Tips and Tricks of Chicken Biryani

No doubt, there is no need to introduce chicken Biryani especially for the eastern countries like Pakistan , India etc. Shortly mentioned, chicken Biryani is the dish of rice and the chicken. It is full of flavours and spices.

Tips and Tricks for making Chicken Biryani

There are some simple but of course, useful tricks which help in enhancing the flavour of biryani.

1. Marinate the chicken:

Mix garlic paste, red chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala and lemon juice in yogurt and add chicken in this yogurt mixture. Leave this marination for at least 1-2 hours( overnight if possible). This step helps in meat tenderization and infuses flavours .

2. Good quality Rice:

• Basmati Rice:

Always prefer to use long basmati rice for any type of biryani (meat or grains) because they are aromatic and non -sticky when cooked

• Rinse the rice well:

To remove excess starch and prevent it from becoming mushy, rice should be rinse well.

3. How to cook the Rise:

• Pre boil the rice:

Cook rice up to 70 to 80% done. This step is too much important because the final result and look depends on this step. Keep an eye , continuously on rice to avoid them from becoming mushy or overcooked.

• Use enough water:

Make sure that the ratio of water to rice is correct. Mostly it is about 1:1.5 -2 (1 part of rice to 1.5 -2 parts of water)

• Add whole spices:

While boiling rice, add some whole spices like cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, cloves and cardomon. These spices enhances the flavour of biryani.

4. Layering:

Layering is another important step while making biryani. Take a heavy bottom pan so that rice should not stick to the bottom. Grease the bottom with 1 tablespoon of oil then start layering. Begin with a layer of rice, then cooked chicken, repeat this process and ends with the layer of rice on top.

• Add fried onion:

Add fried onion, give a caramelized flavour to biryani.

• Ghee:

Drizzle ghee over the layers for more richness.

• Mint and Coriander:

Sprinkle fresh mint and coriander leaves add the freshness of rice.

5. Steaming:

• Pot sealing:

Covering the pot with the tight-fitting lid, it mean the steam has been trapped. This method is known as “dum cooking”. By doing so, it ensures that chicken and rice cook together and absorbing all the spices and fragrances.

• Cook on low heat:

25-30 minutes require to steam the rice properly. Remain the pot on low-heat stove. You can also place a griddle (tava) under the pot to prevent direct heat contact.

6. Some additional useful tricks:

• Saffron milk:

If you want to give some extra fragrance and colour to the biryani then mix saffron threads in 2-3 table spoons of warm milk; pour it over rice just before dum.

• Resting Time:

Let the biryani rest on rest for 10-15 minutes before serving, by doing so, spices and flavours are settled and rice grains become fluffier.

• Serve with accompaniments:

Serve the biryani with the raita ,simple green salad.

Hope so, by following the above mentioned steps you can impress your family and guests.