Take one of the most loved chicken curries—chicken tikka masala—and layer it into a biryani! Yes, it is a labor of love but you will have a party dish to end all party dishes.that combines the best of both dishes.
In a medium bowl mix together all the marinade ingredients except the chicken. See the Notes below regarding preparing this dish in stages.
Trim the chicken pieces. If you are grilling the chicken, leave the thighs whole. Otherwise, cut each thigh into 3 to 4 pieces depending on their size. Stir into the marinade and coat well. Set aside while you make fry the onions and sauce. If making the biryani in steps, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
FRY THE ONIONS FOR LAYERING
If needed, see more detailed instructions on cooking onions. In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat add the oil. When it is hot stir in the onions and allow to cook for 5 minutes or so. Turn down the heat to medium and allow to simmer.
When the onions begin to brown, watch them closely. You want to remove them from the oil a shade lighter than you want them to be. They will continue to cook and darken for several minutes after removing them from the oil.
Drain the onions on paper towels and allow them to cool for 5 minutes or more. You can make the fried onions 3 days ahead; store in an airtight container at room temperature. Freeze after that.
COOK THE SAUCE
In a heavy-bottomed pan large enough to hold the finished biryani, (I find a 4-quart dutch oven works well) over medium-high heat add the ghee, oil, or the leftover oil from frying the onions. When the oil is hot stir in the onions and the salt. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.
Turn the heat down to medium. Add the ginger paste and stir for a minute. Add the ground spices and stir to bloom them for a minute. Add 1 tablespoon of water if the spices are sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the tomato sauce and 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce thickens and is reduced by 1/3. If the sauce is splattering out of the pan, turn the heat down a bit.
This will take 10 to 15 minutes. You want a fairly thick sauce at this point because you will be adding cream at the end and if the mixture is too thin the biryani will be soggy.
Stir in the butter, chopped cilantro, and heavy cream. Cook for another 4 minutes. Add the yogurt and 1 tablespoon of water and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the cooked chicken. The sauce and the chicken can be cooked several days ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
COOK THE RICE
Gently rinse the rice in a bowl filled with water to cover it. Rinse until the water is clear enough to see your hand. About 3 to 4 times.
In a large pan over high heat, bring 6 cups of water to boil. Stir in the salt, whole spices, salt, and rice. Lower the heat to medium-high and cook at a boil for 8 to 10 minutes and then check the rice. It should be 95% done: cooked until there is just a with just a tiny opaque core when a grain is broken in half.
Drain and set the rice aside. You can remove the whole spices at this point if you don't want them in your biryani.
COOK THE CHICKEN
KEEP IN MIND: Chicken thighs are best cooked to between 175°F (80°C) and 190°F (90°C). Regardless of the cooking method, cook the thigh meat to at least 160F (70°C), or until it is cooked through. It will be steamed with the rice to reheat just before serving.
Grilling
Follow the grilling instructions for my tandoori chicken recipe. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Under the Broiler
Heat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil and top with a well-oiled cooling rack. Place the chicken pieces on the rack leaving some space around each piece.
Broil the chicken for 4 minutes. If your broiler is hot enough there should be some charring. Turn the chicken over and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.
The chicken should be cooked through. Thigh meat is best at 175 to 190 degrees. Stir the chicken into the spiced tomato sauce.
Stovetop
Over medium-high heat add the oil in a frying pan. When the oil is hot add the chicken and cook on each side for 3 to 5 minutes. You are wanting it to turn a nice brown and be cooked all the way through. Depending on the size of your pan you will probably need to do this in 2 batches.
LAYERING THE BIRYANI
After you have stirred the chicken and butter into the sauce, taste for seasoning (salt, lemon juice, and chili powder). Then remove 1/2 the chicken mixture.
Layer half the basmati rice over the chicken. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of ghee, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of each mint and cilantro, and 1/3 of the fried onions.
Spoon the rest of the chicken over the rice. Sprinkle it with 1 tablespoon of each mint and cilantro, and 1/3 of the fried onions.
Layer the second half of the rice on top of the chicken. Drizzle the remaining 1 teaspoon of ghee, sprinkle the remaining mint and cilantro, and the final 1/3 of the fried onions.
COOK THE ASSEMBLED BIRYANI
Stovetop
Cover the biryani with a tight lid and cook over medium-high for about 1 to 2 minutes. You want the biryani hot enough so it begins to steam. Turn the heat down to low and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes.
Start the heat on low, then check at the 5-minute mark to see if it is steaming. If not, turn the heat up a bit. Watch carefully so the chicken doesn't burn on the bottom of the saucepan.
The heat you cook the biryani depends on your stove and the pot you are using. But use the lowest setting that allows the biryani to get hot enough to steam for about 5 minutes.
Oven
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and make sure the rack is in the middle of the oven. Cover the saucepan or dutch oven with a heavy lid or top with aluminum foil, then a lid for a tight seal.
Heat the biryani for 20 minutes to let the rice and chicken steam. Remove the biryani from the oven.
SERVING
Allow the biryani to sit covered for 5 minutes. Serve from the pot or carefully ladle out the biryani by lifting from the bottom rather than stirring.
STORING & REHEATING
The biryani will keep well in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
To reheat, spoon out the amount you will be eating. Sprinkle with a bit of water and reheat in the microwave or on a low burner.
Notes
I am a chicken thigh person. The meat is tender, flavorful, and hard to overcook. If you want to use chicken breast in this recipe, cook it until it is almost cooked through (155°F (68°C). You will be cooking everything together so you don't want to overcook the white meat at this point.
Substitute for Kashmiri chili powder: For each teaspoon of Kashmiri chili powder sub 3/4 teaspoon paprika (or sweet), and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder.
Basmati rice and aging: Since rice is the star of the show, finding good basmati is important. Basmati rice is typically aged 9 to 18 months. The longer it is aged the longer it will take to cook. I like to use Auhu Barah basmati rice which is aged for 2 years, so I find it can take twice as long to cook. In addition to this rice, I also can recommend Daawat Ultima Extra Long Grain Basmati and Royal Chef's Secret Extra Long Grain White Basmati Rice. Find a good brand that you like. For more basmati rice recommendations see the Chef’s Pencil’s top 20 brands of basmati rice.
SHORTCUT: Feel free to buy fried onions or shallots if you prefer.
About Salt: It may seem like a lot of salt but this is the only opportunity you will have to season the rice, and most of the salt will be drained off.
If you want to break down the steps to make the recipe more manageable, I like to make the sauce, fry the onions, marinate and cook the chicken up to 2 days before. Before serving, cook the rice, chop the herbs, and layer the biryani. Assemble the layer and do the final 25-minute cook and resting time.
Note: The nutrition count does not include the 1/2 cup of oil used to fry the onions and the 1 tablespoon of salt in the rice cooking water. Most of which is poured away.