Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani with Raita

Name: Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani with Raita
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 60 min
Yield: 6 portions
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1 kg · 2¼ lb chicken, bone-in pieces; 500 g · 2½ cups basmati rice, soaked 30 minutes; 250 g · 1 cup plain yogurt; 150 g · 1½ cups fried onions (birista); 30 g · 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste; 8 g · 1 tbsp red chili powder; 10 g · 1 tbsp biryani masala; 2 g · ½ tsp turmeric; 40 g · 1 cup mint and cilantro, chopped; 12 g · 4 chilies green chilies, slit; 30 ml · 2 tbsp lemon juice; 60 g · 4 tbsp ghee; 8 g · 1 tbsp whole spices: bay leaf, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, shahi jeera, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, shahi jeera; 60 ml · ¼ cup saffron in warm milk; 25 g · 4 tsp salt; 20 g · 1 pcs charcoal piece, for smoking; 300 g · 1¼ cups yogurt, cucumber, onion and mint, for the raita

🍽 Serves 6⏱ Prep 40 min🔥 Cook 60 min⏳ Rest 240 min🌍 Indian

Spiced marinated chicken layered with saffron basmati rice and fried onions, sealed and cooked on dum.

📍 Hyderabad · India

The story of the dish

Hyderabadi biryani was refined in the kitchens of the Nizams of Hyderabad, blending Mughal and Telugu cooking; the kachchi style cooks raw marinated meat with rice.

The name: Biryani comes from the Persian birian, 'fried before cooking'.

Ingredients

Ingredient	EUg · ml	UScups · spoons
chicken bone-in pieces	≈ 1 kg	≈ 2¼ lb
basmati rice soaked 30 minutes	≈ 500 g	≈ 2½ cups
plain yogurt	≈ 250 g	≈ 1 cup
fried onions (birista)	≈ 150 g	≈ 1½ cups
ginger-garlic paste	≈ 30 g	≈ 2 tbsp
red chili powder	≈ 8 g	≈ 1 tbsp
biryani masala	≈ 10 g	≈ 1 tbsp
turmeric	≈ 2 g	≈ ½ tsp
mint and cilantro chopped	≈ 40 g	≈ 1 cup
green chilies slit	≈ 12 g	≈ 4 chilies
lemon juice	≈ 30 ml	≈ 2 tbsp
ghee	≈ 60 g	≈ 4 tbsp
whole spices: bay leaf cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, shahi jeera, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, shahi jeera	≈ 8 g	≈ 1 tbsp
saffron in warm milk	≈ 60 ml	≈ ¼ cup
salt	≈ 25 g	≈ 4 tsp
charcoal piece for smoking	≈ 20 g	≈ 1 pcs
yogurt cucumber, onion and mint, for the raita	≈ 300 g	≈ 1¼ cups

≈ amount suggested from similar recipes

Tools & equipment

Item	UAEamazon.ae	USamazon.com
Cooking Pot	🛒 Buy	🛒 Buy
Mixing Bowl	🛒 Buy	🛒 Buy

Also used: heavy-bottomed pot with lid · large pot for the rice · colander

Method

Marinate the chicken with yogurt, ginger-garlic, spices, half the fried onions, herbs, chilies, lemon, ghee and salt for 4 hours.
Boil the rice in heavily salted water with the whole spices until 70% cooked; drain.
Spread the chicken in a heavy pot and cover with the rice.
Top with the remaining fried onions, herbs, saffron milk and ghee.
Seal the lid with dough or foil and cook on high 5 minutes, then very low 40 minutes (dum).
Optional: smoke with a hot charcoal in a small bowl of ghee, covered, for 5 minutes.
Mix the raita ingredients and serve on the side.

👨‍🍳 Chef’s tips

The rice water should taste salty like the sea.

📱 Scan to watch me cook ityoutu.be/94NcSmvRn9EEvery step on video, and new recipes every week: subscribe on YouTube.

Nutrition per portion estimate · 1 of 6

680kcal

38 gprotein

78 gcarbs

23 gfat

Allergens

Milk

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▶ Watch me cook it: youtu.be/94NcSmvRn9E

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