Chicken Biryani Recipe | How To Make Hayderabadi Chicken Biryani - Chicken Dum Biryani | How To Cook Basmati Rice

As many of you know, Indian food is very flavorful, savory, and aromatic. Hayderabadi Chicken Biryani, stands out among a variety of dishes, found in Indian Cuisine. I first was introduced to Indian food, at the young age of twelve, when my mother had an idea to try a local Indian Restaurant for dinner, one night. The rest of course, is history... Food History, at that!
The good news is, this recipe can be classified, as a one-pot meal! Although the rice, and meat, or vegetables are prepared separately, the two are combined, to cook together, during the final phase.
For this recipe, here's what you'll need:

For the Marinade:

           1-2lbs Chicken Drumsticks & Thighs (skin removed)
           Garlic Cloves
           Fresh Ginger
           Sprigs of Fresh Mint
           Fresh Cilantro
           2 Shallots (diced)
           1/2 Cup Yogurt
           1 Tbsp Garam Masala Powder
           Salt to taste

We'll start by rinsing the chicken pieces, then pat dry. Next, you'll remove the skins from each piece and, set aside in a zip lock bag, or bowl of your choice. To that, we'll add the yogurt, cilantro, mint, shallots, ginger, garlic, Garam Masala powder, and give it a good mix, to make sure the marinade is well combined, and incorporated into the chicken. Wrap with plastic wrap, or seal the bag, and set in the refrigerator from 4 hours, up to overnight. I found, leaving it in overnight, works best, as this gives ample time for the chicken to take on the respective flavors.

In a separate pot, bring water to a boil, and salt liberally, as you would for pasta. Next, you'll add some Basmati Rice. I rinse mine about 4-6 times, in a separate container, until the water runs clear, then transfer to the pot of boiling salted, water, and par-boil for 10 min. Once that's finished, you'll simply strain the rice in a colander and set aside. In a separate pan, add some oil, turn heat to medium-high, and add in the diced shallots, and some diced tomatoes, then sautee for 3-5minutes or until softened. to that, you'll add a teaspoon of Garam Masala powder, along with some extra spices.

For the Spice Mix you'll need:

                      1/2 Tsp Nutmeg
                      1/2 Tsp Mace
                      1 Tsp Black Pepper
                      1/4 Tsp Ground Cloves
                      1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
                      1 Tsp Dry Mint
                      1/2 Tsp Green Cardamom
                      1/2 Tsp Black Cardamom
                      1 Tsp Dried Fenugreek Leaves
                      1 Tsp Ground Cumin
                      1 Tsp Ground Coriander
                      1 Tsp Kashmiri Chili Powder
                      1 Tbsp Mustard Seed Oil
                      1/2 Tsp Ground Turmeric
                      1 Tsp Ground Ginger Powder

Once the onions have begun turning slightly golden brown, and the tomatoes softened, you'll add in the chicken pieces, but remove the excess marinade, because we want these to brown. Add in the spices, and herbs, along with the mustard seed oil, and mix to incorporate. You'll want to cook this on medium to medium-high heat, stirring constantly so, as not to burn the food.

Once that's done, you'll transfer the ingredients into a separate pot, add in some green chili. I used one Serrano Pepper, but this really, is optional, depending on how spicy you're able to handle food. It's ultimately, up to you. Next, add in some yogurt. I added a few table spoons. Again, how much or, how little you add is entirely up to you. Cover the pot, simmer on medium-low for 20 min. Next, uncover the pot, and make sure excess liquid has been absorbed. Now, it's time to add in the rice. Make sure you loosely spoon it on, instead of packing it tightly. What this will do, is give a chance for the rice to steam evenly without there being an excess of liquid from the condensation. Here's where some people say, it can get tricky. Biryani is traditionally, prepared in layers. Yes! It's a layered dish, so you'll want to remember, one part meat, vegetables, or eggs, to two parts rice & herbs. The way I did it was, adding the chicken to the bottom, then spooning the rice over it, some herbs, then more rice for the second layer, and covered the pot with a paper towel in between the opening and, the lid, while simmering on low to medium heat for an additional 15 minutes, before reserving some of the rice mixture to add to some Saffron water, and topped with fried onions, and some more, diced fresh mint and, cilantro. The Saffron is optional, but if you want this dish to be the most aromatic, fragrant dish you've ever had, then do not skip this step. Next, as a finishing touch, you'll also want to add in 1-2 tsp of rose water. This combination with the Saffron, takes it to another level entirely. Finally, using the handle of your wooden spoon, poke several holes into the rice mixture and, add 2-4 pads of butter to it, cover the lid, and turn off the heat. Let it rest like this for at least 10 minutes before ready to serve!

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I hope you've enjoyed my recipe for authentic Hayderabadi Chicken Biryani. Now that you know just how easy this dish is to make, I bet you can't wait to dazzle your friends, and family with this new found recipe! I look forward to seeing you in the next video recipe! Thank You and, please don't forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and COMMENT, on the video!