# Authentic Chicken Biryani

A detailed guide to making traditional chicken biryani with homemade biryani masala, crispy onions, and tender chicken.

- Total time: 75 min
- Cuisine: Indian
- Category: Drink
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- coriander seed
- cloves
- black peppercorns
- fennel seed
- black cardamom
- green cardamom
- star anise
- onions
- neutral oil
- ginger
- peeled garlic cloves
- skin on drumsticks
- full fat yogurt
- garlic and ginger paste
- 1 healthy spoonful biryani masala
- 1 spoonful Kashmiri red chili powder
- turmeric
- 1 green chili
- lemon juice
- salt
- Indian white basmati rice
- ghee
- hefty amount cilantro
- mint
- saffron water

## Instructions

1. To make biryani masala, combine cinnamon stick, bay leaf, coriander seed, cloves, black peppercorns, fennel seed, black and green cardamom, and star anise.
2. Lightly toast the spices on medium-low heat for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
3. Toss the toasted spices into a spice grinder and blitz into a fine powder.
4. For crispy onions, slice onions thinly and equally.
5. Toss onions into a cold pan, submerge them in neutral oil, then turn on the heat and cook until golden brown.
6. Peel ginger with a spoon.
7. Combine peeled garlic cloves with ginger and mash them into a paste consistency.
8. Place skin-on drumsticks in a bowl.
9. Add full-fat yogurt, the garlic and ginger paste, a healthy spoonful of biryani masala, a nice spoonful of Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric, a green chili, and a smooch of lemon juice to the chicken.
10. Salt the chicken mixture very well.
11. Mix and marinate the chicken until patience runs out.
12. Wash Indian white basmati rice thoroughly with cold water until the water runs clear.
13. Soak the rice for 15 to 30 minutes.
14. To boiling water, add star anise, clove, cardamom, a cinnamon stick, and some bay leaf.
15. Generously salt the water and add some biryani masala.
16. Add the washed basmati rice to the boiling water.
17. Boil the rice for just a couple of minutes, aiming for a 60% cook.
18. Lay the parboiled rice out on a rack to cool down.
19. In a clean pot, start with a nice heap of ghee.
20. Gently lay in the marinated chicken.
21. Toss in a hefty amount of cilantro and mint.
22. Add a very nice handful of crispy onions.
23. Add half of the basmati rice as the first layer.
24. On top of the first layer of rice, add more cilantro, more mint, and more crispy onions.
25. Sprinkle nice dollops of ghee.
26. Season with a little bit more biryani masala and a quick pinch of salt.
27. Add the final layer of rice.
28. Add the final layer of mint, cilantro, and more crispy onions.
29. Sprinkle or drizzle on a little bit more ghee.
30. Add one more light pinch of salt and biryani masala.
31. Finish with some seep saffron water.
32. Cover the pot with the first layer of aluminum foil, ensuring it's sealed nice and tight.
33. Cover the pot with a lid.
34. Cook on low and slow heat for about 30 minutes.
35. After 30 minutes, kill the heat and let it sit for about 15 more minutes.
36. Serve and enjoy.

## Equipment

- spice grinder
- pan
- spoon
- pot
- rack
- aluminum foil

## Tips

- For crispy onions, toss them in a cold pan, submerge in neutral oil, then turn on the heat.
- Peel ginger with a spoon.
- Marinate chicken until you lose patience.
- Wash basmati rice thoroughly until water runs clear.
- Soak rice for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Boil rice for a couple of minutes until 60% cooked, then lay it out on a rack to cool down.

## Source

- Original video: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegoldenbalance/video/7249758495153605930?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7577334180066477590
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/2d632309-0e2d-4309-83dc-850bf254b131
- Extracted: 2026-01-14

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt