Chicken biryani recipe created in steriliser or pot. Biryani is one among the foremost wonderful royal delicacies introduced to Indians by the Mughals. Since then it has been much popular and is considered to be luxurious treat to enjoy on special occasions. Making a chicken biryani in authentic does take some time and needs little expertise.
Traditional chicken biryani is made by layering marinated chicken and then layered with parboiled rice, herbs, saffron milk & then ghee. I have shared that traditional Hyderabad Biryani. The recipe shared here is this post details a short cut method to make a simple one pot delicious chicken biryani in a pressure cooker or a pot.
So what I have shared in this post is not a dum style biryani yet it will surprise you with a good aroma and taste. This recipe yields a chicken biryani that isn’t too oily, spicy, hot or pungent as looks to be in the pics. However you can reduce the amount of red chilli power if you do not prefer the heat. You can enjoy this with a RAITA, SHORBA and papads.
What you need for a good biryani ?
To make a good biryani, always use best quality ingredients. The choice of excellent quality basmati rice, whole spices, spice powders, chicken all contribute to the flavors of chicken biryani.
1. Basmati rice:
There are so many kinds of basmati rice available in the market. For best results choose premium quality basmati rice that is labelled as AGED. This kind of rice is more firm & fluffs up well in chicken biryani without turning mushy. Aged rice is also more fragrant.
Thought this biryani is made in pressure cooker or pot, the texture of rice grains will come out right without getting mushy if made with aged rice.
2. Biryani masala (spices):
Good quality whole spices & spice powders elevate the flavor of chicken biryani. So choose a good quality readymade GARAM MASALA powder or BIRYANI MASALA.
I am also sharing the ingredients for an instant biryani masala powder. If you have a ready made or store bought masala, you can make it in just few minutes.
3. Chicken :
We sometimes burn up the cut whole chicken to form the chicken biryani. However I always find chicken breast pieces fry out if not marinated well with yogurt. If you prefer soft, tender & succulent pieces of chicken in your biryani, then just use chicken thighs & drumsticks.
Always use bone-in chicken because it helps the dish to show out additional saporous.
4. Ghee :
Traditonally chicken biryani was made using ghee. Sice this recipe does not follow the traditional method, you can also make it using oil. But ghee adds unique aroma to the dish.
How to make the best Chicken Biryani ?
Marination : Marinating chicken with yoghourt & spices is that the 1st key step to form the most effective chicken biryani. Yogurt tenderizes the chicken & the spices enhance the flavors. Marinating and resting chicken makes it soft & succulent, so do not skip that. If you do not eat curd then can substitute it with coconut milk.
Preparing rice: Basmati rice has to be rinsed very well a few times in ample amount of water to get rid of the starch. This prevents the rice grains from turning mushy. Soaking the rice helps to cook the rice grains to soft & long. So do not skip rinsing & soaking the rice well before using.
Water: This instruction uses plain water to cook the chicken biryani. However it can be replaced with coconut milk or chicken stock. The quality of water I have mentioned in the recipe card works well for me with Lalquilla old malai basmati rice. This ration works pretty well with any aged basmati rice.
Please do adjust the amount of heat in the recipe. My recipes are usually low on heat for the Indian taste buds. Since I have young kids at home, these leaves work well for us.
