Chicken Tikka Biryani
Love biryani and tikka? This Chicken Tikka Biryani recipe brings the best of both worlds! Juicy, spice-marinated chicken meets flavour-packed rice in a one-pot dum-cooked dish It’s easier than you think and totally worth the effort. Save this now to spice up your next dinner plan!
Servings: 3 people
Calories: 818.77kcal
Ingredients
For chicken marination:
- 400 to 500 grams boneless chicken thighs (5 to 6 thighs)
- 2 tablespoon full-fat labneh (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (juice of half a lime)
- 1 tablespoon mustard oil (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon kasuri methi
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon salt
For tikka biryani masala:
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 3 green cardamom
- 5 cloves
- 2 bay leaf
- 1 large onion sliced thinly
- ½ red bell pepper (optional)
- 2 to 3 green chillies slit
- Fistful fresh mint leaves
- 2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 large tomato chopped roughly
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ cup whisked full-fat yoghurt room temperature
- 2 teaspoon kasuri methi
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
For infusing smoked flavour
- 1 piece charcoal
- 1 teaspoon ghee
For biryani rice:
- 1¼ cup basmati rice
- 2 bay leaf
- 2 green chillies
- ½ inch cinnamon stick
- 2 green cardamom
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds (shahjeera) (optional)
- 5 cups water
- 1 tablespoon salt (more than usual)
For assembling:
- 1 pinch saffron strands (soaked in 2 tablespoons of hot water or warm milk) see notes
- 2 teaspoon rose water (or kewra water)
- 2 teaspoon ghee
- chopped coriander leaves
- fried onions
- garam masala
Instructions
Marinate the chicken:
- Rinse the boneless chicken thighs under cold water and then gently pat them dry with paper towels.400 to 500 grams boneless chicken thighs
- In the bowl with the chicken, add labneh (hung curd), ginger garlic paste, juice of half a lime, all the ground spices, kasuri methi, salt and mustard oil.2 tbsp full-fat labneh, 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste, 1 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp mustard oil, 1 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp kasuri methi, ½ tsp cumin powder, ½ tsp black pepper powder, ½ tsp garam masala, 1 tsp salt
- Using clean hands, thoroughly mix all the ingredients, ensuring that the chicken pieces are well coated with the marinade.
- Cover the mixing bowl either with plastic wrap or a lid and let it sit for an hour or refrigerate overnight.
Grill the chicken:
- If using skewers, thread the marinated chicken pieces onto them. If not, you can place the chicken directly on the grill or a lined baking sheet.
- Stove-top: Heat a grill pan on medium-high heat, drizzle cooking oil, and carefully place the skewers, avoiding overcrowding. Grill for 6-8 minutes on each side until charred. Reduce heat to medium and continue grilling until chicken is cooked through. You may partially cover the pan to avoid splattering. (see notes)
- Oven: Preheat oven to 220-250°C on hot air setting. Use a shallow ovenproof dish to suspend skewers, or line a baking tray with foil and use a wire rack. Bake in the middle rack for 20 mins, flipping skewers halfway and brushing with butter or oil.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and keep it aside.
Soak the rice:
- Rinse the basmati rice under cold water until the water runs clear.1¼ cup basmati rice
- Soak the rice in clean water for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Place a large pot of water on another hob and let it come to a boil while the masala cooks.5 cups water
Prepare tikka biryani masala:
- Heat oil in a heavy and wide-bottomed saucepot over medium heat. This will be the pot in which biryani will be assembled so we have fewer dishes to do.1 tbsp cooking oil, 1 tbsp ghee
- Add the whole spices and let them sizzle for a few seconds to release their aroma.3 green cardamom, 5 cloves, 2 bay leaf
- Next, add thinly sliced onions to the pan and sauté them until they turn golden brown and caramelized.1 large onion
- If using, add half a red bell pepper that has been thinly sliced. Stir and cook for a few minutes until the bell pepper softens slightly.½ red bell pepper
- Now, add the slit green chillies and a fistful of fresh mint leaves. Stir and cook for another minute to infuse their flavours into the mixture.2 to 3 green chillies, Fistful fresh mint leaves
- Stir in ginger garlic paste and sauté for a minute until the raw aroma disappears.2 tsp ginger garlic paste
- Next, add roughly chopped tomato along with all the ground spices and cook until it becomes soft and mushy.1 large tomato, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp red chilli powder, 2 tsp coriander powder, ½ tsp cumin powder
- Pour in the room temp whisked yoghurt and mix thoroughly.½ cup whisked full-fat yoghurt
- Allow the mixture to simmer gently for a few minutes until the oil surfaces. Meanwhile, get the charcoal ready for infusing smoky flavour.
- Stir in kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) crushed between your palms and garam masala.2 tsp kasuri methi, ½ tsp garam masala
- Lastly, add a fistful of chopped coriander leaves and the cooked chicken pieces and mix well.¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
- Reduce the heat to the lowest and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the oil surfaces. Switch off the heat.
Infuse a smoky flavour (Dhungar):
- This step is optional but I highly recommend it. Take a small piece of charcoal and heat it on a direct flame until it becomes red hot. I do this on a gas stove.1 piece charcoal
- For the bowl, you can use a thick onion peel, a tiny stainless-steel bowl or like me, use a DIY foil bowl. Grab a piece of foil and shape it into a bowl by pressing it against the bottom of a tumbler.
- Place this foil cup on top of the tikka masala and pour a teaspoon of ghee into it.1 tsp ghee
- Once the charcoal is red hot, using tongs, carefully lift and place it into the foil bowl.
- You will immediately see smoke rising from the charcoal. Quickly cover the entire dish tightly with a lid or aluminium foil to trap the smoke inside.
- Let it sit for about 10 minutes to allow the masala to absorb the smoky flavour. After 5-10 minutes, open, remove and discard the cup with charcoal.
Par-boil the rice:
- Once the water in the pot starts to boil, add the whole spices, and season the water generously with salt. As we are parboiling the rice, it is essential to add more salt than usual to ensure the rice absorbs enough seasoning.2 bay leaf, 2 green chillies, ½ inch cinnamon stick, 2 green cardamom, ½ tsp caraway seeds, 1 tbsp salt
- Reduce the heat to carefully add the drained rice. Turn the heat back up to high and bring back to a full boil.
- Keep an eye on the rice to ensure it does not overcook. Check the rice after 5 minutes. It should be around 90% cooked - still slightly firm but mostly tender. You can test a grain by pressing it between your fingers. It should feel soft on the outside but still have a firm centre. Once the rice reaches the desired doneness, immediately drain it into a fine mesh strainer.
Assemble the biryani pot
- Gently scatter the parboiled rice over the tikka masala evenly covering the masala.
- Drizzle the prepared saffron-infused water or milk, rose water and ghee all over the rice surface.1 pinch saffron strands, 2 tsp rose water, 2 tsp ghee
- Sprinkle garam masala, fried onions and chopped coriander leaves.fried onions, garam masala, chopped coriander leaves
- Seal the pot with foil and then the lid. Your biryani pot is ready for low and slow-dum cooking.
Dum cook:
- Place a heat diffuser over a low flame on a large hob, then position the biryani pot on top.
- Allow it to steam cook for approximately 10 minutes before switching off the heat.
- Avoid opening the pot immediately; instead, keep it covered for an additional 5 to 8 minutes. Utilize this time to prepare a bowl of raita or fry papadums.
Serve:
- Open the biryani pot and let the steam escape. Using a serving spoon, gently fluff the rice and spoon out the biryani onto serving plates, ensuring to distribution both rice and chicken masala evenly.
- Serve this biryani with accompaniments like raita (yoghurt-based sauce), sliced cucumbers, lemon wedges, papadums and pickles to complement the Flavors of the dish. Garnish the biryani plate with fried onions for a visual appeal.
Notes
Saffron: Alternatively, you can use a pinch of turmeric for the colour and add kewra or rose water for flavour.
Labneh: This will tenderize the chicken and add a creamy texture to the marinade. You can make your own hung curd or yoghurt and use that instead. Avoid using yoghurt as is because the whey will water down the marination.
Make hung curd: Pour the yoghurt onto a clean muslin or cheesecloth. Gather the corners of the cloth and tie them together to form a pouch. Hang it over a bowl or place a heavy object over the pouch to drain off the excess whey. The longer you let it hang, the thicker the hung curd will become. Place the setup inside the fridge if doing it on warmer days.
Mustard oil: I highly recommend using this for the marination as it lends a unique, pungent flavour. If you cannot source, then just use regular cooking oil.
Garam masala: For this recipe, use a North Indian / Pakistani garam masala which is very different from the South Indian version.
Stovetop tikka: If you don't have a grill pan, you can pan-fry the chicken pieces in a cast iron skillet or any thick-bottomed pan. Make sure to deglaze the pan and use it in the tikka masala.
Nutrition
Calories: 818.77kcal | Carbohydrates: 78.43g | Protein: 43.76g | Fat: 39.04g
