Chicken biryani recipe with video & step-by-step photos. Biryani is one of the most amazing royal delicacies introduced to Indians by the Mughals. Since then it has been much popular and is considered to be a luxurious treat to enjoy on special occasions. Making a chicken biryani in authentic dum style does take some time and needs little expertise.
Traditional chicken biryani is made by layering marinated chicken and then layered with parboiled rice, herbs,saffron milk & then ghee. I have shared that traditional hyderabadi biryani here.
The recipe shared here in this post details a short cut method to make a simple one pot delicious chicken biryani in a pressure cooker or a pot.
So what I have shared in this post is not a dum style biriyani yet it will surprise you with a good aroma and taste.
This recipe yields a chicken biryani that isn’t too oily, spicy, hot or pungent as it looks to be in the pictures. However you can reduce the amount of red chili powder if you do not prefer the heat. This is best served with a Raita, Shorba, lassi and papads.
You can also find the older version of this chicken biryani recipe towards the end of this post as recipe 2.
Step-by-step photos
Preparation for chicken biryani recipe
1. Make few slits on all the chicken pieces and add to a large bowl. Then add
- 3 tablespoons plain yogurt (Indian curd)
- 1¼ tablespoons ginger garlic paste
- ½ to 1 tablespoon garam masala (or biriyani masala)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ to 1 teaspoon red chili powder (reduce for kids)
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
2. Mix everything well and marinate the chicken. Cover and set this aside for 1 hour. You can also rest it overnight in the fridge.
3. Meanwhile add 2 cups basmati rice to a large pot and rinse it at least thrice. Drain and soak in fresh water for 30 mins. Drain to a colander after 30 mins. Optional – Soak a pinch of saffron strands in 2 tablespoons hot milk.
Cooking chicken
4. Heat ghee or oil in a heavy bottom pot or pressure cooker. Make sure you use a large one for this. Using whole spices is optional but recommended. Use whatever you have. I use
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 green cardamoms
- 6 cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon piece
- 1 star anise
- ¾ teaspoon shahi jeera (caraway seeds)
- 1 strand mace
5. Add thinly sliced onions. On a medium heat, fry them stirring often until uniformly light brown.
6. This is the correct color of the onions. Do not burn them as they leave a bitter taste. (check video)
7. Add marinated chicken & saute until it becomes pale for 5 minutes.
8. Lower the flame completely. Cover and cook until the chicken is soft, tender and completely cooked.
9. Check if the chicken is cooked by pricking with a fork or knife. It has to be just cooked and not overdone. Evaporate any excess moisture left in the pot by cooking further without the lid.
10. Taste test and add more salt if needed. I added ¼ more salt here. Add
- ¼ cup plain yogurt (Indian curd)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala (or biryani masala)
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chili powder (optional)
- 1 slit green chili pepper (optional)
- 2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves (pudina)
How to make chicken biryani
11. Mix everything well. Spread it evenly in a single layer.
12. Layer drained rice all over the chicken. To a separate bowl, pour 3 cups water and add ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt. If cooking in a pot, use 3½ cups water.
Stir and taste the water. It must be slightly salty. Pour 2 cups of this across the sides of the cooker or pot. Pour rest of the water over the rice gently. (check video)
13. Level the rice gently on top. Add 2 tablespoons more mint leaves.Do not mix up everything, the taste of the biryani cooked in the shown method is good. Optionally you can sprinkle 2 tablespoons fried onions & saffron soaked milk.
14. Finally cover the pot or cooker.
If cooking in a pot, cook on a medium heat until the rice is done completely. Turn off when done and rest it covered for 15 mins.
If cooking in a cooker, cook for 1 whistle. Later remove the cooker from the hot burner to stop cooking further.
15. When the pressure releases naturally, open the lid. Gently fluff up with a fork.
Serve chicken biryani in layers – top layer with rice and bottom layer with chicken. Enjoy with raita or shorba.
Troubleshooting
Towards the end if the rice is under cooked, you can sprinkle little hot water & cook covered further.
What you need for a good biryani?
To make a good biryani, always use best quality ingredients. The choice of good quality basmati rice, whole spices, spice powders, chicken & ghee all contribute to the flavors of chicken biryani.
1.Basmati rice: There are so many kinds of basmati rice available in the market. For best results choose premium quality basmati rice that is labelled as AGED. This kind of rice is more firm & fluffs up well in chicken biryani without turning mushy. Aged rice is also more fragrant.
Though this biryani is made in a pressure cooker or pot, the texture of rice grains will come out right without getting mushy if made with aged rice.
2.Biryani masala (spices): Good quality whole spices & spice powders elevate the flavor of chicken biryani. So choose a good quality ready made garam masala powder or biryani masala.
I am also sharing the ingredients for an instant biriyani masala powder. If you do not have a ready made or store bought masala, you can make it in just few minutes.
3.Chicken: We usually use up the cut whole chicken to make the chicken biryani. However I always find chicken breast pieces dry out if not marinated well with yogurt. If you prefer soft, tender & succulent pieces of chicken in your biryani, then just use chicken thighs & drumsticks.
Always use bone-in chicken as it helps the dish to turn out more flavorful.
4.Ghee : Traditionally chicken biryani was made using ghee. Since this recipe does not follow the traditional method, you can also make it using oil. But ghee adds a unique aroma to the dish.
How to make the best chicken biryani?
- Marination: Marinating chicken with yogurt & spices is the first key step to make the best chicken biryani. Yogurt tenderizes the chicken & the spices enhance the flavors. Marinating and resting chicken makes it soft & succulent, so do not skip that. If you do not eat curd then can substitute it with coconut milk.
- Preparing rice : Basmati rice has to be rinsed very well a few times in ample amount of water to get rid of the starch. This prevents the rice grains from turning mushy. Soaking the rice helps to cook the rice grains to fluffy & long. So do not skip rinsing & soaking the rice well before using.
- Water : This recipe uses plain water to cook the chicken biryani. However it can be replaced with coconut milk or chicken stock. The quantity of water I have mentioned in the recipe card works well for me with Lalquilla old malai basmati rice. This ratio works pretty well with any aged basmati rice.
- Please do adjust the amount of heat in the recipe. My recipes are usually low on heat for the Indian taste buds. Since I have young kids at home., these levels work well for us.
More Chicken biryani recipes
Hyderabadi biryani
Chicken dum biryani
Chettinad biryani
Recipe
Chicken biryani recipe | How to make chicken biryani
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
Marinade for chicken biryani
- ½ kg chicken (1.l lbs)
- 3 tablespoons plain yogurt (curd or dahi)
- 1¼ tablespoons ginger garlic paste (1 inch ginger & 4 garlic cloves crushed)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ to 1 teaspoon red chilli powder (or paprika) (use less spicy variety)
- ½ to 1 tablespoon garam masala (or biryani masala) (Refer notes)
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice (optional)
Whole spices (skip if you don’t have any)
- 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
- 4 green cardamoms (choti elaichi)
- 6 cloves (lavang)
- 1 inch cinnamon (dalchini)
- 1 star anise (chakri phool )
- ¾ teaspoon shahi jeera (caraway seeds) (substitute with cumin)
- 1 strand mace (javitri)
Other ingredients for chicken biryani
- 2 cups basmati rice (aged rice only)
- 2 tablespoon ghee or Oil
- 1 large onion sliced thinly
- ¼ to ½ cup mint leaves chopped fine (about 15 leaves)
- 1 green chili (slit or chopped)
- ¼ cup plain yogurt (Indian curd)
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chili powder (optional, for heat)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala (or biryani masala)
- 3 cups water (or coconut milk) (3½ cups if making in pot)
- ¾ teaspoon salt (to stir in water)
- 2 tablespoon fried onions (optional)
- 1 pinch saffron (optional)(soaked in 2 tbsps hot milk)
How to make the recipe
Preparation for chicken biryani
- To a bowl, add yogurt, ginger garlic paste, ½ tsp salt, garam masala, turmeric, lemon juice & red chili powder.
- Mix up well and taste the marinade. Add more salt and spice if needed.
- Make slits on the chicken pieces. Add it to the marinade &mix well. Cover and set aside for 1 hour to overnight.
- Rinse basmati rice thrice and soak for 30 mins. Drain to a colander after 30 mins.
How to make chicken biryani
- Heat ghee or oil in a pot or pressure cooker.
- Add whole spices – bay leaf, cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, shahi jeera & mace. Skip them if you do not have.
- When the spices begin to sizzle, add onions & fry them evenly stirring often until uniformly light brown but not burnt.
- Add chicken & saute until pale for 5 mins on a medium heat.
- Cover & cook on a low flame until the chicken is soft cooked or tender. Saute to evaporate any excess moisture in the pot.
- Taste test and add more salt if needed. I add about ¼ teaspoon salt. Add ¼ cup yogurt (curd), 2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves, 1 slit green chili, ½ to 1 teaspoon red chili powder & 1 teaspoon garam masala.
Layering for chicken biryani
- Mix everything well and layer chicken evenly at the bottom. (check video)
- Spread drained rice in a layer over the chicken.
- To a separate bowl, pour 3 cups water. If cooking in a pot use 3 ½ cups water.
- Add ½ to ¾ tsp salt and mix. Taste the water. It must be slightly salty.
- Pour 2 cups of this water across the sides of the cooker or pot. Gently pour the rest on top of the rice. (check video)
- Level the rice if needed. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons mint leaves. Optionally add 2 tablespoons fried onions & saffron soaked milk if using.
- Pot method – If cooking in a pot, cover and cook on a low flame until the chicken biryani is done to your liking. If the rice is still under cooked or hard, sprinkle some hot water and cook further.
- Cooker method – Set the flame to medium high. Cover & place the whistle. Cook for 1 whistle. Move the cooker away from the burner to stop cooking further.
- Rest until the pressure settles. Fluff up the chicken biryani with a fork.
- Serve from top to the bottom layer. Each serving gets biryani rice from top and chicken from the bottom layer.
- Enjoy chicken biryani with raita and sliced veggies, papad and shorba (biryani gravy).
Video
Video of Chicken biryani recipe
NUTRITION (estimation only)
Notes
Notes on chicken biryani recipe
- Tomatoes: An authentic biryani never uses tomatoes, so I have not used in the recipe. It does not add any taste infact alters the flavor. If you still want to use you an follow the second recipe I have posted below.
- To make biryani masala or garam masala – Powder together very small piece of nutmeg, 5 cardamoms, ½ tsp pepper, 5 cloves, 1 to 2 inch cinnamon, ½ tsp fennel seeds, ½ tsp stone flower.
- Yogurt or curd: Do not use sour curd. If the curd is slightly sour then skip using lemon juice.
- Rice: I have used lalquilla basmati rice, old malai. Any other basmati rice may need less or more water. Make sure to use as needed.
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.
Recipe 2
This is the older version of the same chicken biryani many readers have been following since 2012. Upon getting several requests I have updated it here.
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml)
Whole spices to Temper
1 bay leaf / tej patta
3 green cardamoms / choti elaichi
4 to 6 cloves / lavang
1 Cinnamon stick / dalchini, Small
1 Star anise / chakri phool
½ tsp shahi jeera / caraway seeds
Marination
1 ½ tbsp curd / yogurt
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
Salt as needed
¼ tsp turmeric / haldi
¼ tsp red chilli powder / lal mirch powder
½ to ¾ tsp biryani masala or garam masala powder
Other ingredients
½ kg chicken
2 cups basmati rice / chawal , aged
3 ¼ cups water or thin coconut milk(if using normal rice use little more water)
2 tbsp Oil
Salt as needed
1 tomato medium , (about half cup)
1 ½ tbsp curd / yogurt / dahi
12 mint leaves / pudina finely chopped
12 stems coriander leaves finely chopped
1 ½ tsp ginger garlic paste
2 green chilies / hari mirch sliced or chopped
1 onion large , sliced thinly
¼ tsp red chili powder
To powder
(or use 2 tsps readymade biryani masala or garam masala )
1 nutmeg / jaiphal piece , Very small
4 green cardamoms / choti elaichi
¼ to ½ tsp Pepper corn / kali mirch
5 cloves / lavang
1 cinnamon stick / dalchini, Small
½ tsp fennel seeds / saunf
½ tsp stone flower / dagad phool/ kalapasi (optional)
Preparation for the recipe
- Soak rice for at least 20 to 30 minutes. If using normal rice (not basmati) soak it for 30 minutes.
- Marinate chicken using ingredients under marination. Set this aside.
Making chicken biryani
- Add oil to a pot or pressure cooker and heat it. Next add the dry spices and saute till they begin to sizzle.
- Add onions and fry till they turn golden. Fry ginger garlic paste till the raw smell goes off.
- Next add chicken and fry till the color slightly changes to pale.
- Add chopped tomatoes, yogurt, red chili powder, corinader leaves and mint.
- Cook till the mixture turns thick and dry. By now the chicken should be almost cooked soft.
- Add the rest of the masala powder and fry till you get a nice smell.
- Mix together water or thin coconut milk and salt in a separate bowl. Check the salt , it must be slightly salty. Since salt is already added to marination, use little only. Pour this to a the chicken pot, bring it to a boil.
Adding rice
- Drain off the rice completely and add it to the pot or cooker.
- Cook till the water very little is left. Cover the pot or pressure cooker with a lid. Turn on the flame to very low. If using basmati rice, cook it for about 3 to 5 minutes, do not let it whistle. Or If using normal rice that is slightly on the harder side to cook allow it to whistle once. If cooking in pot, cook until the rice is done. Next if rice is under cooked, you can also sprinkle little water and cook further.
- Let the pressure go down. Fluff up the rice with a fork. Or transfer it immediately to a wide utensil to prevent turning mushy.
- If desired you can drizzle one spoon of ghee, coriander leaves and roasted boiled eggs.
- Serve pressure cooker chicken biryani with onion raita or biryani shorba or sherva.
Notes
Do not use thick coconut milk, it will look curdled in the biryani. You can dilute thick coconut milk and use it.
Danielle says
Question on the “Pot Method”, you say until the rice is cooked to your liking. Is there an approximate time frame you’re looking for? I made this recipe and i was a little confused if mine would be considered mushy. When I took it off the heat there was still water. Should i have continued until there wasn’t any? Also, the 3-1/2 cups might be a bit much and maybe that was my problem.
swasthi says
Hi Danielle,
1. There is no time frame here. The rice should be fully cooked with no water left. “until the rice is cooked to your liking” means some people like it on the softer side (not mushy). Some like it al dente.
2. Yes you should have cooked it until all of the water evaporates. The finished biryani should be dry like our regular rice.
3. Yes may be 3.5 cups of water was more in your case. Some kinds of basmati rice don’t need so much water. Chicken biryani is always made with aged basmati rice which needs about 3.5 cups water. I think yours’ don’t need do so much. Next time try reducing the quantity of water.
Troubleshooting tip: You can instead start with 3 cups water. Later as it cooks you can check and pour more boiling hot water as needed. Every time you make biryani stick on to the same brand of rice, so you know how much water to use.
Hope this helps
Maureen says
Hi Swasthi, I live in US and we use an electric cooker (Instant Pot) not a stove cooker. It doesn’t have whistles. Can you let me know if there’s a way to adjust for electric cooker? Basically, if you could say about how long it normally takes your cooker to whistle after the pin goes up. Then I can set time accordingly on the electric cooker.
swasthi says
Hi Maureen,
It works for me with 2½ cups water. Pressure cook for 5 mins with low pressure setting. 7 to 8 mins natural pressure release and quick release the rest.
Note that you need to evaporate all the moisture in the pot that’s released after cooking the chicken. Hope this helps. Would love to know how it worked for you.
🙂
cookie monster says
Hello,
did someone try to cook the chicken meat before marinating it?
I’m going to visit my girlfriend soon and where she is living there you can only get frozen chicken legs. I thought about defrosting and cooking it and marinating after that.
The water aka chicken brooth that was used to cook the chicken could later used to cook the biryani.
swasthi says
Hi,
It was a long time ago I cooked with frozen chicken. I remember the recipe works as is. You don’t need to cook it first and marinate. Ensure you don’t cover the pot while cooking it. Also evaporate all of the excess moisture the chicken releases (step 5 in the recipe card). This will ensure the rice doesn’t turn mushy. The other way is to just strain the broth once the marinated chicken is cooked. Then measure and pour it back along with more water. Hope this helps.
Cookie Monster says
Hi,
thanks for the reply!
I’m wondering why you don’t add any vegetables to the dish in your recipe!?
In the indian restaurant around where I ate Chicken Biryani it was served with carrots, green beans, bell pepper and raisins. I would also try to add broccoli, zucchini and probably egg plant.
swasthi says
Hi,
Raisins and cashews are most commonly added. But not the veggies. Probably to cut down the cost, they add veggies.
Cookie Monster says
Hi,
just ate my first self made chicken biryani and it was delicious!
Thanks for the recipe and your fast answers!
Forgot to add mint and the raisins I bought today 😀
Nevertheless, the seasoning is perfect. The rice got a bit sticky and I can now understand why you warned so often about it.
swasthi says
You are welcome!
Glad to know!
Thanks for rating & leaving a comment.
PM says
I have been trying chicken biryani based on different recipies online, but this recipe is by far the best. Chicken, Masala and Rice everything cooked to perfection and came together very well.. My children also loved it.. Many thanks, keep up the good work!
P. S. I cooked the biryani in pressure cooker.
Namit says
Great recipe! Made biryani for the first time and it turned out amazing! And a lot of useful tips and tricks as well.
Thank you
Lesley says
Made this last night and my skeptical husband absolutely loved it! The flavor is amazing. His only comment was that he would have liked it to have more sauce. Did I cook the chicken too long? I used jalapeños for the green chili you referred to. Was that correction? Now I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes.
swasthi says
Hi Lesley
Chicken Biryani does not have sauce. Any amount of extra water will make it mushy. Or did you mean “more spice”? Is it a typo. Then you can add more green chilies. The chilies I mean here are the slightly hotter chili peppers. I use the Thai green chilies or Indian.
Take a look at this Hyderabadi biryani. Hope this helps
Lesley says
Thanks!
Maureen says
You can also try serving with the shorba, if you make it again. A shorba is like a sauce that comes with biryani sometimes.
Shivani Uberoi says
this was absolutely amazing!!!!! i made it with brown rice so cooked it about 15-20 minutes longer . The flavours were immense!!
I over made tho – not a bad thing but any tips on freezing and defrosting?
swasthi says
Glad to know Shivani!
Yes cool it completely and freeze.
Reheat in pressure cooker for 1 whistle (pot-in-pot method). Comes out very good like fresh biryani. Hope this helps Thank you!
GP says
Follow instructions and measurements properly to get the best biriyani ever! Thank you so much Swasthi! All my previous biriyani attempts with other recipes had failed miserably, so I’m really happy to have found this one! Super easy to make as well.
swasthi says
Welcome GP,
Happy to know! Thanks much!
SM says
Never tried cooking biryani beforw due to the long list of ingredients required and complicated recipes handed out by friends. When I came across this simple recipe I knew I had to try it out. Followed instructions and measurements to the T and it turned out to be one of the best biryanis I have ever had (even though I had to make do without a couple types of whole spices). Have cooked it a few times since.
Thank you so much.
swasthi says
Hello SM
You are welcome!
Glad the recipe worked out for you! Thanks for leaving a comment
David Stirling says
This was really good… But, the set out of the web page is awful. Ingredients should come before method and quantities should be clearer.
If you are experienced with Indian cooking, you can manage.
Can’t fault the taste, which is authentic! Unfortunately, we don’t have any banana leaves in Scotland to serve it on. Ate with fingers though, which the kids loved.
Bookmarked and will make again for sure!
swasthi says
Hello David,
Glad to know your kids loved it!
I rearranged the ingredients and steps. Hope this helps
Sueja Randhawa says
To make this biryani more protein and less carb, I used 5 lbs of chicken and 5 times the marinade, 4 cups of rice, and 3 times the recipe everywhere else. Since chicken has a lot of water, I used only 4 cups of water and cooked it in the instant pot. It turned out amazing and the rice was perfectly done, not too soggy, very soft and not sticky. Just enough for our large family plus leftovers for another dinner.
swasthi says
Glad to know it turned out good.
Thanks for sharing the details on Instant pot. Will surely help others.
Stacey says
Do you leave the whole spices (cloves, star anise, etc) in the entire time it is cooking? Then just pick them out as you’re eating? I’m looking forward to making this and want to make sure I don’t skip any steps!
swasthi says
Hi Stacey
Yes leave them until the entire cooking is done. Discard while serving. Hope you enjoy it.
Dr Ashwini says
Hello Ma’am,
I am a great fan of ur recepies,and my entire family just freaks on the food I cook following ur instructions. Thankyou
swasthi says
Hello Dr.Ashwini
You are welcome! So glad to hear that! Thank you so much for leaving a comment.
OS says
Very easy to follow recipe. Turned out perfect!
Satish Perumal says
Hello Ma’am,
I am a stand-up comedian and I hardly spend time at home but because of the virus I am completely home bound. I started helping my mom out in the kitchen and slowly started cooking as well. Last Sunday I tried your chicken biryani recipe. I was so anxious and nervous, never have I felt like that while performing in front of absolute strangers but this time it was different. The clock struck 1.30 PM and the cooker whistle blew, I had my stomach in my mouth. With bated breath my mom opened the cooker lid and the biryani looked sun kissed, a glow that I will never forget. Looks apart, now coming to the taste. My dad is a picky eater and always complaints but when he tried it, he was dumbstruck and praised me for the preparation. In my excitement I went and shared the biryani with my brother and sister -in-law. My SIL is a veteran cook, they both tasted it and were awestruck. I am truly grateful and thankful to you for the recipe. This Sunday, trying your Mutton Biryani. Thank you 😁
Satish Perumal
swasthi says
Hello Satish, glad to know you. You are a quick and great learner. i hope you will enjoy other recipes too. Thank you.
Mrs Sawant says
Hi,
I tried the biryani recipe for the first time n believe me it was yummy my kids n hubby loved it, I also tried ur Shorba recipe….
Thank u so much
Would love to follow ur recipes in future 🙏🏻
Nicola Johnston says
Your recipies are amazing my husband has not ordered from a take away from I found ur site I am going to try to make my own bread for r meal tonight the aroma round my house when I cook ur food is mouth watering it is a smell that just makes u feel happy and u smile thank u I must say I preference ur tradition recipies to the updatnicolaed version xx
Anil says
Excellent recipe…tried today…its turned out to be the best I’ve made till date..thank you
swasthi says
Glad to know!
Thank you
Tony says
Hi, thank you so much for this wonderful recipe. I’ve been using it to cook Biryani many times now, and I’m happy with the results 😁 Just a question, how do I add saffron to the recipe? Thank you.
swasthi says
Hi Tony
You are welcome! Glad to know the recipe worked well. You can soak the saffron in 2 tbsps of milk for sometime. Pour it towards the end, just before you cover the pot. Thank you
Aishwarya says
First time I tried biryani with Basmati Rice.Turned out just perfect.Do you have a recipe with Biryani Rice or Jeera samba ?
swasthi says
Glad to know Aishwarya
You can check this ambur biryani and malabar biryani
Sharmi Halder says
very nice
swasthi says
Thank you
Shaz m says
I tried this recipe today. As it was my first time ever making a biryani I was nervous and doubtful with everything I did. I followed your recipe accordingly with minor adjustments. I didn’t have any mint leaves or mace so couldn’t add those 2 ingredients, however it turned out so beautiful and delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe. 👍
swasthi says
Welcome Shaz
Glad to know your biryani turned out good. Thank you!
🙂