South Indian Chicken Biryani Recipe with step by step photos and video instructions is a delicious biryani that originates from the South Indian region. It is different from the other biryanis like Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani.

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If you have been following my blog, you will notice that I have a host of biryani recipes on it. Whether it is the Indian Chicken Biryani or the Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani, there is always a unique touch to each.

The South Indian Chicken Biryani recipe is no different. It is so similar to the other biryani recipes, and yet so different in its own unique way.

Table of Contents

What is South Indian Chicken Biryani?

It is nothing but another variety of biryani that originates from the South Indian region. South India is a broad region with varied tastes throughout. You will find a lot of biryani recipes that seem so delicious in their own unique way. But this is an amalgamation of it all.

How is the South Indian Chicken Biryani different from other biryanis?

There is a big difference between the South Indian chicken biryani and the other biryani recipes. Other varieties of biryanis do not add tomato to the process of making the biryani. But however, in South Indian variety, most of the places add the tomatoes.

Though some may argue that it is not the case with how they make in their home, most of the South Indian biryani recipes call for it. I have tasted a whole lot of biryanis from varied regions of South India, and have found the tomato to be an integral part of the biryani making.

This South Indian Chicken biryani recipe follows a pakki yakhni method. In other words, it means that the chicken is cooked prior to placing the rice.
Also, the soaked rice is used directly to the yakhni instead of first cooking and adding.

Which rice to use for making the South Indian Chicken Biryani?

You can use either use the Basmati rice or the Jeera Samba Rice for making this biryani. But I would suggest you use the basmati rice for making this South Indian Chicken biryani recipe. The flavors that come out of basmati rice are simply amazing for any biryani.

But it is totally your personal choice and you can as well use any other rice that you prefer.

I have added whole spices to this South Indian Chicken Biryani Recipe. But if you do not like to get the whole spices in your mouth while eating, you can simply omit them and instead, use the garam masala powder.

How to get the authentic taste of the biryani?

If you would like the authentic taste of the whole spices, you can take a muslin cloth and add the whole spices to it. Then tie the muslin cloth and place while cooking. Once your cooking is done, you can simply remove the muslin cloth with the whole spices in it. This way, the whole spices will not bother while eating and you will get the flavor from the whole spices as well.

Making this South Indian Chicken Biryani recipes is pretty easy and cook. Unlike the Indian Mutton Biryani Recipe, this gets cooked pretty soon.

It is not only delicious and tasty but also a simple and easy recipe. This is just perfect when you are short on time and would yet like to make a great biryani dish.

Pro Tips / Important Things to remember while making the south Indian chicken biryani recipe

Always soak the rice before adding to the yakhni masala.
If you do not like the whole spices in the biryani, tie them in a muslin cloth and add them.
Always add little less than the required amount of water. If required, you can add in more water later. It’s easier to fix and undercooked rice than an overcooked one.

Step By step pictorial of making the south Indian chicken biryani recipe

Heat oil or ghee in a large enough vessel to cook the entire biryani. Add the green chili, whole spices to it. Fry for a minute.

2. Once you have lightly fried the spices, add the sliced onions. Fry until the onions turn light brown in color.

3. Once the onions are browned, add the ginger garlic paste. Fry until all the raw smell from the ginger garlic paste has vanished from it.

4. Next, add the chicken and fry well. Throw in the tomatoes and the powdered spices and mix well.

5. Add the yogurt and cook covered till the chicken is half done. Once the chicken is cooked, add the coriander leaves and mint leaves. Give it a good stir.

6. Add the soaked rice, lemon juice and sufficient water to cook the rice. The quantity of water will depend upon the quality of your rice. I have used basmati rice. And for that, I needed 1.5 cups of water for 1 cup of rice. As we will be cooking on low heat, the rice gets cooked perfectly with less than the usual amount of water. Always add little less water than required. If necessary, you can add the water later.

7. Once you have added the sufficient water, give it a stir and bring it to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil, cover the vessel tightly. Cook on low heat till the water is completely dried up. Switch off the heat and allow to rest for 15 more minutes before opening the lid. For this particular recipe, it took about 25 minutes to cook.

8. Open the lid, mix gently and serve hot.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve this South Indian Chicken Biryani hot.

You can serve this with either onion raita or bagare baingan.

More biryani recipes:

How to make the South Indian Chicken Biryani recipe

South Indian Chicken Biryani recipe

Fareeha

South Indian Chicken Biryani Recipe is a delicious chicken biryani that is so easy and simple to make and yet so tasty. It gets prepared in no time at all.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1

resting time 15

Total Time 1 15

Course Main Course

Cuisine South Indian

Servings 5 people

Calories 745 kcal

Ingredients

500 gms Basmati Rice
750 gms Chicken
2 tbsp Oil
2 tbsp Ghee
2 no. Onion finely sliced
3 no. Tomato chopped
4 no. Green chilli
bunch of Coriander Leaves leaves separated from the stems
bunch of Mint leaves leaves separated from the stem
1 cup Yogurt beaten nicely
1 tbsp Red Chilli Powder or as per taste
1 tbsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin seeds
Whole Garam Masala (2 or 3 cardamom, 1 inch stick cinnamon, 1-2 cloves, 1 tsp shahi jeera,1 bay leaf)
1 tsp Salt or to taste

Instructions

Soak the basmati rice for 30 minutes in sufficient water.
In a large pan add oil and ghee. Add cumin seeds, whole spices, and green chili. Allow the cumin seeds to crackle. Add in the onion and fry on a medium heat till they turn light brown in color.
Add in the chicken pieces and sear the meat until it is no longer pink.
Next throw in the chopped tomatoes, salt, Red chili powder, and coriander powder and stir well.
Lower the flame and add in the yogurt and mix well. This step is crucial to avoid curdling of the yogurt. Mix in the coriander and mint leaves and stir well.
Cook covered till the chicken is half done on medium flame stirring occasionally.
Drain the water from the soaked basmati rice and add the Basmati rice, lemon juice to the chicken gravy. Combine well gently.
Pour in the water (For 1 cup of rice add 1.5 cups of water), mix well and bring it to a boil.
Reduce the flame and cover the pan tightly.
Cook on low heat for about 20 to 25 minutes or till all the water is absorbed from the rice. Switch off the heat and allow to rest for another 15 minutes before opening the lid.
Serve hot with some onion raita.

Video

Notes

Beat the yogurt well before adding to the chicken. Always add the yogurt on low flame. Then stir well immediately to prevent the curdling.
The cooking time will water vary depending upon the quality of the rice and chicken. If your chicken is tender it will take lesser time to cook. Also, the quality of the rice will vary too.
If you are trying this recipe for the first time, always add less than required water. It is easier to fix an undercooked rice than an overcooked one.
Add the turmeric powder, wheat flour, and vinegar to the chicken and set aside for sometime. Rinse with water as usual. This removes the raw smell from the chicken.

Keyword Biryani Recipe,, Chicken Biryani Recipe,, South Indian Chicken Biryani

Signing off until next time,

Fareeha.

This recipe was originally published in September of 2018. Step by step photos and video have been added for the better understanding of the users. The recipe has been made printable in November 2018.

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