Andhra Chicken Biryani

Andhra Chicken Biryani is a simple, quick and delicious one pot biryani variety made with bone-in chicken, whole and ground spices, yogurt, mint leaves and basmati rice. Serve this with Onion Raita or a Raita of your choice. If you want to extend your menu serve this Andhra Chicken Biryani alongside this Biryani gravy, spicy Chicken 65 or Chicken Kebabs. These are usually the combos eaten in Andhra restaurants.

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My husband is a biryani lover and never misses an opportunity to try various kinds of biryani. Each time we travel to India, we are on a mission to find the best biryani around.

This Andhra Chicken Biryani is something we happened to find many many years ago in Bangalore-based Andhra restaurants. In the past 2 decades, restaurants have come and gone but this particular biryani variety seems to be the most ordered even in Mid-2022.

Labelled as must-try and top-selling on the Menus, this Andhra Chicken Biryani is super flavorful, tasty, spicy and surprisingly you will fall in love with it. These are a kind of budget-biryani and do not qualify to be on the Menus of standard or star restaurants due to the usage of Vanaspati and high amounts of MSG.

My version of Andhra Chicken Biryani comes somewhat close to the biryani served in these Bangalore-based Andhra restaurants. But definitely made healthier if you use all good ingredients.

It is made like a one pot dish and may look like a Chicken Pulao but is actually a Biryani since this dish uses plenty of spices and is also optionally dum cooked at the last step.

Here is some important information about the ingredients used and the possible substitutes

Ingredients & Substitutes

Rice: Andhra Chicken Biryani can be made with various kinds of premium quality rice, ranging from basmati to sona masuri but always make sure you use aged rice only. In Andhra restaurants you will find it being made only with basmati or a mix of basmati and premium quality short rice. So remember to use only aged rice only.

Water: Since this is a one pot biryani, you need to be careful with the amount of water you use. If you add less, you can add extra later while the biryani is still cooking. But if you add more the resulting dish will be a mush. Keep an extra hot boiling water on the side so you can easily adjust while cooking.

Biryani Masala: Though I have a separate Biryani masala recipe on this blog, I highly recommend making your own using my recipe that I shared in the recipe card below. Every spice blend is different and this Andhra style version is less pungent and more fragrant.

Green Chilies: The heat in this Andhra biryani comes mainly from the hot green chilies. I suggest not to use more red chili powder for heat but instead increase the chilies if you want it spicy. Red chilli powder alters the flavor here. You may use Indian thin chilies or Thai green chilies or serrano peppers.

How to make Andhra Chicken Biryani (Stepwise Photos)

Preparation

1. Prepare the biryani masala, soak the rice, slice onions, green chilies and marinate the chicken from the recipe card instructions below. Heat oil in a cooker or a heavy bottom pot. Add all the whole spices –

• 1 large bay leaf or 2 small
• 2 inch cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves
• 3 green cardamoms
• ¼ black pepper corn (optional)
• 1 to 2 star anise
• ⅛ nutmeg small
• 1 strand mace

2. When they begin to sizzle add the sliced onions & green chilies. Fry them on a medium heat until golden. Add ginger garlic paste. Fry until the raw smell goes off.

3. Add chopped mint/pudina and coriander leaves. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add marinated chicken. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes on a slightly high flame.

4. Add biryani masala powder and fry until the mixture begins to leave the sides of the pan. Pour hot water. Using hot water prevents the chicken from turning hard and fibrous.

5. Cover and cook on a medium heat until the water begins to boil. Make sure chicken is almost cooked by now else continue to cook until it turns slightly tender. Drain the rice completely and add it to the boiling water. Stir in half teaspoon salt. If you add rice before chicken is cooked, it may not get cooked further.

6. Cook uncovered until most of the water evaporates but still soggy with some water. Cover and place the pot on a hot tawa/griddle. Dum cook for 5 minutes on a low flame. If making in a pressure cooker, close the lid and cook for 5 minutes on a very low flame. Do not let the cooker whistle. When the pressure drops, open the lid and fluff up them rice. If you see the biryani rice is under cooked, pour some boiling hot water and cook further.

Serve Andhra chicken biryani with easy onion raita.

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Recipe Card

Andhra Chicken Biryani

Easy one pot Andhra Chicken Biryani made with basmati rice, bone-in chicken, spices, herbs and yogurt. It's super flavorful, delicious and spicy.

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1x2x3x

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time30 minutes

Total Time30 minutes

Servings3

AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )

• ▢ 2 cups basmati rice (read notes in the post)
• ▢ 3½ cups hot water (adjust to suit the rice)
• ▢ 4 tablespoons oil or ghee
• ▢ 1 onion large , sliced very thinly or pureed
• ▢ 1 to 4 hot green chili slit
• ▢ 1 medium tomato (optional, deseeded & chopped)
• ▢ 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
• ▢ ¼ cup mint / pudina leaves chopped fine
• ▢ ¼ cup coriander leaves chopped fine
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)

To Grind or use store bought biryani masala powder

• ▢ 4 green cardamoms
• ▢ ¼ to ½ teaspoon Pepper corn
• ▢ 5 cloves
• ▢ 2 inch cinnamon stick
• ▢ ½ to 1 teaspoon fennel seeds / saunf

Whole Spices to Temper

• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ 3 green cardamom
• ▢ 4 cloves
• ▢ 2 inch cinnamon stick
• ▢ ¼ pepper corn (optional)
• ▢ ⅛ nutmeg small , (optional) or 2 generous pinches powdered
• ▢ 1 strand mace or generous pinch powdered
• ▢ 1 to 2 star anise

For Marinade

• ▢ ½ kg bone-in chicken (cut to 2 inch pieces, 1.1 Lbs.)
• ▢ ½ cup yogurt or tomatoes (refer notes, how to use tomato)
• ▢ 1½ teaspoon ginger garlic paste
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
• ▢ ½ teaspoon red chili powder (do not increase, add more chilies if you want spicy)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preparation

• ▢
  Marinade: Marinate the chicken with yogurt, ginger garlic paste, turmeric, salt and red chilli powder. Keep aside. You can also marinate the previous day and refrigerate up to 48 hours.
• ▢
  Biryani masala: Powder the ingredients mentioned under to powder or use a readymade biryani masala.
• ▢
  Prepare Rice: Wash rice several times and soak for 20 mins. Drain and set aside.
• ▢
  Meanwhile, slice onions and green chilies. Pluck the mint and coriander leaves. Clean, rinse and fine chop them. Keep all the whole spices ready for tempering.

How to Make Chicken Biryani

• ▢
  Heat a deep pan or a casserole or a pressure pan or cooker with oil.
• ▢
  Add all the whole spices – bay leaf, green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon stick, black pepper corn (optional), nutmeg (optional), mace and star anise.
• ▢
  When they begin to sizzle, add onions & green chili. On a medium heat, fry till the onions turn golden color and lose the raw flavor.
• ▢
  Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell disappears.
• ▢
  Add the mint & coriander leaves. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes and then stir in the tomatoes and saute until they turn pulpy & soft.
• ▢
  Add marinated chicken and fry on high flame till the chicken turns white in color. This usually takes 3 to 4 mins.
• ▢
  Add powder masala or biryani masala powder and mix well. Saute till the mix begins to leave the sides of the pan. At this stage you will see oil begins to release.
• ▢
  Pour hot water, cover and bring the water to a rolling boil on a medium heat. Chicken will be almost cooked by this time else cook further by covering until chicken turns tender.
• ▢
  Drain the water completely from the rice and and add it here. Stir in the salt.
• ▢
  On a medium flame, Cook without the lid till almost all the water evaporates. Later turn down the heat to low. Mix well from the bottom.
• ▢
  To Cook in a Pot: Cover the pot with a lid and cook till the rice is fully done. If it looks too dry, pour some boiling hot water as this depends on the kind of rice used.
• ▢
  Optional Dum Cooking: To prevent the rice being burnt at the bottom, place the biryani pot on a hot tawa/ griddle and dum cook till the rice is cooked fully. When you see the rice is cooked and no excess moisture is left, turn off the heat.
• ▢
  If using a pressure cooker, close the lid and cook for about 5 minutes on a low flame. Turn off and Do not let it whistle. When the pressure drops open the lid.
• ▢
  Let rest the cooked biryani for at least 10 mins. Fluff up Andhra chicken biryani with a fork and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with Onion Raita.

Notes

• To make the dish dairy-free, leave out the yogurt from the marinade and use 1 to 2 tablespoon lemon juice along with the other marinade ingredients. Add half cup deseeded & chopped tomatoes after frying the mint and coriander leaves. Stir fry until they turn soft and mushy.
• This is an updated recipe and the only change I made to the old one, is to use a tomato which is optional.

Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.

For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.

NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)

Nutrition Facts

Andhra Chicken Biryani

Amount Per Serving

Calories 1070 Calories from Fat 414

% Daily Value*

Fat 46g71%

Saturated Fat 9g56%

Trans Fat 0.2g

Polyunsaturated Fat 11g

Monounsaturated Fat 23g

Cholesterol 144mg48%

Sodium 992mg43%

Potassium 1655mg47%

Carbohydrates 124g41%

Fiber 8g33%

Sugar 6g7%

Protein 39g78%

Vitamin A 1939IU39%

Vitamin C 124mg150%

Calcium 422mg42%

Iron 12mg67%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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