Chicken Thigh Biryani With Turmeric
No associated recipe found.
| 1 hour 20 minutes
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Marinated in spiced yoghurt, the chicken is nestled in a large pot and layered with fried onions, fresh coriander, and lightly spiced rice. The finishing touch? A drizzle of turmeric-infused milk for those signature golden streaks, plus ghee (or melted butter) for irresistible richness.
Chicken Thigh Biryani With Turmeric
Marinated in spiced yoghurt, the chicken is nestled in a large pot and layered with fried onions, fresh coriander, and lightly spiced rice. The finishing t…
Tips:
- Optionally add a few strands of saffron to the rice water during cooking or infuse the milk with saffron (substituting turmeric) for drizzling over the biryani.
- Add more green chilies if you love a kick of spice. You can also add some chili flakes when cooking the chicken.
- Allow the biryani to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving to enhance the flavours and allow the layers to settle.
- Ghee gives the dish that rich taste but if you don’t have it use clarified butter. When assembling the dish you can also add a little more ghee.
- If you don’t have fresh ginger and garlic, you can substitute with ginger-garlic paste, but freshly grated ginger and crushed garlic will provide a more aromatic punch.
What You Need
FOR THE CHICKEN MARINADE
- 200 g yogurt
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 knob ginger, finely grated
- 1 tbsp salt
FOR THE BIRYANI
- 1 kg chicken thighs
- 500 g basmati rice
- 4 red onions, sliced
- 10 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 knob ginger, finely grated
- 4 tomatoes, finely diced
- 2 green chilies, halved
- 3 tbsp ghee (reserve 1 tbsp for final assembly)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 green cardamom pods
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 tbsp garam masala
- 1 bunch mint
- 1 bunch coriander
How To Make The Best Chicken Thigh Biryani
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Marinate your chicken in the yoghurt, turmeric, cumin, chilli powder, and 1/2 of the garlic and ginger.
-
Wash your rice under cold water and leave it to soak for 20 minutes.
-
Boil a large pot of salted water and add the rice. Cook for 6-7 minutes or until it’s about 2/3 cooked, and then drain the water.
-
Heat the ghee in a large pot and flavour it with the cinnamon stick, green cardamom, and coriander seeds.
-
After a few minutes, add the onions and a tbsp of salt and sauté for 15-20 minutes, stirring often.
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Remove 1/4 of the cooked onions and set aside for the final assembly.
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Add the remaining garlic and ginger to the pot and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
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Add the marinated chicken, followed by the diced tomatoes, green chillies, and garam masala.
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Stir well and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the tomatoes are completely soft.
TO ASSEMBLE THE BIRYANI
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Pour the remaining ghee into the bottom of a large pot (make sure you have a lid to close it).
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Add a layer of rice, then a layer of chicken, and a sprinkling of mint and coriander.
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Repeat this until all the rice and chicken is in the pot.
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Make sure your last layer is rice on top with the reserved sautéed onions.
-
Warm 3 tbsp of milk with a pinch of turmeric (or saffron) and pour over the final assembled biryani.
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Seal the pot by using a tea towel under the lid and cook for 25 minutes on low.
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Serve with more chopped mint, coriander, and some crispy shallots (optional).
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Enjoy!
Storing Chicken Thigh Biryani
- Refrigerate: Store leftover biryani in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: You can freeze leftover biryani for up to 1 month. Make sure it’s cooled completely before transferring to a freezer-safe container. To reheat, defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat thoroughly.
- Rice Tip: When storing the rice, it’s best to separate it from the chicken to maintain texture. Reheat the rice with a splash of water to avoid it becoming too dry.
Serving Chicken Biryani
- Serve the biryani with a cooling side of raita or a simple cucumber salad.
- Pair the dish with crispy fried onions, extra mint and coriander for garnish, or a dollop of yoghurt on top.
- Serve with naan or paratha to scoop up the flavorful rice and chicken.
- For a crowd-pleasing option, accompany with a tikka masala and extra sauce for dipping the naan.
- For an indulgent side, I absolutely love onion bhajis!
Health Info
No associated recipe found.
Chicken Thigh Biryani Recipe
No associated recipe found.
Description
Marinated in spiced yoghurt, the chicken is nestled in a large pot and layered with fried onions, fresh coriander, and lightly spiced rice. The finishing touch? A drizzle of turmeric-infused milk for those signature golden streaks, plus ghee (or melted butter) for irresistible richness.
Ingredients
For the Chicken Marinade
- 200 g yogurt
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 5 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 knob of ginger finely grated
- 1 tbsp salt for chicken marinade
For the Biryani
- 1 kg chicken thighs boneless
- 500 g basmati rice
- 4 red onions sliced
- 10 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 knob of ginger finely grated
- 4 tomatoes finely diced
- 2 green chilies halved
- 3 tbsp ghee reserve 1 tbsp for the final assembly
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 green cardamom
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 tbsp garam masala
- 1 bunch mint
- 1 bunch coriander
Instructions
- Marinate your chicken in the yogurt, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, and 1/2 of the garlic and ginger.
- Wash your rice under cold water and leave it to soak for 20 minutes.
- Boil a large pot of salted water and add the rice. Cook for 6-7 minutes or until it’s about 2/3 cooked, and then drain the water.
- Heat the ghee in a large pot and flavor it with the cinnamon stick, green cardamom, and coriander seeds.
- After a few minutes, add the onions and a tbsp of salt and sauté for 15-20 minutes, stirring often.
- Remove 1/4 of the cooked onions and set aside for the final assembly.
- Add the remaining garlic and ginger to the pot and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the marinated chicken, followed by the diced tomatoes, green chilies, and garam masala.
- Stir well and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the tomatoes are completely soft.
For assembling the biryani
- Pour the remaining ghee into the bottom of a large pot (make sure you have a lid to close it).
- Add a layer of rice, then a layer of chicken, and a sprinkling of mint and coriander.
- Repeat this until all the rice and chicken is in the pot
- Make sure your last layer is rice on top with the reserved sautéed onions.
- Optionally, you can warm 3 tbsp of milk with a pinch of turmeric (or saffron) and pour over the final assembled biryani.
- Seal the pot by using a tea towel under the lid and cook for 25 minutes on low.
- Serve with more chopped mint, coriander, and some crispy shallots (optional).
- Enjoy!
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