Biryanis & Pulav · Telangana

Chicken Fry Biryani

Crisp, red, curry-leaf chicken fry tucked between layers of mint basmati, the way Hyderabad's late-night biryani joints serve it.

Chicken Fry Biryani

Prep 25 min · Cook 50 min · Total 75 min + 1 hr marinade · Serves 4

Ingredients

Chicken fry

  • 750 g Chicken, bone-in, small curry cut
  • 1 ½ tbsp Ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 ½ tsp Guntur red chilli powder
  • ½ tsp Turmeric
  • 1 ½ tsp Coriander powder
  • 1 tsp Garam masala
  • 1 tsp Black pepper, freshly crushed
  • 2 tbsp Thick yogurt
  • 1 tbsp Lemon juice
  • 1 ½ tsp Salt
  • 5 tbsp Oil
  • 3 sprigs Curry leaves
  • 5 Green chillies, slit
  • 1 Large onion, thinly sliced

Rice

  • 2 cups Aged basmati rice
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 4 Green cardamom pods
  • 4 Cloves
  • 1 inch Cinnamon stick
  • 1 tsp Shahi jeera
  • ½ cup Mint leaves
  • 2 tbsp Salt, for the water

Layering

  • 3 tbsp Ghee
  • ½ cup Coriander leaves, chopped
  • ½ cup Mint leaves
  • ½ cup Fried onions (birista)
  • 1 pinch Saffron or a few drops of orange food colour

Method

  1. Marinate. Mix the chicken with the ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala, pepper, yogurt, lemon juice and salt. Leave for at least 1 hour.
  2. Fry the chicken. Heat the oil in a wide kadai over medium-high heat. Fry the onion until golden, then add the curry leaves and green chillies until they crackle. Add the chicken and fry, turning often, until cooked through and the masala is dry, dark and sticking to the pieces, 15 to 18 minutes.
  3. Par-boil the rice. Boil 2 1/2 litres of water with the whole spices, mint and salt. Add the drained rice and cook until 70% done. Drain at once.
  4. Layer. In a heavy pot, spread half the chicken fry with its oil, then half the rice, coriander, mint and birista. Repeat. Drizzle the ghee and saffron water over the top.
  5. Dum and serve. Cover with foil and a tight lid, cook on medium for 3 minutes, then on a hot tawa over the lowest flame for 15 minutes. Rest 10 minutes and serve with raita and a wedge of lemon.

Tips

Fry the chicken in two batches if your pan is small so it browns rather than steams. The scraped-up masala at the bottom of the kadai is the best part; spoon it all into the pot.