Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani : Kacchi Murg Biryani

Hello everyone, today I have got you all a recipe of Hyderabadi Biryani. Its a world famous cuisine and very much delicious. Its one of my favourite food, I tasted it in Bangalore for the first time. Being from Northern Part of India (Uttar Pradesh), I always enjoyed Lucknowi Biryani or the Awadh Biryani. Its very much different from the Hyderabadi one. In Lucknowi biryani both rice and meat are cooked separately, then layered together and put on Dum. Where as Hyderabadi Biryani is Kacchi biryani, in which meat is marinated with yogurt and few spices and layered with partially cooked rice, sealed and cooked on low flame. Eventually both the things get cooked. 

Both the Biryanis have awesome flavours but Kacchi murg biryani is very common at my place. Though I have never been to Hyderabad but never ever leaves a single opportunity to have it whenever Sushant visits Hyderabad. I did many trials, concerned various recipes and finally got a no fail recipe. I am sure you guys will love it too. So lets get started. 

Step by Step Video Link :

Ingredients :

For biryani masala/Powder :

• Cinnamon sticks : 2 nos (2 inches)
• Bay leaves : 2-3 nos
• Black Cardamom : 2 nos (small)
• Green Cardamom : 6-8 nos
• Cloves : 6-8 nos
• Whole red chillies : 4-5 nos
• Black cumin/shah jeera : 1 tsp
• Coriander powder : 1 tbsp
• Homemade Garam Masala : 1 tsp (Click here for the homemade Garam masala recipe)

Rest of the ingredients :

• Chicken on bone : 500 gms
• Yogurt : 1/2 cup
• Long grain Rice/basmati rice : 2 cups (Washed)
• Ginger & garlic paste : 2 1/2 tbsps
• Kashmiri Red chili powder : 1 tbsp
• Fried onions : 3 medium (Click here for the Brown onions recipe)
• Fresh Coriander : Handul (chopped)
• Mint leaves : Handful (chopped) 
• Saffron/kesar : 3-5 starnds
• Milk : 1 tbsp (to soak the saffron)
• Ghee : 2 tbsps
• Oil : 2 tbsps
• Salt : as per the taste

For the spice bag :

• Muslin cloth
• Cinnamon stick : 1
• Bay leaves : 2
• Green Cardamom : 2-4
• Cloves : 2-4
• Black pepper corns : 4-5
• Cumin seed : 1 tsp

Method : 

• Grind all the whole spices (mentioned for making the masala) and mix it with coriander powder and garam masala.
• Marinate the chicken : Wash the chicken, add ginger garlic paste, yogurt, coriander & mint leaves, oil, half of the brown onions, biryani masala (the one which we ground), kashmiri mirch and salt. Coat well all the pieces and keep aside for a minimum of half an hour (longer would be better)
• Make the spice bag by keeping all the ingredients in a muslin cloth.
• Boil ample amount of water, put the spice bag into it with some salt. Add washed rice and cook until the rice is 70% percent done. 
• In a heavy bottom pan, take the marinated chicken, add 3/4th of the 70% cooked rice, also add approx 3-4 tbsps of water with the rice (as shown in the video)
• Sprinkle brown onions, garam masala, coriander and mint leaves, salt and ghee.
• Do the second layer of rice and repeat the same process (as shown in the video)
• Now sprinkle the saffron milk and red food colour (optional)
• Cover the pan with an aluminum foil and then the lid.
• Switch on the gas, keep on high for the first 5-7 minutes and as soon as the steam forms keep a heavy bottom pan below the Biryani handi/pan and turn the flame to medium to low, cook for another 7-8 minutes.
• Once done, mix lightly with a laddle.
• Enjoy with mint raita.

Note:

Here in London, chicken takes less time to cook as compared to India. Hence you can always adjust the cooking time as per the chicken.

Please do share your experiences and feedback with me in the below section of comments or on my Facebook page. I too have a You Tube channel please do visit for all the video recipes. All the links mentioned below :) 

YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/user/cookwithpriyanka

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/cookwithpriyanka

Thanks and Happy Biryani making!
Priyanka