July 06, 2021

Chicken Biryani

This chicken biryani recipe is a wonderful way to feed a crowd and uses common spices that are very easy to find. It packs a little heat, but nothing that the faint hearted couldn’t manage.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
For the masala:
800g – 1kg chicken breast, cut into large chunks
1 tbsp chilli powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp cumin seeds
6 whole cardamom pods
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1/2tsp turmeric
4 cloves
½ tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
2 tsp fresh grated ginger
6 tbsp natural yoghurt
250g fresh chopped tomatoes
 
2 onions, finely sliced
Sunflower oil
 
750g white basmati rice
2 bay leaves
1 star anise
 
Small bunch of coriander, finely chopped
Small bunch of mint leaves, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
Method
  1. Mix all the ingredients for the masala together and set aside.
  2. Rinse the rice thoroughly then soak for 30 minutes while you fry the onions.
  3. Heat 1-2 inches of oil in a pan on a medium/high heat. Add the onions in batched and fry until deep golden brown, strain onto kitchen paper.
  4. Boil the rice for 4 minutes and strain into a sieve.
  5. Heat a little oil in a large saucepan and add the masala and fry for around 10 minutes. Sprinkle the coriander, mint and chillies in a layer on top of the chicken then spoon the rice on top. Add the bay leaves and star anise then cover with a lid. Once you seem steam turn down the heat to low and cook for 25 minutes until the rice is cooked.
  6. To serve, either mix everything together in the pan or turn the whole pan out onto a serving plate so you have the rice underneath and the meat on top.
Written by Reach Food