🍗 Authentic Chicken Biryani Recipe at Home (Step-by-Step, 2026)

Chicken biryani is the crown jewel of South Asian cuisine — fragrant basmati rice layered with tender, spice-marinated chicken, all steamed together in the traditional dum style. This recipe gives you restaurant-quality biryani in your own kitchen.

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 750g chicken, bone-in pieces
• 3 cups basmati rice, soaked 30 minutes
• 1 cup yogurt
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced and fried golden
• 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp turmeric, 2 tsp biryani masala
• Whole spices: 4 green cardamoms, 2 black cardamoms, 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 2 bay leaves
• Fresh mint and coriander leaves, saffron soaked in warm milk, 4 tbsp ghee

Step-by-step method

1. Marinate: Mix chicken with yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, powdered spices and salt. Rest at least 1 hour (overnight is best).

2. Parboil rice: Boil rice with whole spices and salt until 70% cooked. Drain immediately.

3. Layer: In a heavy pot, spread marinated chicken, then rice, then fried onions, mint, coriander, saffron milk and ghee. Repeat layers.

4. Dum: Seal the lid with dough or a tight lid, cook on high 5 minutes then low heat 25 minutes. Rest 10 minutes before opening.

Pro tips

• Use aged basmati for the longest grains.
• Never skip the resting time — it finishes the steam cooking.
• Serve with raita and mirchi ka salan for the full Hyderabadi experience.

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