Name: Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani recipe by Sunita Sahu at BetterButter
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 cups basmati rice (preferably aged rice); 2 to 2 ½ litres water; 1 tsp shahi jeera; 1 small bay leaf; 2 inch thin cinnamon, 3 green cardamoms, 4 cloves (optional); 3 tbsp oil; 2 medium onions sliced thinly; 1 star anise / chakri phool; 3 green cardamoms / choti elaichi; 1 black cardamom (optional) / badi elaichi; 4 cloves / lavang; 1 inch cinnamon stick / dalchini; ½ tsp shahi jeera / caraway seeds; 1 bay leaf / tej patta; 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste; ½ kg chicken (500 to 600 grams) (or 1 lb); Salt to taste; 1/8 to ¼ tsp turmeric / haldi; 1 ½ to 2 tsp biryani masala (or chickn masala); ¾ to 1 tsp red chili powder / lal mirch powder; 2 green chilies slit (adjust as needed); 1 cup thick fresh curd / dahi / yogurt (do not use sour curd); Handful of pudina / mint finely chopped; Handful of coriander leaves finely chopped; 2 tbsp hot milk with pinch of saffron soaked; 1 tsp kewra water; 1 tbsp ghee / clarified butter

ABOUT Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani RECIPE

Hyderabadi dum biryani, a classic dish of the Mughal Nizams is an eye-catching aromatic rice loved by all. We all love biryani, but when it comes to preparing them most of us, step back because of the tedious process. But trust me, once you learn the right process, it is such an easy breezy way of making restaurant style hyderabadi chicken biryani. You will adore it. Hyderabadi chicken dum biryani recipe can be prepared in two ways, kacha (kachi) Method and Pakki Method. In the Kachi method of making biriyani, the raw ingredients are just marinated and placed at the bottom of a utensil and layered with partially cooked rice, saffron etc. Sealed & cooked on a slow dum process, trapping the steam inside for even cooking. I have also shared one such kachi chicken biryani here sometime ago. Pakki is the other method where the meat and rice are cooked separately and then the rice, saffron etc are layered, sealed and cooked on a dum process for a shorter time. In this post I am sharing the second method of making i.e the pakki chicken dum biryani recipe made in hyderabadi style. This recipe yields very aromatic biryani rice with delicious, soft tender chicken.

Ingredients Serving: 4

2 cups basmati rice (preferably aged rice)
2 to 2 ½ litres water
1 tsp shahi jeera
1 small bay leaf
2 inch thin cinnamon, 3 green cardamoms, 4 cloves (optional)
3 tbsp oil
2 medium onions sliced thinly
1 star anise / chakri phool
3 green cardamoms / choti elaichi
1 black cardamom (optional) / badi elaichi
4 cloves / lavang
1 inch cinnamon stick / dalchini
½ tsp shahi jeera / caraway seeds
1 bay leaf / tej patta
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
½ kg chicken (500 to 600 grams) (or 1 lb)
Salt to taste
1/8 to ¼ tsp turmeric / haldi
1 ½ to 2 tsp biryani masala (or chickn masala)
¾ to 1 tsp red chili powder / lal mirch powder
2 green chilies slit (adjust as needed)
1 cup thick fresh curd / dahi / yogurt (do not use sour curd)
Handful of pudina / mint finely chopped
Handful of coriander leaves finely chopped
2 tbsp hot milk with pinch of saffron soaked
1 tsp kewra water
1 tbsp ghee / clarified butter

Instructions

Cooking Biryani Rice: :point_down: Wash rice few times until the water runs clear. Soak for 30 mins. Drain the water.
Bring 8 to 10 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add bay leaf and shahi jeera. You can also add cinnamon stick, cardamoms and cloves. You can also tie these spices in a muslin cloth and add to the pot. It can be discarded later
When the water comes to a boil, add salt and drained rice.
Cook until it is done al dente. Rice should be firm, grainy and you must feel the bite into the grain when you bite it. Drain it off to a colander.
Making chicken biryani gravy: :point_down: While the rice cooks, Saute onions in hot oil to make fried onions. When they are golden and evenly done, set aside 1/4 of them aside on a kitchen towel.
Lower the flame and saute bay leaf, star anise, shahi jeera, cloves, cardamom.
Add ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell has gone completely.
Add chicken and fry on a medium heat until it turns pale or white.
Sprinkle salt, biriyani masala, red chili powder, slit green chilies and turmeric. Mix well and fry for 3 mins.
Cover and cook on a low to medium flame for 3 to 4 mins to let the moisture out from the meat.
Pour yogurt and mix well. Cover and cook on a medium heat until the meat is completely cooked and the gravy thickens. At this stage a thick gravy is left for the dum process. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
Lower the flame, sprinkle some mint and coriander leaves. Stir well.
Layer the rice evenly. Sprinkle fried onions, mint, coriander leaves, saffron soaked milk, kewra water & ghee. You can also skip using saffron, ghee and kewra water but these give an authentic touch.
Cover the pot with a foil or a moist kitchen cloth. Place a tight lid to trap the steam or dum. If the lid is not tight then you can place a heavy pot on top of the lid.
To make multilayer hyderabadi chicken dum biryani: Use a small pot . Just before layering the rice, set aside half of the chicken curry. Layer half the rice. Then layer the rest of the curry. Repeat layering rice then ghee, kewra , mint coriander and fried onions.
Dum process on stove top Heat a old tawa or a pan, place this biryani pot and dum cook for 12 to 15 mins on a medium heat. If using a induction stovetop, you can directly place the pot at 3 No for 15 to 20 mins.
Serve chicken dum biryani with salan and raita

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