Homemade Fresh Indian Chicken Biryani Recipe with raita is a delicious and adaptable, and make a wonderful dinner or lunch.
Here’s exactly how I make it. Rather how my Ammi used to make it. Every family has it’s own variation of the exotic biryani. No eid or party was complete without Ammi’s amazing biryani.
I used to wait for the biryani to get cooked and used to get restless as the aroma used to emanate the whole neighborhood.
How sometimes we wish that we had more time to enjoy the moments while it lasted. Can anything match the taste of a mother’s food.
No master chef or a michellin starred cook can replace the mom’s taste. I couldn’t even wait for the biryani to get it’s dum and used to plead with to eat it half cooked.
I can still the taste in my mouth right now. But alas, can never get it back.
The Indian chicken biryani recipe is a pretty easy biryani recipe. Indian Chicken Biryani Recipe-Recipe for Chicken Biryani.
If you have already gone through my Chicken Dum Biryani and Mutton Dum Biryani, you might have noticed that I don’t add tomatoes and the marinated meat is added to the cooked rice and left on Dum.
But my mom used to make the yakhni first with tomatoes and then add the half cooked rice and leave it on dum. Follow the ingredients and directions and you can never go wrong with this indian chicken biryani recipe.
Let’s start our indian chicken biryani recipe.
The use of India Gate – White Basmati Rice – Classic transforms the the taste from home-made to restaurant style. I strongly recommend using India Gate Classic for all your biryani recipes, I feel no other rice comes close. And no, I was certainly not paid to say this.
It is the rice that we have been using it at my home when I was small too. So if you get this rice in the place that you live, definitely do try to use it.
Indian Chicken Biryani Recipe-Recipe for Chicken Biryani
Ingredients
- 1 big chicken (approx 1200gms) cut into medium pieces
- 750 gms basmati rice soaked for half an hour
- 1 cup oil/ghee
- 4 onions finely sliced
- 2 green chili slit
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 5-6 small ripe tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cloves
- 2 one inch cinnamon sticks
- 4 cardamom
- 1/2 tsp shahi jeera
- 2 tsp red chili powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 2 cup yogurt
- salt to taste
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- bunch of coriander leaves / cilantro finely chopped
- bunch of mint leaves / pudina finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat oil/ghee in a large pan and add the bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon sticks, cardamom,shahi jeera and green chili and fry for30 secs
- Add onions and fry till golden brown.
- Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for another 30 secs. Add the red chili powder, coriander powder, salt, tomato, chicken and yogurt. Cook till chicken is done and the oil start leaving the sides of the pan.
- Mix in the lemon juice, coriander leaves/cilantro and mint leaves. Switch off the flame and set aside this yakhni while you get the rice ready.
- Boil sufficient water in a large vessel to cook the rice. Add salt and a tbsp of oil to the water. The oil helps to keep the rice seperate. Add rice to the boiling water.
- Cook rice to 70% (This step is absolute crucial. Do not leave the kitchen at this point. If you don’t know how to identify the cooking of the rice. See notes below). Drain out the excess water immediately
- Add rice to the yakhni. Do not mix. Add a teaspoon of ghee on top of the rice.
- Cover with foil and close the lid. The foil do not let the steam escape.
- Place on a tawa on cook on low heat for 15 minutes. If you do not have a tawa, cook on low flame for 10 minutes. (see Notes)
- Mix the rice and gravy gently before serving. Serve hot with Raita.
Notes
When you cook on a tawa, the bottom doesn’t get burnt.
Some people cover the lid edges with chapati dough to conceal the steam. Lazy me, opt for foil instead.
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Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen says
Fa, this looks absolutely perfect for lunches – I’d love to make this and have it to take to work, because it looks mouth-watering!
Fa's Kitchen says
You can make the chicken biryani the previous night and pack it in the morning and take. the chicken biryani tastes delicious the next day.. thanks for stopping by
Aida says
Thank you for this Fa! My friend’s mom used to make this rice, but she jealously guided the recipe, and I’ve been looking for something similar for a while. Can’t wait to try it! Maybe I’ll even invite my friend’s mom over for dinner and surprise her. 🙂
Fa's Kitchen says
My pleasure, Aida.. Just remember to get the rice right, you don’t have to worry about anything else.. haha.. lemme know how ur friend’s mom liked it..
Christine says
The rice part scares me. We’ve been living in China for two years, and I can make hot pot, mapo tofu, dry-fried vegetables, and a whole slew of things that involve foreign cooking concepts, but rice?! I’m only just getting the Chinese version down. I think the thing about rice is that it demands a kind of patience I’m not used to using in the kitchen. I have to admit, that this looks so utterly delicious, that I might have to conquer my small fear of rice in attempt to taste your dish!
Fa's Kitchen says
Trust me, it’s not as complicate as it looks. Once u get the hang of it, it becomes second nature to cook it. Only thing to be careful about the rice is not to overcook it for the perfect chicken biryani. I find that cooking biryani is one of the easiest recipes to make. You would find me cooking it almost couples of times per week. Once u get the rice correct, rest everything is so easy to put together.. All the best and do let me know how it turned out.. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
Rafeeda says
The biriyani looks amazing Fareeha… love the plate too! 🙂
Fa's Kitchen says
thank u Rafs
hiba abbas says
Very nice pic and recipe☺
Fa's Kitchen says
Thank you Hiba
Afroz says
I would love to try it tomorrow In shaaAllah ? As it is Friday tomorrow.. This look delicious ? Thanks for sharing it with us
Fa's Kitchen says
Do let me know how it turned out, in sha ALLAH
Mae says
OHhh this recipe looks so yummy! My best friend’s mom used to make this for us when we were little! What brand of yogurt do you use? I’ve made this recipe twice now loved it the first time but I can never get it to look like yours!
Fa's Kitchen says
Hi Mae,
I am super happy you liked this recipe. This is prety much my family recipe.
I have used the Rawabi yogurt which we get here in Dubai. It is pretty thick.
Oops, just checked the recipe, and I haven’t mentioned that I have added food coloring when I clicked this biryani. Sorry for that. Though generally, I don’t like to add the food coloring every time I make it. But in the picture, I have sprinkled the yellow and orange coloring just before keeping on the dum. You can add it next time for the perfect color.
And the quality of the rice will make an impact too. I always use the India Gate Classic, which makes the biryani just delicious.
I hope you will get the perfect look next time.
Joanna says
Hey Fa!
This biriyani recipe is just delicious. I tried it during our family re- union. Everybody loved it!! <3
Fa's Kitchen says
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback Joanna. I feel as if I have won a battle when I get a good review for my recipes. Especially the ones that are close to my heart. This Indian Chicken Biryani recipe too is one such dish that is really close to my heart.
Please visit again and try more recipes. <3
Sapna says
Hi, the biryani looks amazing. . Was looking for authentic receipe… I just wanted to know whether we hv to use biryani masala also…and which one
Fa's Kitchen says
Hi Sapna,
Thank you so much for your feedback. We do not add any biryani masala in it and yes, it is the authentic recipe of my mom’s which makes it more special. Do let me know how it turns out.
Chandana says
Should we put on some weight on the covering pan?
Fa's Kitchen says
yes, adding weight to the covering pan is preferable.
Steve says
Hi I made this tonight. Not really happy. Didn’t look anything like the photo. Heaps of rice. Very watery. Will not make again. Flavour was nice though.
Fa's Kitchen says
Hi Steve,
I am really sorry that your biryani turned out to be watery. Please read the notes carefully as getting the rice is very crucial.
You will have to drain out the excess water just when the rice is cooked right. As mentioned, once the rice is added, it is crucial to check on it continoously.
I hope you will try it again and not be disappointed.
Farheen says
Assalaamualaikum! Excellent recipe simple n easy too! Just wanted to know how much water to add for the rice to boil?
Fa's Kitchen says
Walaikum Assalam wa rah wa bar.
As we would be draining out the excess water, you need to add sufficient for the rice to boil properly. The rice would become mushy if you add less of it.
Shweta says
i am unable to understand usage of tawa in this recipe. Do we have to place it under the vessel in which we are cooking biryani so that biryani doesn’t get burnt.
Pls explain
Fa's Kitchen says
Yes, Shweta. You got that right. That is the exact reason for the use of tawa
Deppi says
You know I have tried so many biryani recipes but never am able to make the way it should be. I love restaurant biryani, not all but a few. Though I love cooking so much but making biryani dish seems always so tough to me. And I love it too. Whenever I make it, my rice is always broken even if it’s basmati, biryani looks like normal chicken rice.. Will be trying this recipe soon. Can you tell me, can I boil the rice 100% and add in the chicken?? Because this dum part looks so tough. It scares me that this will make the rice “ghulle hue” and mushy.
Fa's Kitchen says
No please. Do not cook them 100% That always gets them mushy.
Once the rice is cooked 70% strain well. The masala and steam from dum should be enough to get it fully cooked. Always remember it is easy to fix undercooked rice than the overcooked one.
As for the breaking of the rice, the biryani rice requires more gentler handling while mixing. Please mix the rice gently after it is cooked. You can check my other biryani recipes, where I have added a video along with it for reference.
Hope you have enjoy a perfect biryani next time.
Sadaf says
I think the ingredients are appropriate but the use of tomato and coriander indicates this isn’t a North Indian or lahori biryani. It’s what we deem a South Indian biryani. None the less will be reasonable tasty
Bilkees says
My mother-in-law is from Delhi and this is exactly how she makes it and how she taught it to me.
Fa's Kitchen says
Thanks for your comment Bilkees. The world is so small indeed.
Joss says
I am completely new to cooking Indian cuisine. Also I have never used whole cinnamon stick in a recipe before. Do you leave the cinnamon stick in after cooking?
Fa's Kitchen says
Yes, we generally do leave the whole spices. But when serving to kids/those who don’t prefer the whole spices, I remove them or simply use a tea infuser with spices and remove after all the essence has been removed.
Layla says
Can you pls give an indication of the salt amount. Jzklh
Fa's Kitchen says
We comparatively add less salt to our food, so 2 tbsp would suffice for us on entirety. But you can always add more or less of it, according to your preference.
Jayme Butler says
How many does this feed?
Fareeha says
Around 4-5 people. Hope you enjoying making the biryani. Please do let me know your feedback after trying.
Jayme Butler says
Can i make with plain yogurt or does it have to be Greek? Also, does Raita need to be Greek yogurt?
Fareeha says
You can make the biryani and raita with plain yogurt. Please send in your feedback after trying.
Anvita Talwar says
Thanks Fa. It came out fine. I read the instructions about the food colouring after putting it on dum. And was scared it will be a disaster. But thank God it didn’t look too bad.
Anvita Talwar says
Thanks Fa. It came out fine. I read the instructions about the food colouring after putting it on dum. And was scared it will be a disaster. But thank God it didn’t look too bad.
Anvita Talwar says
What a fantastic recipe.
Barbara says
Hello, this will be my first time making Biryani and also my first time using cardamom. Do I use the cardamom pods? If so do I break them open first? Thank you for this recipe it looks easy to follow and I am looking forward to making it!
Andrea says
I tried this biryani yesterday and it was amazing. People who ate it were raving over it. I was looking for a biryani recipe that yielded some gravy and this was perfect. The recipe is so simple and not much of preparation. Definitely going to keep making this over and over again. Thanks Fa’s kitchen.
Fareeha says
Thank you so much for your valuable feedback! It means a lot.
Amit Kumar says
Thank you so much, ma’am, for the detailed recipe. Tomorrow being a Sunday, I was thinking about making Chicken Biryani for lunch and so was looking for the recipe on the net, that’s when came across the photo of your dish.. looked really delectable. You have explained all the steps so nicely, hopefully I will be able to get it right tomorrow. Thank you once again 🙂
Rosemary says
This recipe was delicious, I will add at least 2 jalapenos next time.
Fareeha says
That sounds incredibly mouth watering. I’ll add them next time too.
aliza shah says
Nice recipe, Thanks for sharing. looking so beautiful.
Fareeha says
Thank you so much 🙂
Arthy says
It turned out to be a very good biryani.. i was a bit worried about the cup measurements but went with common sense a bit..
Biryani is very close to me.. when I was about 3 I visited a tamil family in bombay with my parents. They were very lovely and packed one of the best biryanis i ve ever had for the return trip back home. Since then I have been hunting for that taste..
It has been more than 3 decadez and I keep asking my dad for their contact.. Recently I learnt they moved to Dubai quite a while ago.. Could that be your Ammi??
There was an additional flavor that is still close to my memory that I dont find — did she add plums or more cardamom ??
I hope to hear from you
Fareeha says
I am so glad that you liked this biryani. Ahh!! How I wish that was my Ammi. But she passed away 8 years back! Hope you find the recipe to your cherished biryani soon and do keep us updated!