Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani

Questions About Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani: Step by Step

Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.

1. Fry the sliced onions in the oil over medium heat for 18 to 22 minutes, stirring often, until evenly deep brown and crisp. Drain on paper — they will crisp further as they cool. Reserve the oil.

   Mark done Start 18 min timer

2. Mix the chicken with the yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, spices, lemon juice, salt, herbs and half the fried onions plus 3 tablespoons of the onion oil. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.

   Mark done

3. Rinse the basmati until the water runs clear, then soak in cold water for 30 minutes and drain.

   Mark done Start 30 min timer

4. Bring 3 litres of water to a rolling boil with the whole spices and the 2 tablespoons of salt. Add the rice and boil for exactly 5 to 6 minutes, until the grains are soft at the edge but still firm at the core. Drain immediately.

   Mark done Start 5 min timer

5. Spread the marinated chicken in an even layer in the base of a heavy, wide pot.

   Mark done

6. Layer the drained rice over the top. Scatter over the remaining fried onions, drizzle with the saffron milk, melted ghee and rose water.

   Mark done

7. Seal the lid with a rope of dough made from flour and water, or clamp foil under the lid tightly.

   Mark done

8. Cook over the highest heat for 4 minutes to build steam, then transfer to the lowest possible heat — over a heat diffuser if you have one — for 35 to 40 minutes.

   Mark done Start 35 min timer

9. Rest, sealed, for 15 minutes off the heat. Break the seal at the table and fold gently from the bottom with a flat spoon so you bring up the chicken without breaking the rice.

   Mark done Start 15 min timer

Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Choosing rice.

Something wrong or unclear in this recipe? Report a problem with this recipe.

A Few Pointers

• Aged basmati, at least a year old, absorbs less water and stays separate. It is labelled as such and is worth the extra cost.
• Do not stir biryani. Fold, once, from the bottom up.
• A tawa or heat diffuser under the pot prevents the bottom layer catching during the dum stage.

If You're Missing Something

• If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Pairs Well With

A dry Riesling or a salted lassi · Serve with mirchi ka salan and cucumber raita · Finish with gulab jamun

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Idiyappam, Lachha Paratha, Makki di Roti.

Keeping and Reheating

Refrigerate 3 days. Reheat covered with a splash of water at 160°C / 320°F for 20 minutes; the microwave dries the rice.

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani Nutrition

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (the marinade or brine is counted in full, though some is discarded). Why some recipes have none.

Your notes on this recipe

Cooked this? Keep a note for next time

Your own rating out of 5

5 stars★ 4 stars★ 3 stars★ 2 stars★ 1 star★

Your note

Save note

Private to you: notes and ratings are saved in this browser only, are never sent anywhere, and other readers cannot see them.