Hairy Bikers Chicken Biryani

The Hairy Bikers chicken biryani is a one-pot rice dish where marinated chicken and basmati cook together in layers. It comes from Chicken and Egg, feeds 4 at around 650 kcal, and you need to marinate the chicken the day before.

Most of the flavour comes from the marinade, so it is worth doing properly. You toast whole spices and grind them fresh, mix them into yoghurt, then leave the chicken sitting in it overnight.

The rice is the part people get wrong, because it only gets 5 minutes in boiling water before you drain it. That keeps the grains firm, so they finish cooking in the steam later instead of turning to mush.

Hairy Bikers Chicken Biryani Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Steaming Cuisine:British Indian Courses:Dinner

Difficulty:AdvancedPrep time: 45 minutesCook time: 45 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time:1 hour 30 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:650 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

An overnight spiced-yoghurt marinade does the heavy lifting here, then the basmati gets a quick boil with whole aromatics before everything layers up. Crisp fried onions, saffron milk, and melted butter go in, then a low steam under a covered lid brings it together, ready to garnish with egg, almonds, and herbs.

Ingredients

For the Chicken and Marinade

• 1kg chicken pieces, bone in but skinned
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 30g root ginger, grated
• 1 tsp cardamom pods, seeds only
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2cm cinnamon stick
• ½ tsp chilli powder or cayenne
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 200ml yoghurt
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Rice

• 500g basmati rice
• 2 mace blades
• 1 tsp green cardamom pods
• 3cm cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves
• ½ tsp black peppercorns
• 3 bay leaves

For Layering

• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 onions, finely sliced
• 2 to 4 green chillies, finely sliced
• Small bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
• Pinch of saffron
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of sugar
• 50ml milk
• 500ml chicken stock
• 25g butter, melted, or ghee

To Garnish

• A few fresh coriander sprigs
• A few mint sprigs
• 3 eggs, hard-boiled and quartered
• 2 tbsp flaked almonds, lightly toasted

Instructions

1. Marinate the chicken: Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then mix the lemon juice, garlic, and ginger in a bowl. Toast the whole spices until aromatic, cool and grind them, then mix with the chilli powder and turmeric before stirring into the yoghurt. Rub it into the chicken, cover, and leave for several hours or overnight.
2. Par-boil the rice: Wash the rice until the water runs clear, then soak it in cold water for 15 minutes. Bag the whole spices and drop them into a pan of just-boiled water, add the rice and salt, then simmer for 5 minutes only before draining and rinsing under cold water.
3. Fry the onions: Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil and fry the onions until soft, then turn up the heat until they brown and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper, mix half through the rice, and set the rest aside. Stir the green chillies and chopped coriander through the rice too.
4. Infuse the saffron: Grind the saffron with the salt and sugar, then warm it in a small pan with the milk. Take it off the heat and leave it to infuse for half an hour.
5. Brown and simmer: Heat the last of the oil in a large casserole, then brown the chicken all over. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, and simmer for 25 minutes until the chicken is nearly cooked and most of the stock has gone.
6. Layer up: Sprinkle the rice evenly over the chicken, pour over the saffron milk, then make holes with a wooden spoon handle and pour the melted butter into them.
7. Steam it: Lay a folded tea towel over the casserole and put the lid on top, then steam over low heat for 20 minutes until the grains are separate. Take it off the heat and leave it covered for another 10 minutes.
8. Garnish and serve: Spoon it onto a big platter, then scatter over the herbs, quartered eggs, reserved onions, and toasted almonds.

FAQs

How much rice do I need for 1kg of chicken?

Si and Dave pair 500g of basmati with 1kg of chicken, which is roughly half the rice weight to the meat. In cups that is about two and a half, measured dry before soaking.

Keep that ratio if you scale up, so 2kg of chicken wants a kilo of rice for the same balance.

Is chicken biryani spicy?

This one is warm rather than fiery, and you control the heat with the green chillies. The recipe gives a range of two to four, so start low if you are unsure.

The half teaspoon of chilli powder in the marinade adds a gentle background heat, while the yoghurt keeps everything mellow.

Does chicken biryani have nuts or dairy?

This recipe has both, so it is worth knowing if you cook for allergies. The flaked almonds on top are nuts, and there is dairy in the yoghurt marinade, the saffron milk, and the butter.

You can leave off the almonds and swap the butter for extra oil, though the yoghurt is harder to replace since it tenderises the chicken.

Can you freeze chicken biryani?

It keeps in the fridge for up to three days, and the flavour deepens overnight as the spices settle. Reheat it gently with a splash of water, covered, so the rice steams back to life rather than drying out.

It freezes too, though the grains soften a little once thawed, so it is best fresh if you want that separate, fluffy rice.

What do you serve with chicken biryani?

Biryani is a meal on its own, though a cool raita and a wet curry alongside turn it into a feast. A mild chicken korma is the creamy classic at 425 calories, or their tangy chicken dhansak spooned over the rice works well too.

For a lamb take on the same feast, their lamb biryani seals it under a dough lid, while chicken tikka masala makes a richer tomato-based side.