35 Minute Chicken Biryani

Chicken biryani is the most delicious chicken and rice dish I've had in my 27 years of life. It's chicken marinated in tons of spices and yogurt, blanketed in a swath of basmati rice with streaks of saffron milk and fried onions over top. I decided to make a traditional chicken biryani recipe from an Invitation to Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey and compare it to this 35-minute version.

- 35 MINUTE VERSION -

INGREDIENTS

Chicken + Marinade

  • 1/2 large onion

  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

  • 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped

  • 5 whole cloves

  • 10 whole black peppercorns

  • Seeds from 4 whole green cardamom pods (Optional)

  • ¼ spoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 spoon ground coriander

  • 1/2 spoon ground cumin

  • 1/2 spoon whole poppy seeds

  • 12 g salt

  • Juice from 1/2 of a lemon

  • 113 g (4 oz) plain yogurt

  • 1 pound (about 3 -4) boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Other Components

  • 60 g (4 tablespoons) vegetable oil

  • 1/2 large onion

  • 3 bay leaves

  • 2 large black cardamom pods (Optional)

  • 1 tsp leaf saffron, loosely packed (Substitute: Turmeric)

  • 30 g (2 tablespoons) milk

  • 120 g (1 cup) long-grain (basmati) rice

Garnishes (Optional)

  • 2 tablespoons golden raisins, fried

  • 2 tablespoons blanched almonds

  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced or quartered lengthwise

METHOD

Fry onions, prep marinade + cook chicken

  1. Set a cast skillet over medium heat. Add the vegetable oil. While heating, finely slice 1/2 of the onion into rings. Add the bay leaves and black cardamom (if using) and fry for 15 seconds. Toss in the sliced onions and fry for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned, be careful not to burn them!

  2. Meanwhile, add the marinade ingredients (except the yogurt + chicken) to a food processor and pulse until smooth. Place the marinade paste, yogurt, and chicken in a bowl and mix to combine.

  3. Remove half of the fried onions with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reserve some of the oil, black cardamom, and bay leaves for garnish later on. Add the chicken and cook for 8 minutes until the marinade has reduced by half.

  4. Set a pot of water on to boil the rice.

Parboil rice, layer biryani, cook in the oven

  1. Preheat the oven to 300 F.

  2. Add the rice to the boiling water and parboil the rice for 8-10 minutes, then drain in a colander.

  3. Soak the saffron (or turmeric) in hot but not boiling milk.

  4. Remove the chicken from the stove and layer the rice over top. Pour the saffron milk over the rice in orange lines. Spoon the onion-flavored oil from the pan along with the cardamom and bay leaves.

  5. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place the lid over top to seal the dish. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

  6. Spoon the biryani onto a plate and sprinkle with fried onions and other garnishes of your choice.

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- Traditional Version from an Invitation to Indian Cooking (amounts adjusted) -

INGREDIENTS

Chicken + Marinade

  • 1/2 large onion

  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

  • 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped

  • 5 whole cloves

  • 10 whole black peppercorns

  • Seeds from 4 whole green cardamom pods (Optional)

  • ¼ spoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 spoon ground coriander

  • 1/2 spoon ground cumin

  • 1/2 spoon whole poppy seeds

  • 12 g salt

  • Juice from 1/2 of a lemon

  • 113 g (4 oz) plain yogurt

  • 1 pound bone-in chicken pieces (legs, wings, things)

Other Components

  • 60 g (4 tablespoons) vegetable oil

  • 1/2 large onion, thinly sliced

  • 3 bay leaves

  • 2 large black cardamom pods (Optional)

  • 1 tsp leaf saffron, loosely packed (Substitute: Turmeric)

  • 30 g (2 tablespoons) milk

  • 120 g (1 cup) long-grain (basmati) rice

Garnishes (Optional)

  • 2 tablespoons golden raisins, fried

  • 2 tablespoons blanched almonds

  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced or quartered lengthwise

METHOD

Marinade

  1. Chop 1/2 of the onion into chunks and add it to a food processor or blender with the garlic, ginger, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, cumin, poppy seeds, salt, and lemon juice. Blend until it is a smooth paste. Add the paste to a large bowl and mix together with the yogurt and chicken pieces.

  2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a cast-iron skillet or dutch oven. Slice the other onions into very thin rings. Add the bay leaves and black cardamom to the oil and fry for 15 seconds. Put in the onions and fry, while stirring, for about 10 minutes until brown and crisp (be careful not to burn them). Remove with a slotted spoon. Reserve the oil, black cardamom, and bay leaves for garnish later on. Mix two-thirds of the fried onions with the marinade paste and drain the remaining on a paper towel for garnishing.

  3. Remove skin from the chicken pieces and cut them into pieces. Pierce the chicken or make slashes in them and mix into the marinade paste. Cover and let refrigerate for at least two hours.

Cooking

  1. Pour the chicken and marinade into a cast-iron skillet. Turn the heat to medium and bring to a boil, then cover and place on low heat to simmer for 15 minutes.

  2. Remove the chicken pieces and place in a casserole dish. Boil down the marinade until reduced by half then remove from the heat. Preheat oven to 300 F.

  3. Soak the saffron in hot but not boiling milk.

  4. Bring water and salt to a boil in a large pot and add the rice. After it comes to a boil again, set a timer for 5 minutes. Drain the rice in a colander and place it on top of the chicken in the casserole dish. Pour the saffron milk over the rice in orange lines. Spoon the onion-flavored oil from the pan along with the cardamom and bay leaves.

  5. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place the lid over top to seal the dish. Bake for 1 hour.

  6. Spoon the biryani onto a plate and sprinkle with fried onions and other garnishes of your choice.

Ethan Chlebowski