Ingredients
- 1kg chicken thighs
- 500g basmati rice
- 4 red onions, sliced
- 10 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 knobs of ginger, finely grated
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp salt for chicken marinade
- 200g yogurt
- 4 tomatoes, finely diced
- 2 green chillies, halved
- 3 tbsp ghee (reserve 1 tbsp for the final assembly)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 green cardamom
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 tbsp garam masala
- 1 bunch mint
- 1 bunch coriander
Method
1. Marinate your chicken in the yoghurt, turmeric, cumin, chilli powder and 1/2 of the garlic and ginger.
2. Wash your rice under cold water and leave it to soak for 20 minutes.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the rice. Cook for 6-7 minutes or until it's about 2/3 cooked, and then drain the water.
4. In a large pot, heat the ghee and flavour with the cinnamon stick, green cardamom and coriander seeds. After a few minutes, add the onions and a tbsp of salt and sauté for 15-20 minutes, stirring often.
5. Remove 1/4 of the cooked onions and set aside for the final assembly.
6. Add the remaining garlic and ginger to the pot and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
7. Add the marinated chicken, followed by the diced tomatoes, green chillies and garam masala.
8. Stir well and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the tomatoes are completely soft.
9. In a large pot you have the lid for, start the assembly of the biryani by pouring the remaining ghee into the bottom, followed by a layer of rice, then a layer of chicken and a sprinkling of the mint and coriander.
10. Repeat this until all the rice and chicken is in the pot.
11. Make sure your last layer is rice on top with the reserved sautéed onions.
12. Optionally, you can warm 3 tbsp of milk with a pinch of saffron and pour over the final assembled biryani.
13. Seal the pot by using a tea towel under the lid and cook for 25 minutes on low.
14. Serve with more chopped mint, coriander and some crispy shallots (optional).
15. Enjoy!
