Sapaadu the way amma made it

Chicken Biryani

A fragrant Tamil-style one-pot chicken biryani — chicken marinated in yogurt and spices, layered with basmati rice and whole aromatics, all cooked together in a pressure cooker.

Rice & Curries
Chicken Biryani
Prep
30 min
Cook
30 min
Total
1 hr
Serves
4

A one-pot family biryani

This is a pressure-cooker biryani — everything builds in one pot, from blooming the whole spices to layering in the soaked rice, so the chicken's flavor carries all the way through the grain. The trick is to keep the gravy a touch saltier and spicier than you think you need before the rice goes in, because the rice soaks up and mellows it.

Serves 4. Quantities below are a good starting point for 1 kg of chicken — adjust the spice and chilli to your own taste.

Ingredients

  • 1 kg chicken (drumsticks preferred, wings are fine too)
  • 2 tbsp cooking oil (vegetable, corn, or sesame)
  • 1 inch cinnamon stick
  • 2 star anise
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 cloves
  • 4 green cardamom pods
  • 1 tsp sombu (fennel seeds)
  • 2 large onions, sliced thin
  • 3 green chillies, slit
  • 1 tbsp chilli powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tbsp ginger & garlic paste
  • 3 tbsp coriander (cilantro) paste
  • 1/2 cup yogurt
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • salt, to taste (about 1.5 tsp)
  • 2 cups basmati rice
  • 3 cups water

Method

  1. Marinate the chicken: wash it well and drain the excess water. Add the turmeric, chilli powder, ginger & garlic paste, salt, yogurt, and lime juice. Mix to coat and let it marinate for 30 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, wash the basmati rice well and soak it in water for 30 minutes, then drain.
  3. Slice the onions thin (or dice small — either works), and slit the green chillies down the center.
  4. Set a pressure cooker over medium heat (or use an electric pressure cooker). Once hot, add the oil.
  5. When the oil is hot, add the cinnamon. Once it sputters and expands, add the cloves; when they begin to burst, add the star anise, bay leaves, and cardamom. Let them sputter a few seconds until the bay leaves darken slightly, then add the sombu (fennel) and stir until lightly browned — watch closely so it doesn't burn.
  6. Add the green chillies and onions; stir until the onions turn translucent. Add the marinated chicken and stir for a few minutes. Cover and let it cook over medium heat (if using an electric cooker, keep an eye on it and stir more often).
  7. Once the chicken begins to soften, stir in the coriander paste. Keep stirring until the excess water evaporates into a thicker gravy. Season with salt — keep it slightly saltier and spicier than usual, since the rice will absorb it. Adjust to your taste.
  8. Add the measured water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the soaked rice. Stir, close the lid, and cook for 2 whistles (stovetop pressure cooker), 12 minutes on the manual setting (electric pressure cooker), or the rice setting (electric rice cooker).
  9. Once done and the pressure has released, gently empty the contents into a large serving dish — this keeps the rice from breaking and the base from catching.
  10. Serve hot with onion raita and enjoy.

Tips

Keeping the gravy slightly over-seasoned before adding rice is the single biggest thing that makes or breaks the final flavor. Soaking the rice the full 30 minutes gives longer, separate grains.