Chicken biryani recipe - layered dum biryani with chicken

Chicken biryani

Biryani is layered rice and meat, cooked together under a closed lid. Hyderabad, Lucknow and Kolkata each have their own style, and in Kolkata, even potato is added. This is a homely dum biryani: the chicken is first steamed until almost cooked and the rice is then added on top.

Whole spices in the cooking water, including smoky black cardamom alongside the green, golden-brown fried onions, mint, saffron and a few drops of kewra water give each layer its own aroma. Chicken thigh with bone makes the sauce richer than fillet.

Cook the rice only seventy percent, with a still-firm core, because the steam under the lid does the rest, and fully cooked rice will become mushy. If you need to be quicker, replace the ground spices for the chicken with a packet of Shan biryani mix and salt.