Chicken Biryani
Chicken biryani is a layered rice dish: marinated chicken cooked under par-boiled basmati that has been perfumed with whole spices, then sealed and steamed so the rice finishes in the chicken’s juices. The method takes about an hour of active cooking plus an hour of marinating, and scales well for a crowd. Adjust heat with the chili powder and make it richer or lighter by the amount of fried onion and ghee you layer in.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Marinate / rest
- 1 hr
- Total
- 2 hr 20 min
- Servings
- 44 generous servings
By MyShopperBuddy Editors · Updated October 21, 2026
Reviewed by MyShopperBuddy editors against the standard dum (sealed-steam) method. Not yet test-cooked by our team.
Ingredients
Quantities scale with servings; cooking times do not. Pack sizes in the shop links stay the same.
| Amount | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 1¾ cups | Basmati rice (360 g)aged basmati if you can find it |
| 1½ lb | Boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces (700 g) |
| ½ cup | Plain whole-milk yogurt (120 ml) |
| 1 tbsp | Ginger-garlic paste (15 g)or 1 tbsp each grated ginger and garlic |
| 1 tbsp | Garam masala (6 g)Shop garam masala — 4 oz |
| 1 tsp | Turmeric powder (3 g)Shop turmeric — 4 oz |
| 1 tsp | Red chili powderoptional (2 g)Kashmiri for colour with mild heat |
| 2½ tsp | Salt (15 g)1 tsp for the marinade, 1½ tsp for the rice water |
| 1 tbsp | Lemon juice (15 ml) |
| 2 | Onions, large, thinly sliced (400 g) |
| 4 tbsp | Ghee or neutral oil (60 ml)3 for frying onions, 1 for layering |
| 4 | Green cardamom podsShop cardamom pods — 2 oz |
| 4 | Whole clovesShop whole cloves — 4 oz |
| 2 | Bay leavesShop bay leaves — 1 oz |
| 1 | Ceylon cinnamon stick, 2-inch (5 cm) pieceShop cinnamon sticks — 4 oz |
| a pinch | Saffron threadsoptionala generous pinch, soaked in 3 tbsp warm milk |
| ¼ cup | Fresh mint leavesroughly torn |
| ¼ cup | Fresh cilantrochopped |
| 8 cups | Water for the rice (1.9 L) |
Instructions
Step 1. Marinate: combine the chicken with the yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, garam masala, turmeric, chili powder (if using), 1 tsp salt and the lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
About 5 min
Step 2. Rinse the rice in several changes of water until it runs clear, then soak in cold water for 30 minutes. Drain.
About 30 min
Step 3. Fry the onions: heat 3 tbsp ghee in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat and cook the sliced onions, stirring often, until deep golden and crisp at the edges, 15–20 minutes. Lift out half onto a plate for layering; leave the rest in the pot.
About 20 min
Step 4. Cook the chicken: add the marinated chicken and all its marinade to the onions in the pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring now and then, until the chicken is opaque and the sauce has thickened and darkened, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.
About 10 min
Step 5. Par-boil the rice: in a second large pot bring the 8 cups water to a rolling boil with 1½ tsp salt, the cardamom, cloves, bay leaves and cinnamon. Add the drained rice and boil hard for 5–6 minutes, until a grain bends but still has a firm white core (about 70% cooked). Drain immediately.
About 8 min
Step 6. Layer: spread half the rice over the chicken, scatter with half the reserved onions, mint and cilantro. Add the remaining rice, then the rest of the onions and herbs, the saffron milk and the last 1 tbsp ghee.
About 3 min
Step 7. Dum (steam): cover the pot tightly — a sheet of foil under the lid helps seal it. Cook over high heat for 3 minutes until you hear it sizzle, then on the lowest heat for 20–25 minutes. Turn off and leave sealed for 10 minutes.
About 25 min
Step 8. Serve: open the pot, run a spatula down the side and lift from the bottom so each serving has rice, chicken and onions. Serve with raita.
About 2 min
Tips for the best results
- Soaking and then boiling the rice hard in plenty of salted water is what keeps the grains long and separate.
- The rice should be noticeably under-done when it goes on — it finishes in the steam. Fully cooked rice turns mushy in the dum.
- Use a heavy pot with a tight lid; the seal matters more than the exact timing.
- Reserved fried onions are the flavour: don’t skip the browning, and don’t crowd the pan.
Substitutions
- Chicken thighs: Bone-in chicken pieces (add 10 minutes to the chicken step) or chicken breast cut large (reduce by 3–4 minutes so it stays juicy)
- Ghee: Neutral oil for frying; a little butter in the final layer brings back some richness
- Saffron: A pinch of turmeric in 3 tbsp warm milk gives colour without saffron’s aroma
- Fresh mint and cilantro: Either herb alone works; dried mint (1 tsp) in a pinch
Adjusting strength, spice and sweetness
- Milder: leave out the chili powder; the garam masala carries the flavour.
- Hotter: add 2 slit green chilies to the chicken step, or increase chili powder to 2 tsp.
- Richer: double the fried onions and use ghee throughout.
- Lighter: fry the onions in 2 tbsp oil and skip the final ghee.
Troubleshooting
- Rice mushy:
- It was over-boiled before layering. Pull it at 5 minutes next time — a firm white core is correct.
- Rice undercooked on top:
- The pot wasn’t sealed or the steam time was too short. Sprinkle 2–3 tbsp hot water over the top, re-seal and steam 10 minutes more.
- Bottom scorched:
- The heat was too high during the dum. Use the smallest burner on its lowest setting, or set the pot on a heavy skillet as a heat diffuser.
- Chicken dry:
- It cooked too long before layering; the chicken finishes in the steam, so stop when the sauce has just thickened.
Storage and reheating
Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 3 days. Reheat portions covered in the microwave with a splash of water, or in a covered pan over low heat, until steaming hot throughout. Freezes well for up to 2 months.
Questions about this recipe
Can I make biryani without marinating for an hour?
Yes — 20 minutes at room temperature still helps. The yogurt tenderises more with time, so overnight gives the best result.
Do I need to remove the whole spices before serving?
Traditionally they stay in and are pushed aside at the table. Remove the cinnamon, bay leaves and cardamom before layering if you prefer.
Can I use a rice cooker or Instant Pot?
This method relies on sealed steaming in a pot. A pressure cooker works (pressure-cook 5 minutes after layering, natural release), but you still par-boil the rice first.
What is the right rice-to-water ratio?
For par-boiling there is no ratio — use a large amount of salted water, like pasta, and drain. The 8 cups here is a minimum for 1¾ cups of rice.