Hyderabadi chicken biryani

Swasthi Shreekanth’s Hyderabadi chicken biryani follows a kacchi preparation: partially cooked basmati rice is layered over marinated raw chicken and cooked with trapped steam. This version uses skinless bone-in thighs and drumsticks, home-fried onion and ready garam masala.

Thinly sliced onion is separated into layers and fried in ghee until golden brown, then removed and held aside. The frying ghee is cooled for the chicken. Plain yogurt is mixed with ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, slit green chillies, lemon juice, red chilli powder, green cardamom powder, garam masala and pink salt. The chicken is coated in this mixture and covered to marinate.

The basmati rice is washed, soaked in fresh water and drained. Separate cooking water is boiled with pink salt, a little oil, tej patta, cinnamon, cloves, green cardamom and star anise, together with the selected optional black cardamom, mace and caraway seeds. The rice cooks only partway before draining into a colander. Saffron is soaked separately in hot milk.

The marinated chicken is spread in a heavy-bottomed casserole with the recovered frying ghee, part of the onion, mint and coriander. The rice is layered over it with the remaining onion and herbs, another portion of garam masala, saffron milk and finishing ghee. Foil and a tight heavy lid seal the casserole, which cooks over a thick griddle before resting off the heat.

The rice is gently fluffed after the dum cooking and rest. Fresh chopped coriander finishes the biryani, which is served in layers with ready raita. The source describes tender chicken and separate, grainy rice, with the fried onion and layered herbs distributed through the dish.