Chicken 65 Biryani Recipe

Prepare and marinate chicken

Trim excess fat from the chicken and pat dry. In a large bowl combine yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, red chili powders, garam masala, coriander powder, turmeric, cumin powder, cornstarch, egg white (if using), salt and lemon juice. Mix into a smooth marinade. Add the chicken pieces and toss thoroughly so each piece is coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably 3–4 hours or overnight for best flavor.

Fry Chicken 65-style

Heat about 200 ml oil in a wide heavy skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering (about 180°C/350°F). Remove excess marinade from pieces (not all; keep enough to cling). Working in batches, carefully add chicken pieces to oil in a single layer; shallow-fry for 4–5 minutes per side until deep golden and cooked through (internal temperature ~74°C/165°F). Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Alternatively you can shallow-fry then finish in a 200°C oven for 6–8 minutes to finish cooking. Keep fried chicken warm.

Parboil rice

Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a large pot with bay leaves, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns and 1.5 tsp salt. Add the soaked, drained basmati rice and stir. Cook uncovered on high heat until rice is about 70% cooked (grain still has a slight white core) — about 6–7 minutes depending on rice. Immediately drain rice in a colander and rinse with warm water to stop cooking. Set aside.

Prepare aromatics

In a heavy ovenproof pot (or deep Dutch oven), heat 1 tbs ghee + 1 tbs oil over medium heat. Add sliced onions and cook, stirring, until lightly golden and soft, about 8–10 minutes. Remove half the onions for layering (reserve for garnish). Add chopped tomato (if using) and cook 2–3 minutes until soft. Add ginger juliennes and slit green chilies; sauté 1 minute. Stir in chopped cilantro and mint and remove mixture from heat.

Bloom saffron

Place saffron threads in warm milk; let steep 5–10 minutes to release color and aroma.

Layer the biryani

On the bottom of the pot with the aromatic onion-tomato-herb mixture, spread half the par-fried rice evenly. Arrange half the fried Chicken 65 pieces over the rice. Sprinkle half of the reserved fried onions, half the chopped cilantro and mint, and 1/2 tbs lemon juice. Drizzle half the saffron milk and 1 tbs ghee over the layer. Repeat with remaining rice, chicken, fried onions, herbs, lemon juice, saffron milk and ghee to form a second layer.

Dum (steaming)

Seal the pot: cover with a tight-fitting lid or place a sheet of heavy-duty foil over the pot and then the lid to form a seal. Alternatively, place a folded kitchen towel between lid and pot to catch condensation. Cook on the stovetop over the lowest flame using a heat diffuser or place the pot on a tava (griddle) to prevent direct high heat. Dum-cook for 20–25 minutes on very low heat so the flavors meld and rice finishes cooking. If using an oven, preheat to 160°C and bake for 20 minutes.

After dum, switch off heat and let the biryani rest sealed for 10 minutes. Carefully remove lid, gently fluff the rice from the edges toward the center with a fork to avoid breaking grains. Dot with reserved fried onions, chopped cilantro and mint, sprinkle the optional rose or kewra water and scatter fried nuts if using. Serve hot with raita, lemon wedges and salad.