Ingredients

• Basmati rice - 1.5 cups
• Chicken - 1 Kg
• Onions - 2 medium sized (finely sliced)
• Tomatoes - 3 medium sized (finely sliced)
• Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tbsp
• green chillies - 3-4
• Mint leaves - 2 tbsp (Roughly chopped)
• Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp (Roughly chopped)
• Ghee - 6 tbsp
• Whole Garam masala:
• 2 one inch sticks of Cinnamon
• 3 - green cardamom
• 3 - Black cardamom
• 3 - Bay leaves
• 3 - Cloves
• Saffron Strands - 4-5
• Warm Milk - 3 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli and coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Yogurt - 1.5 cups
• Salt as per taste
• Water - 4 cups

How to Make Spicy Chicken Biriyani

• Clean chicken. Cut into half inch sized pieces.
• Clean, wash and soak rice in the water.
• Soak saffron in warm milk and keep aside.
• Marinate chicken pieces with turmeric, salt, yogurt, 1 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste for 4 hours in a cool place.
• Now cook the rice in salted boiling water along with whole garam masala.
• rice should be half cooked. Retain the strained water. Keep the rice warm.
• Heat ghee in a pan or pressure cooker. Add sliced onions and green chillies, cook until golden brown, make sure to stir continuously.
• Add remaining ginger-garlic paste and mix well.
• Now add the marinated chicken pieces and cook on a high flame, stirring continuously for 7-8 mins.
• Now add coriander and red chilli powder mix thoroughly.
• Stir in 3 cups of water, bring it to boil, reduce heat and cook covered till chicken pieces are almost cooked.
• Add tomatoes, 1/2 tsp garam masala powder, half the chopped mint and coriander leaves.
• Cook for 15 mins on a medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• In case you are cooking in the pressure cooker, it normally takes 2 whistles.
• Ensure that cooked chicken does not have a runny gravy. If it is so, cook on a high flame to reduce the water content.
• Take a pressure cooker. Mix the warm rice and chicken masala. Check the salt.
• Sprinkle the remaining mint-coriander leaves, saffron milk and 2 tbsp of ghee.
• In the end, sprinkle a glass of the retained water, cover it with a moist cloth and seal it with a lid.
• Cook it for 15-20 mins.
• Serve hot with onion raitha.