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–+ servings
Pakistani Chicken Biryani in dish

Pakistani Chicken Biryani with Potatoes

Safira
Pakistani Chicken Biryani with Potatoes - Pakistani Biryani is the most flavourful celebration often enjoyed with sides such as Papadum or Salads. This is a popular layered rice and chicken recipe full of vibrancy, rich flavour and fluffy aromatic rice.
5 from 6 votes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Mariande 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine Indian, Pakistani
Servings 6
Calories 718 kcal

Ingredients
  

Saffron Milk

  • ¼ teaspoon Saffron Threads
  • 100 ml Milk Warm

Potatoes

  • Oil to Deep Fry
  • 2 large Potatoes Peeled and chopped into 1 inch Cubes

Onions

  • 4 large Onions sliced

Chicken Marinade

  • 1 kg Chicken, skin off, bone in
  • 150 g Plain Yoghurt or Greek
  • 2 tablespoon Ginger Paste or 3 frozen Blocks/2.5 inch Ginger crushed
  • 2 tbsp Garlic Paste or 3 frozen blocks/8 cloves Garlic crushed
  • 1 tablespoon Green Chilli Paste or 2 frozen Block
  • 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoon Cumin Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
  • 1 tablespoon Red Chilli Powder Adjust if needed
  • 1 ½ - 2 teaspoon Salt
  • ½ teaspoon Black Pepper Ground
  • 1 tablespoon Garam Masala
  • 1 pack Shan Biryani Masala Optional - see notes
  • 300 ml Tinned Plum Tomatoes Pureed (Or Passata), or 3 Tomatoes, pureed
  • 125 ml Water

Rice

  • 2 l Water
  • 3 Cups Rice (400 g) Soaked for 30 minutes and then washed until water runs clear
  • 1 inch Cinnamon
  • 2 large Bay Leaf
  • 6 Peppercorns
  • 4 Cloves
  • 3 Black Cardamom
  • 3 Green Cardamom
  • 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice

Layering

  • Chopped Coriander
  • Fried Onions Store Brought
  • Butter/Ghee For top
  • Saffron Milk
  • Mint Leaves
  • Food Colouring Powdered or liquid

Instructions
 

Step 1 - Make the Saffron Milk

  • Add Saffron to warmed Milk and set aside.

Step 2 - Fry the Potatoes

  • Heat oil in a deep pot over high heat. Deep fry Potatoes until golden brown. Set aside.

Step 3 - Fry the Onions

  • Heat oil in pot and fry Onions covered on low until a deep golden brown. Around 25 - 30 minutes.
    Note - If your onions haven't coloured after 30 minutes, remove the lid, turn the heat up and keep an eye on them stirring at regular intervals until the desired colour is reached.
    Remove the onions from the pot and cool. I do this in a colander to allow excess oil to drip away.

Step 4 - Make the Chicken Marinade and Curry

  • Blend the Onions and the remaining ingredients for the Chicken marinade, then add to the Chicken.
    Marinade for 30 minutes - 3 hours. Then cook covered on medium high heat for 15 minutes.

Step 5 - Par boil the Rice

  • Boil Water in pot, once boiling par cook rice with the whole spices and lemon listed under the Rice section for 10 - 15 minutes on high. Drain and set aside.

Step 6 - Layer the Rice, Chicken and Potatoes

  • In a large pot, add a layer of Rice, Saffron Milk, then a layer of Chicken Curry, Potatoes, Coriander, Mint, Ghee and Fried Onions. Add another layer of Rice and continue layering till everything is used up. I usually get 2 layers of Chicken and Potatoes and 3 layers of Rice.
  • Top the top layer of Rice with Saffron Milk and dots of Butter/Ghee. 
  • Cover with 2 layers of foil and a lid. Cook on Gas Mark 6/200 C/390 F. For 20 minutes and then GM 4/180 C/350 F for 40 - 45 minutes.

Notes

Top tips and Notes

Slow Cooking 
Take your time with each layer because this is what makes it so special!
Biryani Masala
If you are not usine Biryani Masala, I would suggest doubling the Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Turmeric Powder and adding some whole Spices when cooking the Chicken such as 1 Cinnamon, 3 cloves, 4 Peppercorns, 2 Green Cardamom.
Caramelising onions 
This takes 20 - 25 minutes. If you rush this and do it on too high a heat, they will get burnt and taste bitter. Take your time and do it over medium low heat. This means you get the most deliciously sweet flavour out of them.
Type of Rice 
I use long grain, aged Basmati rice in this recipe. I like Tilda rice because it is less likely to clump together.
Salt 
I only add salt to the chicken layer here and that may seem odd but it works fine. 
Taste as you go 
Once the chicken layer is done, taste it and adjust before layering.
Check Potatoes
If the Potatoes are a bit hard, microwave them for a couple of minutes.
Kewra Water 
A lot of people, add rose water or kewra water to the top layer of Biryani recipes but I don’t really like it so I avoid it.
Eggs 
You can serve this Biryani with boiled eggs.

What to serve with this the Best Paskistani Birayni Recipe

This recipe is perfect served with:

Reheating and storing Pakistani Chicken Biryani

Pakistani Chicken Biryani lasts covered in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3  days.
It can also be frozen for up to 2 months. Rice must be piping hot when reheated.

Nutrition

Calories: 718kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 35gFat: 43gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 180mgSodium: 748mgPotassium: 639mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 436IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 98mgIron: 3mg
Keyword Biyani, Pakistani Chicken Biryani
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