingredients. Dice the chicken and onion, mince the garlic and ginger, chop the cilantro.
Combine the chicken in a bowl with the yogurt, curry powder, and cinnamon and let marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 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 rice.
Add the cilantro and raisins. Pour the chicken stock 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.
Delicious Easy Chicken Biryani ready in less than 30 minutes. Enjoy!
Indian food lovers, don’t forget to try this recipe for the BEST Indian Mango Chutney!
- 2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup whole plain yogurt
- 3 tablespoons curry powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger root
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
- 2-3 tablespoons raisins
- 2 packages UNCLE BEN'S® READY RICE® Basmati
- Chopped cilantro and sliced almonds for garnish
- Combine the chicken in a bowl with the yogurt, curry powder, and cinnamon and let marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 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.
- Stir in the rice, cilantro and raisins. Pour the chicken stock 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.
This Post Brought To You By UNCLE BEN’S ®.
Lajoiedu Chant says
Oh! Thank you!!!! :)
The Daring Gourmet says
You’re welcome, Lajoiedu! :) This isn’t the official recipe request you made as it’s a very simplified version. But I’ll get around to the authentic, “full-length” version at some point. I’m SO back-logged with recipe requests that I want to make, but at least I got this one out there!
Michelle says
If I wanted to make this with regular basmati rice, would I cook it separately first and then add it, and how much? Thanks :)
The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Michelle! Yes, you would parboil it separately and then add it. The Uncle Ben’s packets of parboiled rice are 8.5 ounces each and you need two for this recipe. So you’d need just over 2 cups of parboiled rice.
Liz says
LOVE biryani and finally a recipe that doesn’t completely intimidate me! :) Making this!
The Daring Gourmet says
Definitely ZERO intimidation factor here, Liz! Easy and delicious!
Liesel says
Thanks for this! Who would have thought one could make biryani on a weeknight?!? My Burmese mother-in-law just broke her wrist and I wanted to make a dish that she and my father-in-law could eat while she recovers. Long story short: I only had an hour to prepare this. What a lifesaver! Will be making it for my family later this week. I threw in a couple green cardamom pods, too, as I had them on hand. Thanks again — bookmarking your blog!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so thrilled to hear that, Liesel, and really appreciate your feedback, thank you!
kim says
After two bites my husband declared this a keeper. Very easy and extremely tasty. The only thing that I added was 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne for a little bit of heat. I’m two for two with your blog and am now an official Facebook follower.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
YES!!! Thanks, Kim! I try to keep my recipe index organized and user-friendly, but there are some glitches and some recipes don’t always turn up in search results, so if you’re ever looking for something specific or something with any particular ingredients, let me know and I’ll make some recommendations. Thanks again and have a fabulous weekend! Best, Kimberly
Anonymous says
Uhm this has nothing to do with chicken biryani !!! It is like saying a Mc Donald Burger is a Filet Mignon ! WTF ! It is an insult to indian Cousine !
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
…Except that McDonald’s burgers don’t claim to be filet mignons and had you read this post you’d also know that this version of biryani doesn’t claim to be fully authentic. Furthermore, if you knew much about Indian cuisine you would know better than to say that it has “nothing to do with chicken biryani.” It actually has quite a lot to do with it – it’s merely a simplified version (note the title of the recipe).
Anonymous says
Thank you. I love chicken biryani and this seems cook-able for me. I’ll try it. But I have questions: do you mean cinnamon powder? and can I put some anises? Thanks again.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Yes, cinnamon powder (ie, ground cinnamon). No, I wouldn’t recommend anise, it has a completely different flavor.
José says
Hi Kimberly, this looks great! But I am really curious about the full length version, which must be even better, even if it adds difficulty to its preparation. Looking forward to it!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi José! Indian food is one of my favorite cuisines and yes, I still need to post a full-length biryani recipe. Thanks for the reminder and I hope to get to it sooner than later!
Yaswanti says
Hi, I’ve just found your easy recipe using Uncle Ben for me to make chicken biryani as my youngest son & his girlfriend are visiting me next weekend their belated xmas & they wanted this curry so happy I’ve found your recipe & look forward to making/trying it out & serve with roti, mango chutney & tomato/red onion salad. Mmm can’t wait ;-)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Yaswanti! Your dinner plan sounds perfect and I’ve no doubt your family will be thrilled with the results!
tooba says
Hey!!!!!!!!!!! U said biryani under 30 minutes!!!!!!!! Why havent u included 1 to 4 hour marination somewhere????????? Like you mentioned in the recipie?????
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi tooba! The point is that it’s a quick dish to cook. Marinating is something it does on it’s own before the cooking process and is fuss free.
José says
Kimberly, I have just remembered! It’s been a year since my last comment! When is the Full Chicken Biryani recipe coming? Please don’t forget! And Happy New Year!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
José, thank you so much for your patience and persistence! Thanks also for the reminder, I will try very hard to remember. Happy New Year!
Aaron Gershon says
I made this four nights ago. My wife said it was the best meal I have ever cooked!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s terrific, Aaron, I’m so thrilled to hear that, thank you!
Tharu says
Looks very simple and easy. Gonna try it today for my family.
Wil let u know the outcome.
mmeb says
Hi
Thank you for the recipe. Will try it out…What can I replace the raisins with?
Thank you
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
You could substitute them with dried cranberries or cherries.