Easiest Indian Chicken Biryani – with progress pictures
Have you ever wondered how to make Chicken Biryani? This simple, easy and effortless recipe will probably make the easiest Indian Chicken Biryani recipe using boneless chicken and easy to find spices that you can relate. This post simplifies the process in three easy to understand steps so you will enjoy making this classic one-pot dish.
Easiest Chicken Biryani in Three Easy Steps – Homemade Chicken Biryani Recipe
If you love Indian food, then you probably have been to an Indian restaurant, and you probably have ordered this classic dish Indian Chicken Biryani! Now there are plenty of versions to choose from of course. Often the most common being that you have Biryani recipes that are different in the north of India as compared to those in the south of India! Some cooked with a method that uses layers. Some will use a technique that involved raw meat and half cooked rice like this one and then there is the easy chicken biryani where you cook the meat and rice before you layer them.
So you see in India Biryani is almost like a huge umbrella that has so many different variations and versions. To most non-Indian this is confusing, but to us Indians this is fun. Now we have more to try!
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Easy and Healthy Indian Chicken Biryani
Indian Chicken Biryani is enormous in our home, and my kids love it. This dish has a unique aroma, and no matter how little or far this aroma comes from, there is no mistaking it for anything else but Chicken Biryani. You know an excellent Biryani by its smell. It’s that ultimate flavor that defines this dish.
Chicken Biryani is not something I often do, but my kids are going to enjoy that lunch today! I do hope you try it too. You may like to see my Lamb Biryani, Pressure cooker or Instant Pot Chicken Biryani
Easy Healthy Indian Chicken Biryani in Three Easy Steps
Chicken Biryani in three easy steps.
Have you ever wanted to cook chicken biryani? Or have you ever wonder how to make chicken biryani? Now, if I said chicken biryani is easy to prepare Indian dish, then I’d be lying. There are easier dishes than this of course. But it’s not the most challenging dish either.
Here I claim to share with you this recipe in Three Easy Steps – ha! Am I kidding? NO! You still going to do everything you need to make this dish. The three steps are just a mind game where you simplify the process so it ends up becoming so easy – you wonder why you never did it ever before.
So the main three steps would be
- Marinate meat
- Prepare rice
- Layer and cook
Easy Healthy Indian Chicken Biryani – Boneless Chicken Biryani Recipe
Variation from the authentic process or a more modern approach to Chicken Biryani
This recipe is similar to the original but with a modern twist. A few changes I made to suit today’s busy lifestyle and diet.
- The whole spices – I have added the spices necessary – just not all over the chicken biryani. Why?
Well, while we Indians know that these spices need to be taken off instead of eating. Often I get my non-Indian friends who will bite into a cardamon or clove and then go – ha that is hot!!
So I prefer to add them such that I can remove them off before serving. Which means I add the whole spices in a muslin cloth and add it to the rice water and in powder form in the marinade. That way I have all the flavor but not the itty bitty spices mixed in the rice. - Ghee – Originally this dish is loaded with ghee. Yup, that is why authentic biryani is considered a big feast. If not for the ghee and spices it’s a one-pot chicken and rice dish. Now I use very little ghee and often no ghee at all. To me, a good biryani is about good meat, good flavors, and good quality rice. Once you have those three taken care of – the ghee can stay on the shelf where it belongs. Another reason for me is Ziv (my husband) has high cholesterol so we prefer to keep that saturated fat on the shelf as much as we can.
- Boneless Chicken – All original recipes of Chicken Biryani will tell you to use chicken on bones – they are not wrong because it’s those juices that spill into the rice and add so much more. BUT it’s not so easy to eat chicken on bones with a knife and fork now. Yeah, so I always use boneless chicken thighs.
- Deep fried onions – Yes, originally onions for biryani is known to be deep fried and add a caramel taste. I still get the onions to caramelize but by slow cooking in little oil rather than deep frying. Trust me you will love this one better.
Easy Indian Chicken Biryani, Healthy Chicken Biryani and Boneless Chicken Biryani
Let’s talk Ingredients and substitutes for our Chicken Biryani (Save/Pin)
- Basmati Rice – Yes, Basmati rice is what defines Biryani, if not it’s just chicken and rice. It’s that Basmati flavor that plays a huge part in contributing flavor. Nowadays you will get Basmati rice in almost all grocery stores. And not it’s not just for chicken biryani – I use it for all my rice dishes. Often even for my Chinese Fried Rice.
- Chicken – As I said above we will use boneless chicken thigh. Chicken thigh takes longer to cook as compared to breast and stays much juicier too. So I highly recommend boneless chicken thigh.
- Saffron – another ingredient that defines the aroma of chicken biryani is Zaffran!!. Having said that I have been guilty of not using it on occasions. This is not easy to source here for me, so I usually have to buy it overseas and ship it. Saffron also called Zaffran is the pollen from the zaffran flower which has to be carefully collected by hand, well preserved which is why the real deal is costly. Alternatively, you can also use food color, and I have written more about it below.
- Onions – The quantity of onions in this dish as you can see is quite a lot. I usually use brown onions which has a slightly tart flavor but if you are new to biryani and prefer it sweeter – try the red onions – they become sweet when cooked slow and long. Think you will like it.
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Spices and Substitutes
I remember my mom had a massive collection of whole spices I could barely pronounce. Now if she made this biryani, she’d be adding a few more for sure. The most common and essential whole spices to use usually are cloves, green cardamons, black cardamons, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, mace, star anise, and caraway seeds.
Now let’s not get overwhelmed and disappointed over sourcing those ingredients.
The next time you go to an Asian store – look for these two little boxes of spices that say Biryani Masala and Garam Masala – Grab them – all these above spices are ground in there in just the right proportion.
These are very versatile too! The next time you make gingerbread cookies – replace the spices with some garam masala – then make sure you come here and let me know how awesome those gingerbread cookies tasted. OK?
- You can replace the whole spices in the rice with a 1 tbsp of Garam Masala.
- Replace the spices (cumin, coriander, turmeric, and garam masala ) in the marinade with 2 tbsp of the Biryani Masala.
Easiest Chicken Biryani Recipe | Chicken Biryani |Biryani Recipe Dum Biryani
Rice Test – How to cook rice for this Easy Chicken Biryani
Cooking the rice just right plays a massive part in how good your final Chicken Biryani will turn out. Why? Because rice is cooked twice. Once when boiled on it’s own; then again when steamed over the marinated chicken.
Undercooked will mean underdone rice in the finished chicken biryani. Overcooking means chicken with mashed rice in the finished biryani. Makes sense? It’s not difficult don’t underestimate that cooking time – and DON”T answer that phone.
- At about 3 minutes into boiling, you will start to check the rice.
- If you press a grain of rice between two fingers, first it will still be hard and break into small pieces.. that’s still not halfway.
- Next, it will be a little softer and crumple into small pieces, and this is halfway.
- If it is soft and gets mashed between your fingers, you passed half cooked.
- Drain the rice when it is half cooked and set aside.
Should I use Saffron or Edible Food Color – How to get a right color for your Chicken Biryani
- Below is the saffron thread – that you soak in milk then sprinkle over the rice layers. It has a distinct flavor and color. It is quite expensive, and you have to use quite a bit if you want a lot of colors.
- So often restaurants will use yellow and red food color to get the color to give the biryani that extra color.
- As you can see below the biryani has a light orange color with 1 tsp saffron thread. But the rest of the images on this post have brighter shades of red and yellow – that because I did add little edible food colors – these powder colors can be found in Indian grocery stores – ask for edible biryani color.
- Having said that I only added color so I can get good pictures for this blog post or when I am entertaining guest. When making biryani for the family I usually only use the Saffron or omit any saffron and colors entirely. It does not contribute to the taste – just visual appeal.
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Right pan for the right job
Now you don’t need a special Indian pan to make biryani. You can make biryani in any full heavy bottom pan like the red one I have in this picture above. The two most important thing to consider when choosing the pot is to make sure it’s a wide and heavy bottom. Why?
- Well, wide because you need the meat to be spread out in an even layer, so it cooks are at the same time and quickly. Since we can’t stir the chicken here any meat on the top will take longer to cook.
- Heavy bottom is to prevent the meat from getting burned at the bottom. Since we initially cook the chicken at high encouraging the meat to release its juices, the heavy base ensures it does not burn.
Easiest Indian Chicken Biryani in Three Easy Steps, Healthy Chicken Biryani, Boneless Chicken Biryani
Chicken Biryani Recipe – Simple, Easy and the best you will ever make – I promise! (Save/Pin for later)
Ingredients
- Boneless chicken thighs – 8 thighs / about 800 grams – cleaned and cut to bite size pieces
- Basmati rice – 2 cups / 400 grams
- Onions – 2 large / about 400 grams – sliced thinly
- Cilantro chopped – 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup divided
- Mint leaves/ pudina – 1/4 cup
- Milk or water – 1/4 cup with saffron / zaffron – 1 tsp
- Ghee or oil – 2 to 4 tbsp + 1 tbsp (divided)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Whole Spices for Rice (see note above for substitute)
- 6 cloves,
- 2 green cardamoms
- 2 black cardamoms
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- A piece of mace/javitri
- One star anise and
- One tsp of caraway seeds/ shahi jeera
Marinade:
- Yogurt – 2 cups
- Ginger grated – 1 1/2 tbsp
- Garlic – grated or minced to a paste – 1 1/2 tbsp
- Garam masala – 1 Tsp
- Coriander Powder – 2 tbsp
- Cumin powder – 1 tbsp
- Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
- Sweet paprika – 1 tsp
- Chilly powder /cayenne powder – 1/2 tbsp to 1 tbsp (depending on how spicy you want)
- Ghee / oil – 2 tbsp
- Lemon juice – 2 tbsp
- Bay leaves – 2 leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method :
Step ONE – Marinate Chicken
- Use a marinade safe bowl – glass or plastic not metal/ aluminum
- Add yogurt and all marinade spices – Mix well to combine (see substitution above)
- Mix in the chopped chicken pieces, lemon juice
- Add the oil or ghee
- Combine well, cover with cling wrap and let set aside to marinate for 1 hour to overnight.
(one hour on the counter but more than please keep in the fridge)
Easy Indian Chicken Biryani in Three Easy Steps, Healthy Chicken Biryani, Boneless Chicken Biryani
Step TWO – Prepare Rice
- Wash and soak rice for 30 mins
- At the same time place a large pot of water on the stove
- Add salt let come to almost boil.
- In a cheesecloth – add the whole spices mentioned above
- Tie it into a double knot tight such that it will not open.
- Add it to the pot of water and let brew for about 20 minutes on a low simmer
- The water will get the color of the spices.
- After 20 mins – remove the muslin bag
(or add 1 tsp garam masala powder and skip the boiling time) - Now add the 1 tbsp oil and 1 tsp lemon juice – this will keep the rice separated and white.
- Add the rice and stir to ensure it does not stick to the pan.
- Cook rice for about 3 to 4 minutes until half cooked. (see rice test notes above)
- Drain and set aside.
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Step Three – Layer and Cook
This can be done simultaneously while the rice is cooking.
Use a wide heavy bottom pan with a nice firm lid – you want the chicken to spread evenly in a single layer and
You want all the stem/dum to stay in the pot.
- Add 2 tbsp Canola oil or Ghee in the pot.
- Saute the sliced onions in 1 tsp salt
- The onions will take about 15 to 20 minutes to softened and caramelized – it will reduce to 1/3 of its original volume.
- Switch the heat off
- Add almost all the cooked onions to the chicken – leave some to sprinkle on the next layer.
- Stir well to combine
- Next, add the fresh herbs – cilantro and mint.
- Spread/layer the chicken into the pan in an even single layer
- Next spread half the rice – sprinkle with some more herbs and remaining onions
- Sprinkle half the saffron milk. (mentioned in ingredients – soak saffron in hot milk for a few minutes)
- Then add the remaining rice.
- Sprinkle with any remaining herbs and saffron milk.
Seal the pot and cook the Chicken Biryani
- Cover the pot – make sure it is sealed well. You want all the stem to stay in
- I use a foil around the rim of the pan to ensure the dum (steam) stays in.
- Cook the chicken Biryani
- 5 minutes on medium-high – this will get the chicken juices to be released
- 10 minutes on medium-low – this will ensure the juices cook off without too much gravy.
- 10 minutes on low – this will ensure the chicken will not burn on the bottom.
- When the cooking time is done – you will know the chicken is cooked, and your biryani is ready by the aroma.
- Don’t open the pot just yet – let the residue heat cook the chicken some more for 10 minutes – this resting time will make sure the steam stays in giving you a moist, juicy chicken biryani.
- Enjoy!
Want a quicker and easier chicken biryani that cooks in just 15 minutes?
Try my one post chicken biryani, Instant Pot Chicken biryani or Pressure Cooker chicken biryani
Don’t forget to save this recipe on Pinterest for later.
You can find a collection of my tutorials and recipes here on Pinterest.
Easiest Chicken Biryani in Three Easy Steps, Healthy Chicken Biryani, Boneless Chicken Biryani
Easiest Indian Chicken Biryani in three easy steps aka Healthy Boneless Chicken Biryani
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 8 Boneless chicken thighs (about 800 grams) cleaned and cut to bite size pieces
- 400 grams Basmati rice
- 2 Onions (about 400 grams) sliced thinly
- 1/2 cup Cilantro chopped
- 1/4 cup Cilantro
- 1/4 cup Mint leaves/ Pudina
- 1/4 cup Milk or water with 1 tsp saffron / zaffron
- 3 tbsp Ghee or oil 2 to 4 tbsp + 1 tbsp divided
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Whole Spices for Rice (see note above for substitute)
- 6 Cloves
- 2 Green cardamoms
- 2 Black cardamons
- 3 Bay leaves
- 2 Cinnamon sticks
- A piece of mace/javitri
- One star anise
- 1 tsp Caraway seeds/ shahi jeera
Marinade
- 2 cups Yogurt
- 1 1/2 tbsp Ginger grated
- 1 1/2 tbsp Garlic grated or minced to a paste
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- 2 tbsp Coriander powder
- 1 tbsp Cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Sweet paprika
- 1/2 tbsp Chilly powder /cayenne powder depending on how spicy you want
- 2 tbsp Ghee / oil
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
- 2 Bay leaves
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Conversions - Please switch between Metric & US for more measurement options
Instructions
Step ONE - Marinate Chicken
- Use a marinade safe bowl - glass or plastic not metal/ aluminum
- Add yogurt and all marinade spices - Mix well to combine (see substitution above)
- Mix in the chopped chicken pieces, lemon juice
- Add the oil or ghee
- Combine well, cover with cling wrap and let set aside to marinate for 1 hour to overnight.
(one hour on the counter or few hours in the fridge)
Step TWO - Prepare Rice
- Wash and soak rice for 30 mins
- At the same time place a large pot of water on the stove
- Add salt let come to almost boil.
- In a cheesecloth - add the whole spices mentioned above
- Tie it into a double knot tight such that it will not open.
- Add it to the pot of water and let brew for about 20 minutes on a low simmer
- The water will get the color of the spices.
- After 20 mins - remove the muslin bag
(or add 1 tsp garam masala powder and skip the boiling time) - Now add the 1 tbsp oil and 1 tsp lemon juice - this will keep the rice separated and white.
- Add the rice and stir to ensure it does not stick to the pan.
- Cook rice for about 3 to 4 minutes until half cooked. (see rice test notes above)
- Drain and set aside.
Step Three - Layer and Cook
- This can be done simultaneously while the rice is cooking.
Use a wide heavy bottom pan with a nice firm lid - you want the chicken to spread evenly in a single layer and You want all the stem/dum to stay in the pot. - Add 2 tbsp canola oil or Ghee in the pot.
- Saute the sliced onions in 1 tsp salt
- The onions will take about 15 to 20 minutes to softened and caramelized - it will reduce to 1/3 of its original volume.
- Switch the heat off
- Add almost all the cooked onions to the chicken - leave some to sprinkle on the next layer.
- Stir well to combine
- Next, add the fresh herbs - cilantro and mint.
- Spread/layer the chicken into the pan in an even single layer
- Next spread half the rice - sprinkle with some more herbs and remaining onions
- Sprinkle half the saffron milk. (mentioned in ingredients - soak saffron in hot milk for a few minutes)
- Then add the remaining rice.
- Sprinkle with any remaining herbs and saffron milk.
- Seal the pot and cook the Chicken Biryani
- Cover the pot - make sure it is sealed well. You want all the stem to stay in
- I use a foil around the rim of the pan to ensure the dum (steam) stays in.
- Cook the chicken Biryani- 5 minutes on medium-high - this will get the chicken juices to be released- 10 minutes on medium-low - this will ensure the juices cook off without too much gravy.- 10 minutes on low - this will ensure the chicken will not burn on the bottom.
- When the cooking time is done - by the aroma you will know the chicken is cooked and your biryani is done.
- Don't open the pot just yet - let the residue heat cook the chicken some more for 10 minutes - this resting time will make sure the steam stays in giving you a moist juicy chicken biryani.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Video
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Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
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Kim~madeinaday
This recipe looks wonderful! My husband loves Indian Food so I sent it to him to make for me! 🙂 PInned & Sharing! Thank you for sharing on Merry Monday! We hope you will join us again next week!
Kim
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Kim. So happy to hear you going to make this for him. Let me know how it likes it. Thanks for the lovely comment.
Anna Q.
Hola,
tiene esta receta en español?
Gracias
Veena Azmanov
Sorry Anna – Don’t have the recipe in Spanish. Perhaps you can find someone who reads English and translate it for you or you can use the google translate feature here on the blog if it helps. Thanks
Traducido usando el traductor de Google
Lo siento Anna – No tengo la receta en español. Quizás pueda encontrar a alguien que lea inglés y lo traduzca por usted, o puede usar la función de traducción de google aquí en el blog si ayuda. Gracias
Deepika
This looks like an awesome recipe I cannot wait to try this. I love chicken biryan!
Veena Azmanov
Than you Deepika. It really is simple and easy. I hope you try it.
Saima
Hi Veena
I tried Chicken Biryani for the first time. Thank you so much for the recipe and for the detailed post. I must admit that the long post made me click away but I kept coming back to your post when I could not understand what another blog was talking about. I finally came and printed your recipe. I used the Biryani masala substitute you suggested and it was really the best biryani ever.
The only thing I did was I forgot to lower the hear to low and so I had a little of dark spots on my chicken but even those tasted delicious.
I must say I am more confident now in making biryani and plan to make it again next week. My husband told his parent how good it was so now they want me to make it for them too!
Thank you for all your recipes. They really are well explained.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you so much Saima for this lovely comment. So happy to hear that you had great success with this recipe. I know the post is over whelming with details but the recipe does call for caution and I was hoping that I had given enough information to master it.
Thank you so much for coming back to write this feedback, appreciate it very much. Always a great feeling to hear back from anyone who has tried my recipe.
Ben
Hi. Would you have a rough idea of calories per portion?Thanks
Veena Azmanov
Ben I have updated the post to add the nutrition value but please note this is not accurate. Just some thing that I get using online nutrition calculators.
Ramasamy L.
Chicken in the bottom got burned, how to avoid this ?
Veena Azmanov
If you cook it on very high heat for too long – it will burn. You need to cook it on high in the beginning so the chicken releases the juices then on medium so the juice will get absorbed back in then on low so the chicken will cook but not get burned. Use a heavy bottom pan for Biryani. Alternatively you can also place a pan at the bottom to avoid high heat. Hope this helps .
Ramasamy L
Wow… you knew what you are doing…!
clear explanation. Thanks a lot.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Ramasamy
Molly Kumar
Oh I love this post !!! Chicken Biryani is my fav comfortfood and there’s nothing better than a quicker version. I’m glad you kept it light and healthy too. Gonna try soon 🙂
Veena Azmanov
Thank you so much Molly. I agree – total Indian Comfort food..
Heather
What a beautiful dish! The colors are absolutely amazing. Indian cooking is very new to me but I love trying new things the spices are most intriguing to me. I did not know that there were more than one kind of cardamon thank you for teaching me something new today 🙂
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Heather. Yes, we have black and green cardamon – black is more intense then the green. I hope you enjoy your new Indian cooking venture. Thanks
Julia
This looks so good and colourful! I love how uoubprovide ideas for substitutions of ingredients! Also, I never even knew that there were two different kinds of cardamom- I only ever used green kind.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Julia.. Yes the number and types of spices are so many. We Indian are very passionate when it comes to them too. Each and every one is unique. Black cardamon is very different and much stronger than the green.
Melissa
I love all the spices in this! It sounds amazing! I love Indian Food but dont’ really cook them at home..
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Melissa
Kylee from Kylee Cooks
Love that you made this healthy! I love chicken biryani! I heard it was loaded with ghee!
Veena Azmanov
Thank Kylee
Noel Lizotte
What a pretty dish! So many colors – I think that’s what makes this recipe appealing to me. I also appreciate that you walk us thru, step by step how to make it. Indian cooking is very different from what I’m familiar with so those steps help me.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you so much Noel. I have a lot of non Indian friends who love Indian food so I wanted to make sure everybody got the right information when they attempt it. Thank you !
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
What a detailed recipe and I love biriyani! I am most of the time guilty of not making it the layered method as I am not too comfortable with the procedure. But I am definitely going to give your method a try. I also love the caramelized onion over the deep fried and use that in my biriyani or any recipe that calls for fried onions.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you so much Sandhya – it really freaks me out when frying onions. Not only do they soak up so much oil but they also leave a strong smell in the house for so LONG!!
Byron Thomas
Oh my! I’m in love with the colours in this dish! I’m so hungry right now and all I can think of is the flavour of saffron. LOL.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Byron. So happy to hear that. Yeah the flavor or saffron is unique.
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
I have never made biryani, but have always wanted to. After reading this recipe, I REALLY want to. I think chicken thighs are so juicy and work perfect in this dish. We always have basmati rice….one of our favourite variety. Sounds totally delicious.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you so much Gloria. I hope you do try this soon. <3
[email protected]
I’ve actually never heard of biryani but it sounds delicious with all the seasonings you’ve used. And anytime you marinade something with all that flavor you just know it has to be good. Love how you gave detailed instructions on how to prepare this!
Veena Azmanov
Oh Stephanie.. You must try Chicken Biryani – at least in a restaurant if not homemade. The flavor is unique and you will love it.
Christine
I’ve never had chicken biryani before, but it looks and sounds delicious! I’m drooling thinking about all of the amazing flavors. Can’t wait to try it!
Veena Azmanov
It is very delicious Christine. Even if you don’t make it – you must at least taste it on your next trip to an Indian restaurant. I think you will love it.
Arlene Mobley
What a bright and colorful recipe! I need to try some of these delicious recipes soon!
Veena Azmanov
Thank Arlene. I think you will love it.
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
What a colorful dish! It just invites you to dig in and the spices are mouth watering. I’m not familiar with this dish but looking at your preparation makes me want to try. Thank you for such detailed instructions.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Marisa. It’s very traditional that is why I added lots of images. I hope you try.
Adriana Lopez Martn
I’m in love with Indian cuisine and its dishes alwasy wondered how to make chicken biryani such a staple of the Indian fair now I need to make it at home =)
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Adriana. I hope you try it. It’s looks like a lot of work but once you get started. It’s quite good and easy
Leah
This sounds like a delicious dish! I love the spices and flavors you have used, it sounds so flavorful and delicious!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you so much Leah
ManilaSpoon
I love that you simplified this version of Biryani yet without sacrificing all its yummy flavors! This is a must-try and certainly pinning to try in the future. Thanks!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Manila. Yes, its easier to get a lot done if you can simplify the process.
Sarah @ The Fit Cookie
I don’t think I’ve ever had biryani before, it looks delicious! I love the colors in the dish too, so pretty 🙂
Veena Azmanov
Oh you must try Biryani the next time you are in an Indian Restaurant Sarah. At least to taste it. It’s unique.
Pam Wattenbarger
I have ordered chicken biryani many times at restaurants but I have never made my own! This recipe looks simple to follow and it sounds tasty too.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Pam – yes most often we eat it in restaurants as well. Our family can never get enough of biryani. My husband and me are huge fans of lamb biryani as well.
Just Jo
Thank you so much for this detailed post all about biryiani! I can’t imagine how much work it took to put it together – genuine thanks to you.
Do you think I could make this in my Instant Pot? I love biryiani and really fancy trying it in my IP
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Jo. There are other chicken biryani recipes that might work in an instant pot. It would be a recipe where you can combine the meat and rice so the cooking time is same. I have not tried this in an instant pot so I cannot tell you for sure.
Megan Marlowe
Wow, that rice is packed with flavor! And I really love all the spices you use in the yogurt marinade too. I bet that makes the chicken so tender and moist. Can’t wait to try this dish!
Veena Azmanov
Very tender and moist Megan and yest the rice is so flavorful on it’s own. Thanks !
Abigail
I know that you used saffron with milk in it for this biryani, but did you use red food coloring for this biryani as well cause I am look at all these biryani pictures and they have a lot of red stuff on them is that red food coloring?
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Abigail. If you read my post above I have explained in detail about the Saffron and edible food colors used. Yes I have used red and yellow food color for this biryani but they do not contribute to the taste just a visual appeal. Thanks
Rupali Nargesh
I was a bit hesitant when I saw your recipe. But I decided to try it never the less because I too hate to clean the rice and remove all those spieces. And I prefer boneless chicken too.
I told my husband I was making pulao because I thought this biryani might have less flavor unlike traditional Biryani.
But it was amazing. Just the right amout of flavor and taste.
I also then tried your Chicken Cilantro as well as Zaatar Chicken.Both came out perfect.
I must say you know what you are doing.
I truly enjoyed all the recipes and hope to try more.
Thanks so much for sharing.
Rupali saying hi from Toronto