Weeknight Chicken Biryani! This stovetop version of the well-known Indian rice dish is made with chicken and flavored with turmeric and ginger. Ready for the table in less than an hour.
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Biryani is a beautiful South Asian rice pilaf that is often served at celebrations in India. It’s usually made by layering golden-colored rice, tender meat or seafood, and vegetables in a pot and baking or steaming them until the whole dish is fragrant and infused with flavor. My Indian friends here in the United States speak of this dish with a lot of nostalgia.
The ratio of rice to meat in biryani might surprise you. This is not a meat dish served with rice as a side dish. It is a meat flavored rice dish. Think of the chicken as a condiment for the rice.
I use bone-in chicken thighs, which always come out juicy no matter how long they cook. To prepare them for cooking, cut each shank in half along the bone – this gives you some cuts of meat with the bone still in and some boneless.
This way, the bones add fullness to the pot and the meat cooks in the time it takes for the rice to absorb its water. And they get bones for the people they love!
You can use boneless thighs instead (cut them in half and cook them the same way), but you won’t get the richness from the bones in the broth.
I like golden rice so I make the dish with turmeric, cardamom, ginger and a cinnamon stick. Golden raisins go in with the rice and finally chopped almonds and fresh coriander are sprinkled on top.
My weekday version has spices but no heat. If you want some spiciness, add a generous sprinkling of crushed red pepper to the onion as it softens.
This is the ideal dish if you have decided to eat less meat. You get lots of interesting flavors and textures in pilaf and just enough protein to feel full.
Weeknight Chicken Biryani
Boneless thighs can substitute for bone-in thighs if you prefer, although you will lose the richness that the bones add to the dish. Prepare the boneless thighs and cook them in the same way.
This recipe tastes great with raita yogurt sauce and naan!
ingredients
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1 1/2 cups (150g) long grain white ricelike basmati
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4 Chicken thighs with bones and skin (Above 1 1/2 lb)
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1 teaspoon Saltor more to taste
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1/2 teaspoon black pepperor more to taste
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2 tablespoon vegetable oil
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1 big yellow onionroughly chopped
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1 (2 inch) piece fresh gingerpeeled and finely chopped
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1 teaspoon ground turmeric
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1/2 ground teaspoon cardamomplus more to taste
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1 floor Cinammon
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1 bay Sheet
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1/2 Cup golden raisins
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2 1/2 cups chicken broth or water
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1/4 Cup skinned or unskinned whole almondsor flaked almonds
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2 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
method
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Rinse rice:
In a bowl of water, toss the rice several times with your hands. Place the rice in a fine-mesh sieve. Refill the bowl with water, then add the rice back in and toss again – the water should now be clear. If this is the case, dump the rice back into the colander and drain until needed. If the water was not clear, repeat rinsing with fresh water until the water runs clear.
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Prepare the chicken:
Cut each thigh in half along the bone. The pieces are unevenly sized with the bone in one half. Sprinkle the chicken all over with salt and pepper.
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Roast Chicken:
In a large Dutch oven or heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chicken, skin-side down. Cook for 5 minutes without disturbing. Turn the chicken and fry the other side for 4 minutes. Pour into a bowl. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan.
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Cooking onion and spices:
Add the onion and ginger to the saucepan and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring frequently, for 8 minutes or until tender. Add turmeric and cardamom. Cook for 1 more minute while stirring.
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Add the rice and seared chicken:
Add the rice to the pan and stir in the onion and spices.
Return the seared chicken to the pan along with any juices that have collected in the bowl. Toss the chicken in the spices, covering the pieces all over.
Add cinnamon, bay leaf, raisins and water.
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Cook the biryani:
Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover the pan. Simmer 18 minutes or until rice is tender and chicken is tender. Remove the pan from the heat; Set aside for 5 minutes.
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Roast Almonds:
In a dry skillet over medium-high heat, toast the almonds, shaking the skillet frequently, for 5 minutes or until fragrant. Chop coarsely.
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Serve Biryani:
Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick from the rice. Taste and add additional salt, pepper or cardamom to suit your taste. Sprinkle the dish with almonds and coriander.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 456 | calories |
| 25g | Fat |
| 29g | carbohydrates |
| 32g | protein |
