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Main Course

Kerala Chicken Biryani

Fragrant basmati layered with spiced chicken, caramelised onions, and whole spices — this Kerala-style biryani is cooked on dum until the rice absorbs every drop of flavour. The crispy bottom layer is the best part.

Ingredientsfor 6 servings

2 cup Basmati rice
3 Lbs Chicken 1 1/2 kg
1/2 tsp Chilly powder
11/2 tsp Coriander powder
10 piece Cinnamon (Karugapatta)
10 nos Cloves (Grambu)
8 nos Cardamom (Elakka)
1" piece Ginger
8 nos Garlic cloves
3 Stems Mint leaves Pudhina
2-3 Stems Coriander leaves
20 nos Cashews
15 nos Raisins Onakka munthiri
Ghee/Oil/Butter, to taste
3 tbsp Curd
1 tsp Rose essence
Yellow color powder A pinch
3 nos Onion big
3 nos Tomato
2-3 nos Green chillies
Oil — for frying
1/2 tsp Chilly powder
11/2 tsp Coriander powder
Turmeric powder A little
Black pepper A little
1 tsp Ginger garlic paste
2 tsp Masala powder Cinnamon-Cardamom-Cloves powder
5-6 Drops Lemon juice

Preparation

Step 1
For preparing Kerala Style Biriyani, first soak rice in water and keep for an hour. Drain water from rice and set aside. Cut chicken into fairly big pieces. Make slits if required.
Step 2
Mix together all the ingredients for marinating the chicken. Marinate the chicken with the above paste for approximately an hour. (You can do marination the previous day and refrigerate it).
Step 3
Fry chicken pieces in enough oil to a golden brown color.
Step 4
Don't fry the chicken pieces for long time. Otherwise, it will become very dry and hard. The purpose of doing this is to make the pieces little stronger so that it won`t split into small pieces while making curry. Keep fried chicken aside.
Step 5
Heat 2 - 3 tsp of ghee in a thick bottomed vessel.
Step 6
Add 3 - 4 pieces of cinnamon, cloves and cardamom and stir for a while.
Step 7
Add the drained rice into it and fry for about 10 minutes. Add water. For 1 cup of rice, add 1 3/4 cups of water.
Step 8
Turn the flame to high and cover with a lid. When boiling starts lower the flame and let the rice cook.
Step 9
After a while, when water is not visible on top of the rice, open the lid and mix the rice since the rice at the bottom can get burnt. After all the water has evaporated, don't keep it on stove for a long time.
Step 10
When the rice is cooked, switch off the stove and keep it closed for about 30 minutes.
Step 11
It is okay to switch off the stove even before the rice is completely cooked. Because it will get some cooking time while baking. Keep the cooked rice aside.
Step 12
Heat little oil or ghee or both together in a pan or a kadai.
Step 13
Add 1/2 tsp of ginger-garlic paste and cut green chillies and sauté` for sometime.
Step 14
Add onions and sauté` well.
Step 15
When it is nicely done, add chilly powder, coriander powder, a little turmeric powder, a little black pepper, a little masala powder and salt and cook again.
Step 16
Add curd and mix it well. Add fried chicken pieces to the mixture and stir.
Step 17
Cover and Let it cook for 10 minutes.
Step 18
Add big pieces of tomatoes, Put the lid on and cook.
Step 19
Stir in between. The gravy will become like a paste. It should not be dry or watery. :- Check salt and add more, if needed.
Step 20
Fry raisins, cashews, coriander and mint leaves etc in ghee and set aside.
Step 21
For baking biriyani in Oven Style:- Take a big flat dish.
Step 22
Coat it with ghee or butter. Put the chicken with gravy as a bottom layer followed by a layer of rice. You can repeat the layers if available.
Step 23
Mix yellow color powder with rose essence and sprinkle on top of the rice with a spoon carefully. Sprinkle 1 tsp of ghee on top of it.
Step 24
Sprinkle the fried cashews and raisins on top of it and cover with aluminium foil.
Step 25
Bake this in the oven at 375F for about 45 minutes.
Step 26
If you don't have Oven:- Use a big wide vessel coated with ghee or butter.
Step 27
Make layers as described in the above step.
Step 28
Cover it with a lid and heat the filled vessel on a low flame for approx 20 - 25 minutes.
Step 29
Check the bottom of the vessel in between with a spoon or something to make sure it is not getting burnt. If it is getting burnt, reduce the heat.
Step 30
Serve Kerala Chicken Biriyani with lime pickle and raita. :- Make raita with onions, tomato, green chillies(optional), curd and salt. You can use the same quantity of Mutton instead of chicken to make Mutton Biriyani with the same recipe.

Tip

Bone-in chicken gives a richer, more flavourful gravy than boneless. The marrow flavours the curry as it cooks.

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Ingredientsfor 6 servings

2 cup Basmati rice

3 Lbs Chicken 1 1/2 kg

1/2 tsp Chilly powder

11/2 tsp Coriander powder

10 piece Cinnamon (Karugapatta)

10 nos Cloves (Grambu)

8 nos Cardamom (Elakka)

1" piece Ginger

8 nos Garlic cloves

3 Stems Mint leaves Pudhina

2-3 Stems Coriander leaves

20 nos Cashews

15 nos Raisins Onakka munthiri

Ghee/Oil/Butter, to taste

3 tbsp Curd

1 tsp Rose essence

Yellow color powder A pinch

3 nos Onion big

3 nos Tomato

2-3 nos Green chillies

Oil — for frying

1/2 tsp Chilly powder

11/2 tsp Coriander powder

Turmeric powder A little

Black pepper A little

1 tsp Ginger garlic paste

2 tsp Masala powder Cinnamon-Cardamom-Cloves powder

5-6 Drops Lemon juice

Preparation

Step 1

For preparing Kerala Style Biriyani, first soak rice in water and keep for an hour. Drain water from rice and set aside. Cut chicken into fairly big pieces. Make slits if required.

Step 2

Mix together all the ingredients for marinating the chicken. Marinate the chicken with the above paste for approximately an hour. (You can do marination the previous day and refrigerate it).

Step 3

Fry chicken pieces in enough oil to a golden brown color.

Step 4

Don't fry the chicken pieces for long time. Otherwise, it will become very dry and hard. The purpose of doing this is to make the pieces little stronger so that it won`t split into small pieces while making curry. Keep fried chicken aside.

Step 5

Heat 2 - 3 tsp of ghee in a thick bottomed vessel.

Step 6

Add 3 - 4 pieces of cinnamon, cloves and cardamom and stir for a while.

Step 7

Add the drained rice into it and fry for about 10 minutes. Add water. For 1 cup of rice, add 1 3/4 cups of water.

Step 8

Turn the flame to high and cover with a lid. When boiling starts lower the flame and let the rice cook.

Step 9

After a while, when water is not visible on top of the rice, open the lid and mix the rice since the rice at the bottom can get burnt. After all the water has evaporated, don't keep it on stove for a long time.

Step 10

When the rice is cooked, switch off the stove and keep it closed for about 30 minutes.

Step 11

It is okay to switch off the stove even before the rice is completely cooked. Because it will get some cooking time while baking. Keep the cooked rice aside.

Step 12

Heat little oil or ghee or both together in a pan or a kadai.

Step 13

Add 1/2 tsp of ginger-garlic paste and cut green chillies and sauté` for sometime.

Step 14

Add onions and sauté` well.

Step 15

When it is nicely done, add chilly powder, coriander powder, a little turmeric powder, a little black pepper, a little masala powder and salt and cook again.

Step 16

Add curd and mix it well. Add fried chicken pieces to the mixture and stir.

Step 17

Cover and Let it cook for 10 minutes.

Step 18

Add big pieces of tomatoes, Put the lid on and cook.

Step 19

Stir in between. The gravy will become like a paste. It should not be dry or watery. :- Check salt and add more, if needed.

Step 20

Fry raisins, cashews, coriander and mint leaves etc in ghee and set aside.

Step 21

For baking biriyani in Oven Style:- Take a big flat dish.

Step 22

Coat it with ghee or butter. Put the chicken with gravy as a bottom layer followed by a layer of rice. You can repeat the layers if available.

Step 23

Mix yellow color powder with rose essence and sprinkle on top of the rice with a spoon carefully. Sprinkle 1 tsp of ghee on top of it.

Step 24

Sprinkle the fried cashews and raisins on top of it and cover with aluminium foil.

Step 25

Bake this in the oven at 375F for about 45 minutes.

Step 26

If you don't have Oven:- Use a big wide vessel coated with ghee or butter.

Step 27

Make layers as described in the above step.

Step 28

Cover it with a lid and heat the filled vessel on a low flame for approx 20 - 25 minutes.

Step 29

Check the bottom of the vessel in between with a spoon or something to make sure it is not getting burnt. If it is getting burnt, reduce the heat.

Step 30

Serve Kerala Chicken Biriyani with lime pickle and raita. :- Make raita with onions, tomato, green chillies(optional), curd and salt. You can use the same quantity of Mutton instead of chicken to make Mutton Biriyani with the same recipe.