Chicken Biryani
Biryani is hands down one of the most special rice dishes out there. I know there are loads of variations, but for me, a proper biryani needs those classic touches — saffron, almonds, and definitely caramelised onions. This isn’t a dish you throw together on a weeknight. It’s a labour of love, best saved for when you really want to impress. Take your time, enjoy the process, and trust me — every layered, fragrant bite is worth it.
Servings: 6-8
| 350g golden sella basmati rice |
| 1.5kg boneless thigh chicken |
| 2 onions chopped into slices |
| 2 onions finely chopped |
| 2 thumbs of ginger |
| 2 green chillies |
| 8 garlic cloves |
| 1 small lemon/lime juiced |
| 1g saffron |
| 50ml milk |
| 50g blanched almonds |
| 50g cashews |
| 50g butter |
| 20g ghee |
| 4 heaped tablespoons of creamy yoghurt |
| 2 tsp Mandala king masala |
| 1 tsp Mandala garam masala |
| 1 tsp sugar |
| 1 tsp cumin seeds |
| Salt to taste |
| Bunch of coriander leaves |
Prepare:
| Soak the almonds in lukewarm water for 15-20 minutes to soften. Peel the skin off from all the almonds and set aside. |
| Soak the rice in a large bowl and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Set aside. |
| Wash the coriander and separate the stalks away from the leaves. Finely chop the leaves and set aside. |
| In a food processor add half the almonds, half the cashew nuts, garlic, ginger, green chilli, coriander stalks, a splash of water and blitz into a very smooth paste, set aside. |
| In a food processor blitz 2 onions and set aside. |
| In a heavy non-stick pan gently heat the saffron threads until they turn a shade darker. Use the back of a spoon to crush the saffron into a fine dust. Carefully add the saffron to a glass of warm milk, stir and set aside. |
| In a large pan gently fry the remaining almonds and cashews in butter or ghee until they turn golden brown. Be careful not to burn them. Set aside. |
| In the same pan, gently fry the sliced onions in butter/ghee until they develop a nice golden colour. Add the sugar to help them caramelise. Once done, set aside. |
Cook:
| In the same pan, add some ghee, sprinkle the cumin seeds and once they start to sizzle add the blitzed onions and fry for 4-5 minutes until they turn brown at the edges. |
| Add the almond, ginger, garlic, chilli, coriander paste to the pan and continue to fry until the water has evaporated away. |
| Once the oil begins to separate, add the Mandala king masala and fry gently for 30 seconds. If the mixture begins to stick add a splash of water. |
| Add the yoghurt and salt to taste, stir and fry for 2-3 minutes. |
| Add the chicken and a cup of water. Stir and place a lid on the pan and let this cook for about 20 minutes. While this meat is cooking you can preheat your oven to 140 degrees C. |
| Remove the lid from the pan and add the Mandala garam masala, a splash of fresh lemon/lime juice. Gently add this chicken mixture into a deep oven-proof casserole dish. Garnish with 90% of the caramelised onions and the remaining chopped coriander and place into the pre-heated oven to keep warm. |
| Now bring a large pan of water to boil and add a spoon of salt. Drain the rice and carefully empty it into the pan and continuously cook on a high heat for 6 minutes. The rice should be 60-70% cooked. 6 minutes is the time I use for golden sella basmati but please adjust the cooking time according to the rice you use. For normal basmati, the rice will probably be par-cooked in about 4-5 minutes. |
| You have to work quickly now, because we need to retain the steam from the rice in order to finish cooking it in the oven. |
| Drain the rice and carefully spread on top of the meat in the casserole dish. |
| Drizzle the saffron milk all over the rice and ensure some grains are stained yellow while others remain white. |
| Add slivers of cold butter onto the rice and garnish the top of the biryani with the almonds, cashews and remaining onion slices. |
| Seal the casserole dish with a tight-fitting lid or kitchen foil and continue to cook in the oven for 35 minutes at 170 degrees C. |
Garnish:
| Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and a de-seeded sweet red chilli and enjoy! |
