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    Home » Main Dish

    How To Make Authentic Chicken Biryani At Home

    Oct 18, 2022 by Sarah Mirza · 26 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    After years of testing and perfecting how to make authentic chicken biryani at home, I can now say this is the only chicken biryani recipe you will ever need. Don’t be intimidated by the ingredient list, I include helpful step-by-step instructions to ensure you can easily follow along. In this dish, layers of rice, chicken, and gravy combine with fresh herbs and biryani masala (spice blend). It’s a deeply flavorful, aromatic and authentic Pakistani recipe.

    TABLE OF CONTENTS

    • What is Biryani?
    • Video
    • History of Biryani and why should you make it?
    • How to make Chicken Biryani?
    • Two Types of Biryani.
    • Texture of the rice in Biryani.
    • Which brand of rice should be used?
    • How to make the gravy for the Biryani?
    • How to parboil the rice perfectly?
    • How to layer the Biryani?
    • The Recipe
    3 plates of briyani

    WHAT IS BIRYANI?

    Biryani is a rice dish wrapped in a delicious meat gravy. Its layers of rice and the meat gravy will be among the most aromatic smells you will encounter. Also try our Mutton Biryani with Homemade Biryani Masala.

    briyani and royal rice

    VIDEO

    HISTORY OF BIRYANI AND WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE IT?

    Biryani is a very popular dish in Pakistan and India. The dish originally hailed from the Persians, who brought it to Delhi, India where it spread like wildfire across the South Asia. As with many cultural staples, each region has its own adaptations when it comes to making biryani. I like to describe my biryani as the biryani you'd find at somebody's marriage back home, or the shadiyoon wali briyani (the briyani you get at weddings.)

    rice in a strainer with hand showing the rice.

    HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN BIRYANI?

    1. Make the masala for the chicken biryani in a powder form.
    2. Make the chicken gravy using Homemade Biryani Masala.
    3. Parboil the rice.
    4. Layer the rice and chicken gravy (will give details below).
    5. Steam the biryani (dum).
    rice without royal

    TWO TYPES OF BIRYANI

    As I was guiding Sarah (my wife) in making the Authentic Chicken Biryani, I had to explain to her that there are actually two different forms of biryani:

    1. Bati huwi biryani - That just means your biryani is sitting down. When biryani sits down, it's a bad batch of biryani which means either the rice was overdone prior to the layering process,  the gravy was too runny, or too much water and/or oil was added to the pot after the draining step.
    2. Kari huwi briyani- That means standing biryani which is what we want. Pure perfection. When your biryani is Kari huwi, it means the rice is  parboiled just fine, drained at the perfect time. The rice ISN'T Soggy, the right amount of oil and water is at the bottom of the pan, and the gravy is just the right consistency and amount.
    chicken gravy in a pot.

    TEXTURE OF THE RICE IN BIRYANI

    Biryani is composed of a motley assortment of spices, masalas, vegetables, and, of course, the Basmati rice. Each grain of rice, arguably one of the most important parts of this delicious concoction, is long, fluffy, and laden with masala. When perfectly made the long-form grains should be blooming and airy, basking in the luxurious aura that Basmati rice is so known for. It shouldn't be too soggy, too short, or break apart very easily, as this may ruin the dish.

    INGREIDENTS OF BRIYANI

    WHICH BRAND OF RICE SHOULD BE USED?

    In my experience the Royal Chef's Secret Basmati Rice has been an irreplaceable option. My wife's family has been using Royal rice for more than 20 years, and I'm enamored of the company and the impeccable long grains of rice which have served me well time and time again.

    HOW TO MAKE THE GRAVY FOR THE BIRYANI?

    oil in a pot.
    Add oil in a pot.
    Once it's heat up, add the green cardamom and black peppercorns.
    golden brown the onion
    Add the onions and sauté them.
    chicken and sauté it til it changes color along with ginger garlic paste
    Now add ginger garlic paste and chicken, mix them until the chicken changes color.
    chicken with tomatoes in a pot
    Next add in tomatoes and yogurt and let it cook.
    chicken gravy in a pot.
    Now add the Homemade Biryani Masala
    chicken graby in a pot.
    Now add red chili powder, lemon juice, plums, salt and mix well.
    chicken gravy in a pot.
    Now place the green pepper on top. Let it cook.
    chicken gravy in a pot.
    After done cooking, set aside.
    holding rice pose

    HOW TO PARBOIL RICE PERFECTLY?

    Please see how to make the perfect Basmati Rice for more details.

    uncooked rice sitting in a bowl with water
    Soak the rice for sometime.
    water in a pot.
    Add water, anise star, and cloves to a pot and bring it to boil
    pot of water.
    Once it's boiling add rice.
    rice in a strainer
    Once rice are 70-75% cooked take them out in a stainer and drain the water.
    rice in a strainer with hand showing the rice.
    It should look like this.
    rice in a strainer.
    Set aside until the layering step.
    royal rice plus biryani

    HOW TO LAYER THE BIRYANI?

    tawa
    Place a Tava on a stove while it's off.
    water and oil in a pot.
    Place the pot on top of the Tava. Add in the oil and water first.
    rice in a pot with color
    Now add a layer of the rice, topped that with orange food coloring.
    add gravy
    Now add ½ of the gravy.
    cilantro and mint
    Add mint and cilantro at top. then repeat from the rice layer again.
    add some rice on top
    On the third/last layer, layer it with rice and sprinkle some orange food coloring and then sprinkle some Kewra on top. Let it cook in its steam the procedure is called "Dum".

    This post is sponsored by Royal . 

    royal plus biryani

    LET'S MAKE AUTHENTIC CHICKEN BIRYANI!!!

    royal rice plus biryani
    Print Recipe
    5 from 12 votes

    How To Make Authentic Chicken Biryani At Home

    Authentic Chicken Biryani is a rice dish wrapped in a delicious meat gravy. Its layers of rice and the meat gravy will be among the most aromatic smells you will encounter. 
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time1 hr 50 mins
    Total Time2 hrs
    Course: Main
    Cuisine: Indian
    Keyword: aunthentic indian biryani, authentic, authentic chicken briyani, biryani, chicken biryani, student biryani
    Calories: 457kcal
    Author: Sarah Mirza

    Ingredients

    Gravy

    • 2 lbs chicken leg quarter
    • ⅓ cup olive oil
    • 1 medium onion finely sliced
    • 4 tbsp ginger garlic paste
    • 6 tbsp briyani masala that was made earlier
    • 5 green cardamoms
    • 1 tsp red chili powder
    • 5 black peppercorns
    • 3 whole green pepper
    • 4 plum Aloo Bukara (get the wet ones not the dried ones)
    • 4 tbsp lemon juice
    • 2 tomatoes finely chopped
    • 1 tbsp tomato paste
    • ½ cup yogurt
    • 1½ tsp salt
    • 3 tbsp homemade biryani masala

    Rice

    • 3½ cups rice Royal Chef's Secret Extra Long Grain Basmati Rice
    • 5 cup water
    • 2 star anise
    • 4 cloves
    • 2 tsp salt

    Layering

    • orange food coloring (make sure it's orange for real authentic look)
    • 3 tbsp oilve oil
    • 2 tbsp water
    • ½ tsp kewra
    • ½ bunch cilantro finely chopped
    • ½ bunch mint finely chopped

    Instructions

    Gravy

    • In a medium size pot, on medium heat, add oil and heat it up.
    • Next add green cardamom and black peppercorns and now lightly sauté it for about 30 seconds.
    • Now add the onions and sauté the onion until they are golden brown.
    • Next add ginger garlic paste and mix well.
    • Add in the chicken and mix well.
    • Add tomatoes and yogurt and let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
    • Now add the briyani masala and mix well. (Remeber you are only adding 6 tbsp save the rest for future use.)
    • Next add in red chili powder, plum, lemon juice, and salt and mix well.
    • Add whole green pepper and mix well.
    • Let everything cook, stir occasionally during this process.
    • When the chicken is fully cooked set aside, the process will take around 10-15 minutes.
    • Turn off the stove and set the gravy aside.

    Rice

    • Presoak the Rice in water for 20 min.
    • Drain the water.
    • In a large pot, on medium heat, add water, salt, bay leaves, star anise, and cloves.
    • Bring it to a boil.
    • Then add the drained rice in the pot.
    • Now let the rice cook for 6-8 minutes remember you're doing this on medium heat. Check the are cooked upto 75%.
    • Remove the pot from the stove and drain the water.
    • Set aside.

    Layering

    • In a large pot, add 3 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp water. Scatter that across the bottom of the pot.
    • To set the first layer lay out 25% rice in the bottom of the pot as your first layer. Then sprinkle 3 pinches food coloring on top of the rice. Next place some of chicken gravy that you made earlier and on top sprinkle some fresh cilantro and fresh mint.
    • Keep repeating the pervious step two more times.
    • On top of the fourth layer of rice, you shouldn't have any chicken gravy left, so your fourth layer will be rice, food coloring, cilantro, mint, and lastly now add kewra to the pot.

    The Steam Step (Dum)

    • Wrap the lid with aluminum foil.
    • Place the covered lid with aluminum foil on top of the pot.
    • Place the tava, on the stove then place the pot on top of the tava.
    • Now turn the stove on high for 5-7 min only.
    • Now turn the stove on medium heat for the next 10 minutes.
    • Next turn the stove on low for the next 30 minutes
    • Now turn off the stove.
    • Don't open for the next 10 minutes.
    • Unwrap the lid and open and mix up the biryani slowly and carefully so rice wouldn't break.
    • Enjoy!!!

    Video

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cup | Calories: 457kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 158g | Saturated Fat: 34g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 25g | Monounsaturated Fat: 88g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 343mg | Sodium: 110mg | Potassium: 41mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 60IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 2mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. sky says

      June 10, 2021 at 4:11 pm

      5 stars
      I made this last night. it is so good. best briyani recipe out there.

      Reply
      • Sarah Mirza says

        June 10, 2021 at 4:26 pm

        you try out almost all of recipes thanks so much for always being supportive. 🙂

        Reply
    2. rani says

      June 10, 2021 at 4:13 pm

      5 stars
      AHHHH THIS BIRYANI RECIPE IS TO DIE FOR!
      REMINDS ME OF BIRYANI IN PAKISTAN
      INSTRUCTIONS ARE REALLY EASY TO FOLLOW. 

      Reply
      • Sarah Mirza says

        June 10, 2021 at 4:25 pm

        Thank you so much

        Reply
    3. Nida says

      June 10, 2021 at 4:24 pm

      5 stars
      the best briyani recipe out there

      Reply
      • Sarah Mirza says

        June 10, 2021 at 4:25 pm

        Thank you so much!

        Reply
    4. Naila says

      June 17, 2021 at 6:54 pm

      This was pretty good! Typically don’t make biryani or anything for that matter at home, but I tried this and it turned out great!!

      Reply
      • Sarah Mirza says

        June 17, 2021 at 8:46 pm

        im so happy to hear that. Thank you so much 🙂

        Reply
    5. Rebecca says

      June 17, 2021 at 6:57 pm

      5 stars
      Very yummy!!! Huge fan of Indian food and especially this recipe, my husband loved it

      Reply
      • Sarah Mirza says

        June 17, 2021 at 8:46 pm

        thank you so much!

        Reply
    6. Maha Khan says

      June 21, 2021 at 8:16 pm

      5 stars
      OMG! I made this biryani in dawat on the last weekend and everyone loved that. This is the actual Pakistani taste Biryani. Thank you so much guys to give your family recipe to us.

      Reply
      • Sarah Mirza says

        June 21, 2021 at 9:49 pm

        Thank you so much ☺️ ♥️

        Reply
    7. Hina Javed says

      June 22, 2021 at 3:07 pm

      5 stars
      Wow this was so yummy. Thank you guys for this. I doubled the recipe.

      Reply
      • Sarah Mirza says

        June 23, 2021 at 10:58 am

        You're so welcome. so glad to hear that. <3

        Reply
    8. Lauren says

      June 22, 2021 at 3:09 pm

      5 stars
      I’ve never had great experiences with following recipes but WOW this one was truly out of this world. 1000/10

      Reply
      • Sarah Mirza says

        June 23, 2021 at 10:57 am

        OMG! thank you so much means alot!

        Reply
    9. Nancy Oswald says

      June 22, 2021 at 3:11 pm

      5 stars
      This was too good!!! Do you guys have a recipe for Chicken Curry.

      Reply
      • Sarah Mirza says

        June 23, 2021 at 10:57 am

        https://twoclovesinapot.com/2019/01/13/one-pot-yogurt-chicken-curry/

        Thank you so much for trying this recipe.

        Reply
    10. Shahnaz says

      June 24, 2021 at 7:38 pm

      5 stars
      I can't believe I made this. it was so delicious. my rice always comes out soggy but today after following your recipe to the T; they came out perfect. Thank you Vaquas.

      Reply
      • Sarah Mirza says

        June 24, 2021 at 7:41 pm

        Thank you so much

        Reply
    11. Fatima says

      June 26, 2021 at 8:35 am

      5 stars
      Excellent

      Reply
      • Sarah Mirza says

        June 30, 2021 at 6:24 am

        Thank you so much

        Reply
    12. Abeer says

      July 06, 2021 at 2:02 pm

      5 stars
      excellent recipe, thank you so much for teaching me how to make a perfect biryani without using any packet masala. I'm planning to make your Nihari this coming weekend

      Reply
      • Sarah Mirza says

        July 10, 2021 at 12:44 am

        Thank you so much 💗

        Reply
    13. asif jamal says

      May 15, 2022 at 7:51 pm

      5 stars
      Such a delicious biryani. My wife made biryani with this recipe and putting stars on her shoulder. The recipe is simply amazing.

      Reply
      • Sarah Mirza says

        May 16, 2022 at 1:11 am

        Thank you so much <3

        Reply

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