Andhra Chicken Biryani
Updated: August 11, 2022, By Swasthi
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.
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.
Photo Guide
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.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Andhra Chicken Biryani
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
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.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
Where is the marinade for the chicken in the Andhra Chicken Biriyani explained?
it is mentioned in the recipe card
How much of biryani masala do you actually use? Can you please update your recipe card
Can you post andhra mutton biryani recipe? All your recipes are so authentic. Thanks
Hi Rajni,
I have 3 recipes on this link – mutton biryani
Tried it out…just too good…more delicious than what you get at Nagarjuna or any good Andhra restaurant
Glad to know it turned out good. Thank you!
Biryani was cooked so well and tasty. Thanks for the tips that really helped.?
Welcome Soni
Very nice biryani. I tried last day, my husband liked it.
Thanks for trying
1. What is 1/4 peppercorn? 1/4 tsp? 1/4 tbs? 1/4 cup?
2. 1/8 small nutmeg is how much in ground form? That’s what I have. Ground nutmeg.
3. A strand of mace. All I have is ground. How much ground mace for this recipe?
3. How much salt should I use with the rice? It’s not listed in the ingredients.
4. How come your website doesn’t allow to copy and paste so that I can keep a printed copy of the instructions in my kitchen as I cook? I can’t keep running over to the computer to look at the recipe. I’m also unable to share this recipe with my friends by forwarding it to them by email.
Hi KAzy
It is 1/4 tsp pepper corn. You can use more or less as desired. I have updated the recipe card with powdered mace and nutmeg proportions.
Currently there is no print option enabled on the blog since there is a plugin conflict and we are trying to resolve that.
Sorry for the inconvinience
Very good recipies. Specially biriyani rrcipies.
thanks
I am Sujeewa from Sri Lanka
Welcome Sujeewa
Glad to know you.
Do try the recipes and share with us how they turned out. Thank you.
Have a wonderful day!
I was in search of andhra style biriyani recipe since many days.I just got this and thought to give it a try. It had come out very well. Its taste is awesome. This recipe is now going to be in my list 🙂
Thank u 🙂
Welcome and thanks. Glad to know you liked it
its very super taste
superrrrrrrrrrr
All the recipies are awsomen
thank you
wonderfull recipes
Thanks Shwetha
Weekend special, thanks
Hello Rekha,
Im glad you liked it. Thanks for the feedback
🙂
i tried ..i tried and it turned to be a marvello…thnks to u!! 🙂
Fabulous! Never say no to a good biryani. Love the step by step photos too!
Delicious and flavorful biryani…Nicely explained..
Flavorful one pot meal
beautifully explained & yummy biriyani,Swasthi..would love to try this way!
Well explained….tempting biriyani…
Delicious chicken biriyani Swasthi. Awesome.
Love this yummy yummy chicken biryani. Really delectable one pot meal. Lovely step by step presentation dear.