Indian Recipes
Chicken Biryani
A layered dum biryani: spiced yoghurt chicken cooked until just coated in sauce, built up with part-cooked basmati, crisp fried onions, mint, coriander and saffron milk, then sealed and steamed so every grain stays separate and fragrant.
- Serves 6
- Marinate 1 hr+
- Cook about 1 hr 30 min
- Dum (sealed-pot) method
- Indian
Method
Mix the yoghurt (200 g), garlic (4 cloves), ginger (20 g), green chillies (2), chilli powder (1 tsp), ground coriander (1 tsp), turmeric (½ tsp), garam masala (1 tsp) and salt (1 tsp). Stir in the chicken (750 g), cover and chill for at least 1 hour, or up to a day.
Rinse the rice (450 g) in several changes of cold water until it runs almost clear, then leave it to soak in fresh water for 30 minutes. Soak the saffron (pinch) in the warm milk (60 ml).
Heat the oil (250 ml) in a large, deep frying pan or karahi over a medium heat. Fry the onions (3 onions) in two batches for 10–15 minutes, stirring, until deep golden brown and crisp. Lift them out with a slotted spoon on to kitchen paper. Pour off all but about 3 tablespoons of the oil.
Fry the cardamom (6 cardamom pods), cloves (6), cinnamon (1), bay leaves (2 bay leaves) and cumin seeds (1 tsp) in the remaining oil for 1 minute. Add the chicken with all its marinade and the tomatoes (2 tomatoes) and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the chicken is cooked and the sauce has reduced to a thick coating. It should not be runny, or the rice will turn soggy.
Stir half the fried onions, half the mint (a little) and the peas (100 g), if using, into the chicken.
Bring a large pan of water to the boil and salt it (to taste). Drain the rice, add it and boil for 5–6 minutes until it is about two-thirds cooked: soft on the outside but with a firm, white core. Drain well.
Put 3 tablespoons of water and a third of the ghee (60 g) in a heavy casserole with a tight lid. Spread in a third of the rice, then half the chicken, then a few of the remaining onions and herbs. Repeat, and finish with the last of the rice.
Drizzle the saffron milk, lemon juice (1 lemon), rosewater (1 tsp), if using, and the rest of the ghee over the top, letting some run down the sides of the pan. Cover with a sheet of foil, then press the lid on firmly to seal.
Set the pan over a high heat for 2–3 minutes until you can hear it sizzle and see steam, then turn the heat to its lowest setting and cook for 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave it, still sealed, for 10 minutes.
Open at the table if you can. Scatter with the rest of the crisp onions, mint and coriander (a little), then serve by scooping down through the layers rather than stirring. Raita goes well alongside.
Tip: tap a step to tick it off as you cook.
See also
Chef’s notes
- Basmati that is rinsed, soaked and part-boiled is the secret to separate grains. Test a grain by pressing it: it should break at the edges but stay firm in the middle.
- To save time, use about 100 g of ready-made crispy fried onions instead of frying your own.
- The frying oil has a lovely onion flavour. Strain it and use it for your next curry.
- Laxmi Khurana’s family biryani is simpler and milder, with peas and carrot cooked into the rice in one pot. The peas here are a nod to it.
- Leftovers keep for 2 days in the fridge. Reheat with a splash of water, covered, until piping hot.
A dish of the Mughal kitchens
Biryani came to India with the Persian-influenced cooking of the Mughal courts, and the name is thought to come from the Persian word for frying or roasting. Every region has its own style, from Lucknow’s delicate Awadhi biryani to the spicier Hyderabadi version.
The dum method, cooking slowly in a sealed pot, lets the rice finish in the steam from the meat, so it takes on all the flavours without turning mushy.
How this recipe was developed
We compared biryanis by Rick Stein (Rick Stein’s India) and Laxmi Khurana with the most-rated versions on NYT Cooking and Allrecipes.
- Cook the chicken first, until the sauce just clings. Rick Stein simmers the marinated chicken until almost dry so the rice does not go soggy. Allrecipes’ Hyderabadi version uses raw chicken, which needs a longer dum.
- Part-boil the soaked rice. Rick Stein, NYT Cooking and Allrecipes all part-cook soaked basmati before layering.
- Crisp fried onions, mint and coriander between the layers. NYT Cooking and Rick Stein layer fried onions and herbs; NYT suggests ready-made onions to save time.
- Saffron milk, ghee and a sealed pot. All three seal the pot. NYT Cooking uses a towel under the lid; we use foil. Rick Stein adds rosewater, which is optional here.
- A gentle, family-friendly heat. Laxmi Khurana describes chicken biryani as a mild everyday dish; we keep the chilli moderate and add her peas as an option.
Sources we compared (ratings as shown on each site on 31 October 2026):
- Rick Stein: Chicken and rosewater biryani (Rick Stein's India) (4.9/5, 22 ratings)
- Laxmi Khurana: Chicken Biryani (An Indian Housewife's Recipe Book), Bookey chapter summary
- NYT Cooking (Naz Deravian): Chicken Biryani (4/5, 764 ratings)
- Allrecipes (sgogula): Hyderabad Dum Biryani (5.0/5, 3 ratings)
This is an original Cookeryonline recipe written in our own words. Ingredient choices and techniques are credited above; no source text has been copied.