
Chicken biryani is an Indian dish which is made with rice, spices and meat. The biryani is a popular dish in India and Pakistan. It is made with chicken, rice, spices, saffron, and vegetables. The dish is served with a side of pickled or fresh cucumber slices.
Originated in the Mughal Empire, an Islamic empire that ruled most of the Indian subcontinent from 1526 to 1857, the biryani was introduced by the Mughals and became a part of the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent.
The word “biryani” comes from the Persian word “birinj” (which means “fried”)
Biryani is an one pot meal that is popular in many cultures, and the dish is thought to have originated from the Indian subcontinent. The word “Biryani” means fried rice.
The most common biryani has layers of seasoned rice with meat or vegetables, and it is often served with raita and papadum on the side. It is cooked in a pot with a tight-fitting lid either on the stove top or in an oven. The pot has water added to it before the rice is added and cooked until the rice is tender. You can use chicken breasts or chicken thighs for this dish.
Depressed? Have some Chicken Biryani. Sad or feeling under the weather?? Have some Biryani. Happy and excited??? Order a huge bucket of Biryani.
Biryani is the classic food! Some segments would wholeheartedly agree with me. Hence, it is no surprise that the Biryani, especially the Chicken Biryani or Mutton Biryani, seems to be the most appropriate prescription for any occasion of our life.
Make a whole pot of Biryani at home and it is guaranteed to be enjoyed as breakfast, lunch and dinner by loyalists. Why, some even go to the whole next level where it is stored overnight, reheated the next morning and eaten with the same gusto as the previous day.
No occasion, be it a grand wedding or a simple birthday bash, is complete without the quintessential Chicken Biryani. Such is the popularity of this simple, spicy and fragrant mixed rice that it is served in many food outlets in buckets instead of small service bowls, making it one of the most popularly ordered restaurant dishes.
India being the culinary genius it is, it has developed many flavourful variants of Chicken Biriyani across regions. In our recipe here, we bring you a flavourful and aromatic dish, that is easy to follow and can be made by a novice cook as well. If you like this dish, check out our Biryani section for easy and flavourful recipes.

Chicken Biryani Recipe
Ingredients for Chicken Biryani
- 750 g Chicken chopped to bite sized pieces
- 3 Onions finely sliced
- 1 tbsp Cashewnut Paste
- 4 Tomatoes large, pureed
- 2 cup Basmati Rice soaked for 10 minutes
- 1 tbsp Ghee 20g
- 2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1 tbsp Poppy Seeds coarsely powdered
- 10 Saffron Strands soaked in 2 tbsp milk
- 6 tbsp Oil 60-65 ml
- 1 cup Fried Onions – 1 cup to garnish
- Salt as per taste
For the marinade:
- 2 cup Curd beaten
- 1 tbsp Coriander Leaves chopped
- 2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 2 tsp Garam Masala Powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt
How to make Chicken Biryani
- Mix all the marinade ingredients and rub all over the chicken pieces.
- Keep aside for 30 minutes. To get the best flavours, leave it to marinate overnight.
- Heat oil in a pan over medium flame.
- Add the ginger garlic paste and onions.
- Saute well for 3 to 4 minutes or until onions turn light golden brown.
- Add the cashewnut paste, tomato puree and poppy seeds.
- Stir well and simmer for a minute or two.
- Add the marinated chicken pieces and cover the pan with a lid.
- Reduce flame to low and cook till the chicken is tender. Turn off flame once it is fully cooked.
- Drain the rice and rinse well.
- Pressure cook till 3/4ths done and remove. Alternatively, cook it in a deep vessel using the boiling method and drain excess water after it’s cooked.
- Place a chapati or dosa tawa on a low flame.
- Put a large, deep pan over this to cook the biryani dum-style.
- Spread a layer of rice at the bottom of the pan followed by a layer of the chicken gravy.
- Repeat until all the rice and chicken have been used up, finishing up with a layer of rice on top.
- Sprinkle the saffron strands with the milk and ghee on top.
- Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid* and cook for 30-45 minutes. Ensure there is no escaping of steam.
- Remove when the rice is cooked and chicken pieces are tender.
- Gently fluff up the rice using a fork.
- Garnish with the fried onions.
- Serve hot with onion raita.
Recipe Video
Notes
123 comments
The rice will be raw or half cooked??
tasty vegetarian curries
i didnt understand the 11th point Pressure cook till 3/4ths done and remove. Wudnt the cooker wil have water in it with the rice ?
Hi,
There will not be much of a water left. At step 13 and 14, you can sprinkle the leftover water on top if needed. The rice would have by now absorbed most of the water and will be wet.
Love chicen biryani so much that I can eat it any time of the day! Yumy looing biryani
Please,give me a tasty vegetarian food.
Please check out Vegetarian section here – http://www.awesomecuisine.com/categories/vegetarian
good one
This chicken biriyani looks divine…made me drool!
i love it! it’s really awsome
Excellent recipe. My wife made this at home and came out yummy.
nice
Very nice
a better and good experience
when do u put the paste made from step 9,
Please note step 10, the marinated chicken is added to the paste and cooked.
goodddddddddddddd
fist class
waah waaah taaaliyaaan…
so so so good dude
it was so good
easy and nice recipe
Very Good and simple but tasty Chicken Biryani. Thanks Dominic.
Regards,
Lily
verynice
PLEASE GIVE ME RECIPE FOR 10 PERSON….
You can increase the quantity for 10 person.
Excellent Recipe,
i love chicken biryani especially the smell it taste fabulous really delicious. I copied the recipe so that i will learn by myself to prepare so i can share to my loveones.
thanks a lot.
lemme try
lemme try
nice recipe………but the language is difficult………..
Very excellent
Hi this dish is very yummy iam going to try this asap.
This is a good recipe, it will be more delicious if some ghee is mixed with rice before putting into the pressure cooker
marniate the chicken about five tablespoon onion paste and ginger garlic paste five tablespoons and curd eight tablesppoons and cashew and almond paste eight tablespoons pepper powder fivetablespoons .
It was good….
shortcut way… what about if it has to prepared in a large quantity?? lets say for 10 to 20 peoples???? where i could get that much big pressure cooker…. plz suggest.
Biryani should not be made in cooker , the taste will not be good
A mouth watering easily cooked chickenyani for biryani lovers enjoy it
What I feel is 5 glasses of water is too much for 2 cups of rice.Wont the rice become too sticky.
YUM>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
funtastic.
it tastes wonderful!!!!!!!!!
no comment
very nice
Very good
super
cool and best for beginners!!!!!!!!!!!!
excellant
very beautifull recepie
i very nice to taste……i love chicken biryani
now i used to eat it more than my favourite dishes.
fine few words should be expland in proper waay ,,becoz tey dnt underst wat dos tat means … simple fine,….
You cant have a flavourful biryani in a pressure cooker….
excellent
excelent
the tastiness of a particular food is in the person’s hand cooks not in the recipes………… so please don’t blame the recipe
ONE SHOULD KNOW HOW TO COOK
THE TASTE IS IN YOUR HANDS IN RECIPE (ITS FOR YOU MR. RAJ)
ONE SHOULD KNOW HOW TO COOK
THE TASTE IS IN YOUR HANDS IN RECIPE (ITS FOR YOU MR. RAJ)
Wah so tasty chicken Biryani Recipe. I will give it a try to know its reall taste.
so bad it’s not taste
wow its so easy method to prepare a chicken biryani……..
i have made at home by seeing this recipe
its good and nice recipe for home made biryani
Of very good standard
SUPERB But i did,’t try
GOOD NICE
good
nice hay try kro…..
excellent
great….
very tasty
delicious
yes,the method is easy, and the biryani will have a good taste….
These recipe is very tasty and good. My wife made it well.
wow excellent taste!!
this is very good for prople who do not have that patience to cook a dum biriyani..try it!!.. its very good for biriyani substitute..
giid i have to try it
r u really cook? i think, this is new invention of chicken biryani.
Excellent
i think i will cook this recipe tonite for my pakistani husband . wish me luck.
Thanks for such a wonderful & very easy chicken biryani recepy.just double the ingredients for8 to 10 peoples.
I never feel that chicken biryani would be too easy which canbe prepared in a cooker..Not an ideal hyd biryani..
this recipe is also good. i tried it myself.
I don’t think this is how Biryani is made…This is simple Chicken n Rice…Poor Recipe…
amazing………….
it tasted good!!
It is very tasty. in my house all.are liking very much.
It is very tasty. in my house all.are liking very much.
Simple and the best recipe…….. i’ll surely try once i get married…… thanks
good i really like this recipe because it is very easy to prepared this recipe.
its tasty
tasty
it is tasty
very tasty
Its an great and delicious chicken biryani which i have never ate
I can`t get it…… Its not easy for freshers….
very nice
too gud, very easy
very eaisy
not good n original taste of india is missing
What a gorgeous Recipe! So rich, decadent and delicious!. Real yummy!
it is really very good recipe . by reading only mouth is full of water.
What I feel is 5 glasses of water is too much for 2 cups of rice.Wont the rice become too sticky.
Recipe is good.
Not good for health.I lost my 400 rs after eating .
This recepie is made for Rich people not for poor like me.so please remove this reccepe from site..
Kindly reimburs my money
very poor receipe not for poor people
Not good.
very bad. no layers of rice.
Good work. Now only to look for an oven (Oh Damn! electricity is gone ;) )
I liked it very much, my better half cooked for me.
I like only non-veg. items.
very good
what kind of flavour difference it has…….it has no kesar and no layers of chawal………sorry
Good
good
good
how tasty
hi i read the recipe that is excellent
super! super! super!
this is a good recipe
with due respect, you need to know the difference between biryani and chicken chawal.
i really liked it this one
I tasted it was very good.
it wudnt taste so well
This is a very good basic recipe. This is how its made in most homes where it is eaten on a daily basis. Only, its not baked in an oven, but the layers are arranged in a deep, preferably aluminium vessel, closed with a lid and sealed with wheat dough to prevent steam escaping. Cook for ten minutes. Its done. I had called in a professional cook to demonstrate a basic Biryani recipe to me once and this is exactly how she did it. You may add saffron soaked in a little milk, about half a glass and pour it on top when done and leave to absorb.