Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani
Recipe by Mamtha Sunil Kumar
Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani is one of the most popular dishes across the whole of India. Biryani is generally divided into Kachi (raw) Biryani and Pakki (firm) Biryani. In Kachi the meat and rice are cooked together. In Pakki, the meat curry and rice are cooked separately and then mixed and make the Biryani. The chef who can cook a good Kachi (Raw) Biryani is considered to be highly accomplished, so to help you become accomplished, this recipe for Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani is for a Kachi Biryani from the southern India city of Hyderabad.
Hot Chorizo and Mozzarella Baguette 
Idiyappam Ingredients for Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani
If you want to know more about Indian ingredients, check our Indian Spices and our Indian Pulses, Rice and Seeds pages.
Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements
How to Cook Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani
- Peel and chop all six onions and fry them gently in vegetable oil for about 6-8 minutes to soften them. Finely chop the green chilies then, for the marinade, take a large bowl and mix together the ginger-garlic paste, yoghurt, chopped green chilies, coriander leaves, pepper corns, chili powder, salt, cumin and the coriander powder. Add in one third of the fried onions (about 2 onions) and the oil or ghee and mix all the ingredients into a paste. Add in the chicken and make sure each piece is well coated in the marinade.
- Take a large pan and mix together the water, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms and salt. Bring the water to the boil and add the rice. Boil for about 7-8 minutes until the rice is about half cooked then, using a colander, drain off the water and discard the bay leaves (you can wrap all the herbs in a muslin cloth if you wish - like a bouquet garni. It makes them easier to remove.)
- Spread the marinated chicken along with the marinade over the base of a deep non-stick pan. On top of that, add a layer of part-cooked rice then drizzle two tablespoons of ghee on top. Add the remaining half cooked rice, the mint leaves, mace, lime juice, saffron and the remaining fried onion layered on top of the existing rice.
- Seal the pan firmly with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 30 minutes on a low heat. After 30 minutes, remove the pan from the heat but do not remove the lid for a further 10 minutes. Gently combine the rice and the chicken and serve hot with raita and a curry of your choice.
MAMTHA SUNIL KUMAR'S HOT TIP:
Do not overcook the rice before adding it to the chicken. At most, it should be only half-cooked since it will finish cooking in the pan with the rest of the ingredients. If you overcook it initially, it becomes sticky and soft.
Reviews of Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani
| July 29 2014 Lots of ingredients but it wasn't as difficult to make as I expected. The end result was a really, really good Chicken Biryani. I made no changes to the recipe and the flavors were just great. The whole family enjoyed it. What more can I say? Martha (1 review) |
What To Eat Tonight
Delicious hand-picked meals that were made for sharing. Your family is special so they deserve something special, don't they!
Dim the room, light the candles and prepare for something very special and perfect for a romantic evening. Guaranteed to light your fires.
Hall of Fame is a very rare accolade that we offer only to the ultimate recipes that deliver something very special. Not many make it!
Other Chicken Recipes
I've seen lots of different 'versions' of Coq au Vin de Bourgogne and most of them should have been ashamed to call themselves by that name!
Chicken and Anchovy Pie is the ultimate in surprise "surf and turf" dishes. It's just so unexpected, yet the anchovies add another dimension.
This Chicken Liver and Mushrooms on Ciabatta recipe takes the form of an open sandwich and is really delicious.
