Do you like to cook at home? Here’s an easy chicken biryani recipe for you to try at home. The juicy, tender, and succulent chicken pieces cooked in marinated yogurt, layered with aromatic basmati rice, crispy onions, sprinkled with saffron water, and coriander give you something that you and your family can enjoy on any given day.

We have mentioned the stepwise process for making chicken biryani to help you cook it at home with ease. The best thing about biryani is that it is versatile. You can adjust the gravy, spices, and quantity according to your needs. 

So, home cooks, let’s get started with this delicious recipe for chicken biryani.

Biryani ingredients

Here are the most important ingredients for chicken biryani. Make sure to stock them up in advance to avoid inconvenience during the preparation.

• Chicken pieces — Choose thighs or drumsticks and small pieces that you prefer.
• Fried onions — Fry sliced onions in advance. They are called birista.
• Yogurt — Stock up on plain yogurt or Greek yogurt. You can also use homemade curd. 
• Ground spices — Red chilli powder or cayenne pepper, garam masala or chicken masala (spice) and turmeric powder.
• Whole spices — Collect bay leaf, saffron, and green cardamom for ultimate fragrance.
• Tomato puree — Make at home or use store-bought tomato puree.
• Ginger garlic paste — Store-bought or homemade ginger garlic paste is best to use.
• Milk, oil, and clarified butter — you need milk to soak the saffron strands, oil and clarified butter for cooking biryani.
• Herbs — Coriander and mint leaves for garnishing.
• Basmati rice — This is the staple for biryani recipe. Go for aged basmati rice or the one used, specifically in biryani recipe for better presentation and taste.

How to cook basmati rice for chicken biryani 

Rinse and soak basmati rice for about 30 minutes. Boil water and cook it with salt and whole spices for five minutes. When the rice is cooked 70%, drain it and set aside.

How to fry onions for chicken biryani 

Slice the onions first and then fry them in oil on medium heat. Fry until the color becomes golden brown. Make sure you don’t burn it.

How to make marinade for chicken biryani 

The flavour of chicken biryani comes from the marinade itself. To marinate, all you need to do is take a large bowl and add yogurt, fried onions, red chili paste, coriander powder, chicken or garam masala, tomato puree, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, and salt. 

Once all the ingredients are mixed, add the chicken to the marinade. It's as simple as that! 

Note: If you want to get maximum flavour, marinate the chicken overnight or two hours in advance.

How to make chicken biryani 

Once you’ve marinated the chicken, it’s time to cook it. Take a large pot or Dutch oven and add clarified butter or oil to it. Add the marinated chicken and cook it for about 6-7 minutes. Keep stirring the chicken in between to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.

Check the chicken from time to time. Once it is partially cooked, add a layer of fried onions, coriander, and mint leaves. 

Now, add a layer of 70% cooked basmati rice and sprinkle ghee along with the saffron milk. Close the lid tightly and let it cook on low flame for about 45 minutes or 1 hour.

When you find that the biryani rice is cooked, there you go! Switch off the stove, let it simmer for a few minutes, and serve hot!

It’s the simplest way to make the delicious chicken biryani recipe at home! If someone doesn’t know how to make chicken biryani, you can teach them using this stepwise recipe process, too.

Tips to consider 

When making chicken biryani recipe, make sure you use a heavy-bottomed pan to prevent your biryani from burnt. You can also keep the pot on a skillet to prevent the direct contact with flames. 

Use salan or salad as accompaniments to enjoy the chicken biryani.