Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani
A royal one-pot rice dish where marinated chicken and fragrant basmati are layered and slow-cooked with spices, yogurt, and fried onions. Tender, aromatic, and deeply flavorful with the signature dum-pukht technique.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 685
- Protein
- 42g
Ingredients
- 800 g boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
- 1 whole green chili, minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups basmati rice
- ½ cup ghee or clarified butter
- 3 whole large onions, sliced thin
- 3 whole bay leaves
- 1 whole cinnamon stick (2 inches)
- 6 whole green cardamom pods
- 2 whole black cardamom pods
- 4 whole cloves
- 6 whole black peppercorns
- ½ whole mace blade
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon saffron strands
- ¼ cup warm milk
- ½ cup fried onions (prepared or store-bought)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh mint, chopped
Instructions
- 1
Marinate chicken in yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, green chili, lemon juice, red chili powder, turmeric, and salt for at least 30 minutes (or up to 4 hours).
- 2
Soak basmati rice in water for 20 minutes, then drain.
- 3
Steep saffron strands in warm milk and set aside.
- 4
Heat 2 tablespoons ghee in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Deep-fry sliced onions until golden brown and crispy (about 8-10 minutes). Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons fried onions for garnish.
- 5
In the same pot with remaining ghee, layer half the marinated chicken on the bottom.
- 6
Boil water in a separate large pot with bay leaves, cinnamon stick, green cardamom, black cardamom, cloves, black peppercorns, mace, and salt. Add soaked rice and cook until 70% done (rice grains should still have a slight firmness), about 6-7 minutes. Drain immediately.
- 7
Layer half the parboiled rice over the chicken in the pot, then sprinkle half the fried onions, cilantro, and mint.
- 8
Layer remaining marinated chicken, then top with remaining parboiled rice. Sprinkle remaining fried onions, cilantro, mint, and the saffron-milk mixture.
- 9
Drizzle 2 tablespoons ghee over the top layer. Cover pot with aluminum foil, then place a tight-fitting lid on top (this seals in steam for dum-pukht cooking).
- 10
Place pot on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until steam forms, then reduce to low heat. Dum-cook (steam-cook) for 45 minutes without opening the lid.
- 11
Turn off heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the lid, gently fluff biryani with a fork, and transfer to serving dish. Garnish with reserved fried onions, cilantro, and mint.
Tools you’ll need
- Heavy-bottomed pot with tight-fitting lid (5-6 quart capacity)
- Large pot for boiling rice
- Slotted spoon
- Paper towels
- Aluminum foil
- Fork for fluffing
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Knife
- Cutting board
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