First, keep everything ready
Ingredients
Chicken
- Chicken (with bones) – 1 kg
- Curd – 1 cup
- Ginger garlic paste – 2 spoons
- Green chillies – 2–3 (crushed)
- Red chilli powder – 1 spoon
- Turmeric – ½ spoon
- Coriander powder – 2 spoons
- Garam masala – 1 spoon
- Lemon juice – 1 spoon
- Salt – as needed
- Mint leaves – ½ cup
- Coriander leaves – ½ cup
Mix all this nicely with chicken.
Cover and keep aside 1–2 hours. That’s enough, don’t worry.
Rice
- Basmati rice – 4 cups
- Bay leaf – 1
- Cardamom – 2
- Cloves – 2
- Cinnamon – small piece
- Salt – a little more than usual
Wash rice well and soak 30 minutes.
Other items
- Onions – 3 large (thin slices)
- Oil – 4 spoons
- Ghee – 2 spoons
- Green chillies – 2 (slit)
🍳 Now we start cooking (slowly)
Step 1: Cook the rice
- Boil water nicely.
- Add spices and salt.
- Add rice and cook till 3/4th cooked.
- Drain water and keep rice aside.
See, rice should not be fully soft now. That will cook later.
Step 2: Fry onions
- Take a thick vessel.
- Heat oil and ghee together.
- Add onions and fry till light golden.
- Don’t burn them, keep flame medium.
House will start smelling nice—this is correct 😊
Step 3: Cook the chicken
- Add green chillies to onions.
- Add the marinated chicken.
- Mix gently, cover with lid.
- Cook on medium-low flame for 15–20 minutes.
No water needed. Chicken will release its own juice.
Check once, stir gently, add salt if needed.
Chicken should be soft and half gravy, not dry.
Step 4: Put rice on top
- Lower the flame completely.
- Spread rice slowly on top of chicken.
- Sprinkle little mint and coriander.
- Drizzle 1 spoon ghee on top.
Close the lid tightly.
Step 5: Dum cooking (very important)
- Keep on very low flame for 20 minutes.
- Don’t open in between.
- Switch off and let it rest 10 minutes.
Patience, dear. This is where biryani becomes biryani ❤️
🍽️ How to serve
Open lid gently.
Mix only from sides, not rough.
Serve with:
- Onion raita
- Lemon
- Simple salad
Everyone will eat quietly, that’s the best compliment 😌
💛 Mother’s small tips
- Don’t put too many masalas
- Ghee only little, at the end
- Slow cooking gives good taste
- Cook with calm mind, food will be good