Pakistani Chicken Biryani

Name: Pakistani Chicken Biryani
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 20 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Cuisine: Asian, Indian
Ingredients: 650 g bone-in (skinless chicken thighs and drumsticks); 150 g full fat Greek yoghurt; 25 g Garlic and Ginger Paste; 15 ml lemon juice; 2 teaspoons ground coriander; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder; 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 teaspoon Garam Masala; 1 1/4 teaspoons fine salt; 60 ml rapeseed oil; 25 g ghee (plus 10g for finishing); 300 g onions (thinly sliced); 1 bay leaf; 1 x 5cm cinnamon stick; 1 black cardamom pod; 4 green cardamom pods (lightly cracked); 5 cloves; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 8 black peppercorns; 150 g tomatoes (finely chopped); 2 fresh green chillies (slit lengthways); 4 dried plums (stones removed if necessary); 100 ml hot water; 350 g long grain basmati rice; 2.5 litres water; 20 g fine salt; 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint; 3 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander; Reserved fried onions from the chicken masala

Instructions

Prep:30minCook:1h 20min

A layered Pakistani Chicken Biryani made with yoghurt marinated bone-in chicken, basmati rice, fried onions, whole spices, herbs and dried plums. The chicken masala is reduced before layering, then the biryani is sealed and gently steamed using the dum method.

Updated at: Sun, 01 Nov 2026 05:50:24 GMT