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Indian · Pakistani

Chicken biryani

Non-vegetarian

चिकन बिरयानी · chicken biryani

Spiced, yogurt-marinated chicken layered with par-boiled basmati rice, fried onions, mint and saffron milk, then sealed and steamed so the flavours meet.

Chicken biryani is an Indian rice dish, ready in about 2 hours 55 minutes and made with chicken thigh, onion and basmati rice. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Mouth-watering chicken biryani served on a white plate with herbs and spices.
Photo: Bilal Moazzam / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
40 min
Cook
1 h 15 min
Rest
1 h
Total
2 h 55 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
681

Ingredients

6 servings

For the chicken

For the fried onions

For the rice

For layering

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the chicken with the yogurt (opens in a new tab), ginger, garlic (opens in a new tab), green chillies, chilli powder, turmeric (opens in a new tab), garam masala (opens in a new tab), salt and lemon juice (opens in a new tab). Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

    • 10 min

    Food safety: Marinate raw chicken in the fridge.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the sliced onions (opens in a new tab) over medium heat, stirring often, until deep golden brown and crisp. Lift out onto paper; keep the flavoured oil.

    Pull them off a shade lighter than you want — they keep darkening.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Soak the saffron (opens in a new tab) in the warm milk (opens in a new tab). Bring the water to a rolling boil in a large pot with the salt, bay leaves (opens in a new tab), cardamom (opens in a new tab), cloves (opens in a new tab) and cinnamon (opens in a new tab). Add the drained rice and boil until about 70% cooked — the grains should still have a firm core. Drain.

  4. Step 4

    Spread the chicken and its marinade in a heavy pot with 3 tbsp of the onion oil. Top with half the crisp onions (opens in a new tab), mint (opens in a new tab) and coriander, then all the rice. Scatter over the rest of the onions and herbs, drizzle with the saffron (opens in a new tab) milk (opens in a new tab) and ghee (opens in a new tab).

    Meat coated in a spiced marinade in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Ip Photographer on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Cover tightly (seal with foil under the lid) and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until steam builds, then over the lowest heat until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender.

    • 35 min
    • low heat

    Food safety: Cook chicken until the juices run clear and the thickest piece reaches 74 °C (165 °F). Wash hands, boards and knives after handling raw chicken.

  6. Step 6

    Rest, covered, for 5–10 minutes, then gently lift portions from the side so each plate gets both rice and chicken.

    • 5 min

    Food safety: Cool leftover rice quickly (within 1 hour), refrigerate, and reheat only once until piping hot.

About this dish

Origin
India · Commonly attributedBiryani developed in the Indian subcontinent under Persian and Mughal influence before partition; many regional styles exist in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. This is a generic home version.Also popular in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, United KingdomMore food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Rice dishes · Main courses
Cooking method
Marinated / cured, Boiled, Steamed, Shallow-fried
Taste
aromatic / warmly spiced, savoury, spicy (chilli heat), herby
Diet
No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · One-pot
Cook more with
Chicken thigh · Onion · Basmati rice · Yogurt · Fresh ginger · Garlic
Techniques
Shallow-frying · Boiling · Steaming · Marinating · Curing

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom yogurt, milk, ghee

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

681 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 463 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 22%
  • Carbohydrate 42%
  • Fat 35%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy681 kcal147 kcal
Protein37.6 g8.1 g
Carbohydrate71.2 g15.4 g
Net carbohydrate67.9 g14.7 g
Sugars4.8 g1 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre3.3 g0.7 g
Fat26.5 g5.7 g
Saturated fat6.5 g1.4 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol158 mg34 mg
Sodium1080 mg233 mg
Salt equivalent2.7 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
689 mg
Calcium
132 mg
Iron
5.5 mg
Magnesium
75 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
86 µg
Vitamin C
15 mg
Vitamin D
0.1 µg
Vitamin B12
1.1 µg
Folate (DFE)
316 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Garam masala: Curry powder (FDC 170924) used as a stand-in; both are ground blends of similar dried spices used in teaspoon amounts.
  • Basmati rice: Generic long-grain white rice (FDC 168877); basmati has very similar composition.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Salt the rice water generously — it should taste like the sea — because the rice absorbs flavour only while boiling.
  • A heat diffuser or a flat griddle under the pot prevents scorching during the dum (steaming) stage.

Common mistakes

  • Fully cooking the rice before layering, which makes it mushy.
  • Lifting the lid during steaming and letting the steam escape.

Serve with

  • Serve with cucumber raita and a simple onion salad.

Food safety

  • Cool leftover rice quickly (within 1 hour), refrigerate, and reheat only once until piping hot.

Storage

  • Keeps 2 days refrigerated.

Reheating

  • Sprinkle with water and reheat covered until piping hot throughout.

Variations

  • Hyderabadi kacchi biryani (India): Raw marinated meat is layered under the rice and cooked entirely by the dum steam.
  • Sindhi biryani (Pakistan): Includes potatoes, plums and plenty of tomatoes and chillies.
  • Kolkata biryani (India): Lighter spicing with potatoes and boiled eggs.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

For the chicken

Make Punjabi garam masalaUsed in steps 1, 3

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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