Almost Core Chicken Biryani Recipes

THE BEST CHICKEN BIRYANI

Steps:

• Whisk together the yogurt, 3 tablespoons salt, chili powder and turmeric in a large bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Let sit at room temperature until ready to use, up to 1 hour. (Alternatively, the chicken can be marinated for up to 2 days covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator.)
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reaches 350 degrees F. Fry half of the onions, stirring frequently for even cooking, until deep golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer them to a paper-towel lined baking sheet to drain. Season with salt and let cool. Let the oil come back up to temperature and repeat with the remaining onions. Reserve the oil.
• Wash, rinse and drain the rice in a bowl full of cold water until the water is almost clear, about 5 times. Bring the rice, 1/4 cup salt, 4 of the cloves, 3 of the cardamom pods, 1 of the bay leaves, the peppercorns and 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Cook for exactly 5 minutes. (The rice will not be completely cooked; it will continue to cook in the oven. Do not cook longer or the rice will get mushy.) Drain and transfer the rice and spices to a medium bowl.
• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F.
• Stir together the saffron and milk in a small bowl until combined.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of the reserved onion oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, cumin seeds and the remaining 4 cloves, 4 cardamom pods and 2 bay leaves. Cook, stirring frequently, until the spices are very fragrant and beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until very fragrant and beginning to stick to the bottom of the pan, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping the garlic and ginger from the bottom of the pan, until the tomatoes start to break down and most of the liquid has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup water, bring to a boil and scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and layer on top of the tomatoes. Then sprinkle half the fried onions on top of the chicken. Top with the rice and spices and then drizzle the saffron milk over the rice. Cover the pan and bake until the liquid evaporates, the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Let sit covered for 10 minutes, then transfer the biryani to a large serving platter. Top with the remaining fried onions, cilantro and mint leaves.

ALMOST CORE CHICKEN BIRYANI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl combine warm milk with saffron threads. Let it steep at least 10 minutes.
• Heat 3/4 tbs. oil in medium saucepan. Add cardamon pods,1/4 teaspoons cinnamon, bay leaf and black peppercorns. Cook over medium heat until sizzling, about 3 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat with oil. Add the water and 1 teaspoons of salt. Bring to boil. Cover and cook over low heat until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed. Fluff with fork and season with more salt if desired.
• Meanwhile, heat 3/4 tbs. of oil in a skillet. Add the chopped onion and cook over medium heat until it begins to brown. Add the tomato and cook one minute. Add the garlic, ginger, garam masala, cayenne, turmeric, cloves, curry powder and 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken, adding a few tbs. of water if it looks quite dry. Cover and cook on low, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and season with salt & pepper.
• Spread half the rice in a casserole dish (sprayed with cooking spray if desired). Top with chicken mixture, then rest of rice. Drizzle the saffron milk over the rice and top with the ghee. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1/2 tbs. of oil in a skillet. Add the sliced onion and cook on medium heat until browned. Set them on paper towels to absorb any oil. Spread the onions over the cooked rice when you remove it from the oven.

CHICKEN BIRYANI

Steps:

• Soak the rice in warm water, then wash in cold until the water runs clear.
• Heat butter in a saucepan and cook the onions with the bay leaf and other whole spices for 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle in the turmeric, then add chicken and curry paste and cook until aromatic.
• Stir the rice into the pan with the raisins, then pour over the stock.
• Place a tight-fitting lid on the pan and bring to a hard boil, then lower the heat to a minimum and cook the rice for another 5 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and leave for 10 minutes.
• Stir well, mixing through half the coriander.
• To serve, scatter over the rest of the coriander and the almonds.

CHICKEN BIRYANI

Steps:

• In a large skillet, in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or ghee) fry potatoes until brown, drain and reserve the potatoes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and fry onion, garlic and ginger until onion is soft and golden. Add chili, pepper, turmeric, cumin, salt and the tomatoes. Fry, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Add yogurt, mint, cardamom and cinnamon stick. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes are cooked to a pulp. It may be necessary to add a little hot water if the mixture becomes too dry and starts to stick to the pan.
• When the mixture is thick and smooth, add the chicken pieces and stir well to coat them with the spice mixture. Cover and cook over very low heat until the chicken is tender, approximately 35 to 45 minutes. There should only be a little very thick gravy left when chicken is finished cooking. If necessary cook uncovered for a few minutes to reduce the gravy.
• Wash rice well and drain in colander for at least 30 minutes.
• In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil (or ghee) and fry the onions until they are golden. Add saffron, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, ginger and rice. Stir continuously until the rice is coated with the spices.
• In a medium-size pot, heat the chicken stock and salt. When the mixture is hot pour it over the rice and stir well. Add the chicken mixture and the potatoes; gently mix them into the rice. Bring to boil. Cover the saucepan tightly, turn heat to very low and steam for 20 minutes. Do not lift lid or stir while cooking. Spoon biryani onto a warm serving dish.

CHICKEN BIRYANI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place rice in a medium bowl. Cover with cold water and rub rice to release starch. Drain. Repeat until liquid is almost clear. Cover with water and let stand 30 minutes. Drain. Bring 3 quarts water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt and rice. Return to a boil. Cook 4 minutes. Drain.
• In a small skillet over medium-high heat, toast the cloves, peppercorns, cardamom, cumin, and coriander until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Let cool briefly, then grind in a spice grinder. Stir in mace. Soak saffron in milk.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large straight-sided skillet over medium-high. Working in two batches, season chicken with salt and cook until brown on one side, 5 minutes. Remove from pan. Reduce heat to medium. Add 2 tablespoons oil and the onions. Season with salt. Cook until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Reserve 1 cup onions and coarsely chop the rest.
• Return chopped onions to pan with 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add the ginger, garlic, chiles, the ground toasted spices, tomato paste, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add yogurt, turmeric, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil. Add chicken, return to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer, covered, until chicken is just cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Heat 1 inch oil in a small saucepan over medium-high until a piece of onion dropped in oil sizzles. Working in small batches, fry reserved onions until crisp and golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
• When chicken has simmered for 15 minutes, remove from sauce. Bring sauce to a boil and cook, uncovered, to reduce slightly, about 3 minutes. Add juices from resting chicken. Remove half of the sauce. Return half of the chicken to pan and add half of the rice. Sprinkle with one-third of the crisped onions, half of the saffron milk, the reserved sauce, and remaining chicken. Top with remaining rice and another one-third of onions. Drizzle with remaining saffron milk.
• Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Remove lid and wrap in a clean kitchen towel. Return lid to pan and let stand 10 minutes. Serve with remaining onions.