Chicken Biryani is a common Pakistani dish and is universally adored by the populace This recipe comes from my kitchen and we do not use biryani masala rather we use spices from our kitchen. Chicken Biryani can be made easily by using the following ingredients:

Ingredients

• Rice 1 Kg
• Chicken 1 Kg cut and washed
• Yogurt ½ Kg
• Onions 1 Kg finely chopped
• Tomatoes 2 normal size
• Ginger paste 1 table-spoon
• Garlic paste 1 table-spoon
• Dry coriander powder 1 table-spoon
• Bay leaves 2
• Black pepper 9
• Cloves 4
• Cinnamon stick 1 inch
• Cardamom 4
• Dried plums 5
• Red chili 2 teaspoons
• Salt 6 teaspoons
• Turmeric powder ½ teaspoon
• Ghee or oil 6 serving spoons
• Green chili 6 chopped finely
• Yellow food colour (zarda in Urdu) 1/4 teaspoon

Method

1. Soak rice in plain water;
2. Put an open-mouthed pan on medium heat and add ghee or oil and chopped onions
3. Keep stirring so that the onions get brown evenly
4. When the onions are dark brown put tomatoes, garlic and onion paste, 2 teaspoons chili powder, two teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon turmeric and sauté for five minutes;
5. Now add chicken and sauté for ten minutes on medium heat
6. Mix the remaining ingredients in yogurt and add in the cooking pot
7. Cook until the yogurt mixture is depleted to half. Make sure that not all the water evaporates; the mixture should resemble a thick paste (like canned tomato paste). Instead, make sure that the ghee has risen to the top of the curry since this shows that this part of the process is complete.
8. Add chopped green chili and cover it;
9. In another open-mouthed cooking pot pour 3 ½ liters of water and add 4 teaspoons of salt;
10. when water boils add the soaked rice;
11. Lower the flame;
12. Cook the rice until almost done – they must still be slightly hard in the middle – don’t let them get completely soft, and drain the remaining water;
13. Now we are ready to create the layered effect. Use a third pot to make the layers of the rice and chicken curry;
14. First skim some ghee from the top of the curry and put it in the third pot.
15. The first layer should be of rice, then chicken, then rice and then again chicken;
16. Put the remaining rice on top and decorate with food color
17. Cover the pot with a lid and put it on a very low flame for 5 minutes;
18. Put out the flame and leave it on the hot cooking range for 15 minutes – this is a very important part of the cooking process, since it reheat’s and binds the whole dish together.

You’re done!

Chicken Biryani is ready serve it with salad and raita (yogurt). To try a another rice dish similar to Chicken Biryani look here.

Note: For decoration put the ¼ teaspoon of food colour in quarter cup of water and decorate. You can make any design.

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