Chicken Pakhi Biryani

This is one type of biryani where we precook rice and chicken separately, then combined together and cooked.

Ingredients:

For Marinate:

Chicken: 1kg
Bay leaf: 5 medium
Coriander: 1 handful chopped
Mint leaf: 10 big chopped
Fried Onion: 1 medium
Fried Raisins: 10
Fried Cashew Nuts: 8
Onion: 1 chopped
Curds: 2 cups (400gms)
Green Cardamom: 3
Ginger Paste: 1/2tbbsp
Garlic paste: 1tsp
Biryani powder: 2tbsp (Recipe Here)
Cinnamon: 1 1/2 (inch)
Clove: 4
Salt: to taste

To cook chicken:

Onion: 1 medium
Oil: 3tbsp
Salt: 1/2 tsp

For Rice:

Basmati Rice: 2 glass
Cinnamon: 1 inch
Clove: 3
Biryani Powder: 2tsp(Recipe Here)
Jeera: 1/4tsp
Oil: 2tbsp
Salt: to taste
Water: 4-5lts

Finishing:

Saffron or Saffron colour: 5 strings or 1/4tsp colour
Coriander: Handful chopped
Mint leaf: 8-10 leaves chopped
Fried Raisins: 10
Fried Cashew Nuts: 8
Fried Onions: 1big

Method:

Deep fry the marinate onions and finishing onions in an oil till it turns nice brown colour.
Wash & soak the rice for 20-30 min.
Soak saffron in 1/2 cup of water.

For Marinate:

Add all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well.
Close & rest it for 2hrs.

To cook Chicken:

Heat the oil in a pan.
Add onion and 1/2 tsp salt fry till golden brown.
Add marinated chicken .
Close the lid.
Keep stirring in between.
cook until chicken leaves oil.
Turn off the heat.

Note: When chicken is cooked you will see the oil floating with gravy.

For rice:

Boil water in a big vessel.
When water starts boiling add oil, salt and spices.
Drain water from soaked rice.
Add rice to boiling water.
When water starts boiling with rice, add biryani powder.
Gently stir rice in between.
Rice starts dancing in water check the rice, it should be 90% cooked should mash easily.

Note: taste the rice it should give a mild salt taste.

Finishing:

Once the rice is cooked drain the water and keep rice aside.

Take cooked chicken pan and remove 1/2 chicken and 1/2 gravy to another bowl keep it aside.
Ensure the leftover chicken and gravy is evenly spread on the bottom of the pan.
Sprinkle fried 1/4 onion, 1/4 coriander, and 1/4 mint.
Add a layer of 1/2 the rice.
Add the chicken which we kept aside with little gravy Spread evenly (restore gravy to end).
Sprinkle 1/2 fried onion, 1/2 coriander, 1/2 mint, Fried Raisins, Fried Cashew Nuts.
Add rest of the rice layer.
Add gravy restored.
Sprinkle rest of the fried onion, coriander, mint.
Sprinkle soaked saffron.
Close the tight lid.

Note: Lid should be closed tightly so that steam should not escape.If you don’t have tight lid u can make dough from maida like chapatti dough and seal the lid & pan together.