Chicken Biryani Recipe
Chicken / Murgh Biryani
Spiced Basmati Rice and Chicken
Submitted By: Taz
Ingredients:
2lbs Boneless/Skinless Chicken Thighs (Murgh) - cut into bite sized pieces
Marinade:
1 Cup Plain Yogurt (Dahi)
2 Medium Tomatoes (Tamatar) - seeded and rough chopped
4 cloves Fresh Garlic (Leh-sun) - crushed
½ inch piece Fresh Ginger (Adrak) - rough chopped
¼ tsp Red Chile Powder (Lal Mirchi)
6 Black Peppercorns (Kali Mirch)
4 Green Cardamom Pods (Choti Elaichi)
4 Whole Cloves (Luang)
2 Cinnamon Sticks 2 inches each (Dalchini)
2 Tbs Ghee
Juice of 1 Lemon (Nimbu)
Biryani:
2 cups Basmati Rice (Chawal)
4 Large Onions (Pyaz) - halved and thin sliced
1 cup Green Peas (Mutter)
2 Fresh Green Chiles (Hari Mirch) - seeded and minced
½ Cup Sliced Almonds (Badam)
¼ Cup Golden Raisins (Kishmish)
¼ Cup Whole Milk (Doodh)
2 Bay Leaves (Tej Patta) -OR- 2 Fresh Curry Leaves (Kaddi Patta)
2 tsp
Garam Masala
½ tsp Red Chile Powder (Lal Mirchi)
⅛ tsp Saffron Threads (Kesar)
4 Tbs Ghee
3 Cups Chicken Stock
Kosher Salt (Namak) to taste
Preparation:
Marinade:
- Place a small dry skillet over medium heat and add peppercorns, cardamom pods, cloves, and cinnamon sticks - While continuously stirring, roast spices until they become fragrant (apx 2 minutes) - Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes - Transfer to a clean coffee grinder, spice mill, or mortar and pestle and grind into a coarse powder - Transfer to the work bowl of food processor or a blender
- Add all of the remaining marinade ingredients and purée into a smooth paste
- Place the prepped chicken in a large, nonreactive bowl, add cover with marinade - Toss to coat making sure everything is well coated - Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 4-8 hours (overnight for better results)
Biryani:
- Rinse rice in a sieve under cold water until water runs clear - Place rice in a container and add enough clean water to cover by at least 2 inches - Set aside to soak for 25 minutes
- Place saffron threads in milk and set aside for 20 minutes
- Heat ghee in a large, heavy bottomed pan, wok, or large kadahi over medium-high heat - Once ghee is hot, add onions and salt to taste (be sparing - amount needed depends on saltiness of chicken stock used) - Sauté until translucent (apx 7-10 minutes)
- Add green chiles, garam masala, and red chile powder - Thoroughly combine and continue to sauté for an additional 2 minutes
- Increase heat to high - Remove chicken from marinade shaking off any excess (DO NOT discard remaining marinade) and add to the onions - Stir fry for 5 minutes - Reduce heat to medium-low and add left over marinade - Bring to a simmer - Cover and allow to simmer for 15 minutes or until almost all of the liquid is reduced (stir frequently to avoid sticking and scorching)
- Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken/onions from the pan and set aside
- Add chicken stock to pan to de-glaze (lightly scrape bottom of pan with spatula to get up all of the 'fond') - Bring to a simmer - Remove from heat, add bay/curry leaves and almonds - Set aside
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Drain rice and transfer about half to a large baking dish or Dutch oven with a tight fitting lid
- Stir in saffron/milk mixture - Place cooked chicken on top of rice - Cover chicken with remaining rice - Add stock mixture (DO NOT STIR)
- Place in center of oven and allow to bake (undisturbed) for 1 hour or until rice is cooked through
- Gently fold in green peas and raisins and let sit covered for 5 minutes
- Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot along with chapatti, raita, chutney(s), and salad of choice
