Special Chicken Biryani Version 2.0

Welcome to our enhanced version of the beloved Special Chicken Biryani! This recipe combines aromatic spices, succulent chicken, and perfectly cooked basmati rice to create a dish that's both flavorful and satisfying. Whether you're a seasoned chef or a culinary enthusiast, this Biryani will surely impress your family and guests with its rich taste and delightful presentation.

Marination Time: 2-4 hours

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

 

Quick Navigation:

• Ingredients for Marination
• Procedure of Marination
• Marinating the Chicken
• Allowing the Chicken to Marinate
• Other Ingredients
• Procedure
• Frying Cashews
• Frying Onions
• Combining Fried Onions and Cashews
• Ingredients for Preparing Biryani Rice
• Procedure
• Preparing the Rice
• Boiling the Rice with Masala
• Cooking the Rice
• Preparing the Cooking Base
• Layering the Biryani
• Adding the First Layer of Rice
• Adding the Second Layer of Rice
• Final Cooking of the Biryani
• Final Steaming on Flat Tava

 

Ingredients for Marination

Chicken: 1/2 kg

Green Chillies (Pachimirapa): 5

Lemon Juice: 2-3 tsp

Coriander Leaves (Kothimeera) and Mint Leaves (Pudina): 1/2 bowl or a few sprigs

Turmeric Powder (Pasupu): 1 tsp

Curd (Perugu): 150 ml (1 bowl)

Salt: As required

Red Chilly Powder (Kaaram): 1-2 tsp

Ginger Garlic (Allam Vellulli) Paste: 2 tsp

Garam Masala: 2-3 tsp (Mildly fried and blended 2 tsp coriander seeds, 4 peppercorns, 4 cloves, 2 cm cinnamon, 1 red chilly, 2 elachi, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds)

Procedure of Marination

Marinating the Chicken

Take the cleaned large chicken pieces in a bowl. Add 2-3 sliced green chillies, turmeric powder, salt, red chilly powder, garam masala, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, ginger garlic paste, curd, coriander, and mint leaves. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly to ensure the chicken is well-coated with the marinade.

Allowing the Chicken to Marinate

Mix all the contents thoroughly and let it marinate for 4-5 hours. For best results, refrigerate the marinating chicken. If you're short on time, you can reduce the marination time by placing the marinated chicken in a deep freezer for an hour, then in a normal freezer for another hour, and finally leaving it outside the freezer for half an hour.

Other Ingredients

Sliced Onions: 2 (Add green chillies if required)

Saffron: A pinch soaked in 1/2 bowl milk

Cashews: A few

Procedure

Frying Cashews

Heat 2-3 teaspoons of ghee or oil in a pan. Add the cashews and fry them until they turn golden brown. Remove the cashews from the pan and set them aside for later use.

Frying Onions

In the same pan, add sliced onions and fry them until they reach a golden brown color. The onions should become slightly crispy; add more oil if necessary. Fry on medium flame for even cooking.

Note: For crispy onions, add a little salt, mix well, and press them lightly with your hand before frying.

Combining Fried Onions and Cashews

Once both the onions and cashews are fried, keep them aside. If there's any leftover oil, it can be used later in the biryani preparation.

Ingredients for Preparing Biryani Rice

Basmati Rice: 1/2 kg

Masala Items: Nutmeg (Jaji Kayi) : 1, Dried Capers (Marati Mogga) : 1 or 2, Mace (Japatri) : 1 or 2, Star Anise (Anasa Puvvu) : 1 or 2, Black Cardamom (Nalla Yalukalu) : 1 or 2, Long Pepper (Thoka Miriyalu) : 1 or 2, Bay Leaf (Biryani Aaku) : 2 or 3, Cloves (Lavangalu) : 8-10, Green Cardamom (Yalukalu) : 4-5 (crushed), Cinnamon (Dalchina chakka) : 2-4 cm (1 long), Caraway Seeds (Shahjeera, Seemsompu Ginjalu) : 1/4 tsp

Note: Not all masala items are compulsory. You can prepare the biryani with a few ingredients like cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, and elachi, depending on availability.

Salt: As required

Water: 2-3 litres

Flat Tava:

Ghee & Oil: 2-3 tsp each

Coriander and Mint Leaves: A few sprigs

Procedure

Preparing the Rice

Soak the basmati rice in water for 20 minutes to ensure it cooks evenly and retains its fluffiness.

Boiling the Rice with Masala

Add all the masala ingredients, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of ghee to 2-3 litres of water. Bring the mixture to a boil in a wide, deep pan over high flame. Once boiling, cover the pan with a lid and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

Cooking the Rice

Add the soaked rice directly to the masala water. Cook the rice until it is about three-quarters done (semi-cooked), then drain the excess water and set the rice aside.

Preparing the Cooking Base

Heat 2 teaspoons of ghee and 2 teaspoons of oil in a wide, thick, and flat pan. Once the oil is hot, add the marinated chicken and spread it evenly in the pan. Cover the pan with a lid and let the chicken cook for 10 minutes on medium flame. Avoid adding excess water to keep the dish rich and flavorful.

Note: Do not combine raw chicken with the rice initially. After the water from the chicken evaporates, add the semi-cooked rice.

Layering the Biryani

Sprinkle some of the fried onions over the cooked chicken to add flavor and texture.

Adding the First Layer of Rice

Evenly spread half of the drained rice over the chicken layer. Sprinkle fried onions, cashews, mint leaves, coriander leaves, and saffron-infused milk over the rice to enhance the aroma and flavor.

Adding the Second Layer of Rice

Spread the remaining rice over the first layer. Repeat the garnishing process by adding fried onions, cashews, mint leaves, coriander leaves, and saffron milk. Drizzle 2 teaspoons of ghee over the top layer of rice and sprinkle a little water (about 100ml) along the border of the pan to help in the final cooking.

Final Cooking of the Biryani

Close the lid tightly to ensure that no steam escapes. You can place a weight on the lid or seal it with atta dough if the lid doesn't close properly. This ensures that the steam cooks the biryani evenly. Let it cook for 10 minutes on high flame and then 5 minutes on low flame.

Final Steaming on Flat Tava

Heat a flat tava and place the biryani pan on it. Cook the biryani for an additional 10 minutes on low flame to ensure that the flavors meld perfectly.

Turn off the flame and allow the biryani to rest for 5 minutes before opening the lid.

Using a spatula, gently lift the top layer of rice from the edges and serve the rice from the middle layer onwards, ensuring that the succulent chicken pieces are evenly distributed.

Hot and yummy Special Chicken Biryani is ready to serve! Enjoy this delightful dish with Onion Raitha, Kodi Kura, or Chicken Fry for a complete and satisfying meal.

With these detailed steps, your Special Chicken Biryani Version 2.0 is ready to be enjoyed. This delightful dish is perfect for family gatherings, festive occasions, or any time you crave a rich and flavorful meal. Serve it hot with Onion Raitha, Kodi Kura, or Chicken Fry for an authentic and satisfying experience.

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