Chicken Biryani Recipe — Hyderabadi Dum, Step by Step

The Ratio: 4 Parts Rice to 5 Parts Chicken

The ratio is 4 parts rice to 5 parts chicken by weight: 400 g of basmati to 500 g of chicken.

Why the ratio matters for the best chicken biryani recipe: too much rice and the biryani eats dry, because there is not enough meat to flavour it. Too much chicken and the rice turns wet, because the meat releases more liquid than the rice can absorb. If you scale the recipe, keep the 4:5 ratio. For the rice on its own, see our biryani rice recipe.

Why This Recipe Works

• Use 400 g rice to 500 g chicken; for a larger batch, 450 g rice to 575 g chicken keeps the same 0.8 ratio, giving the rice enough meat to flavour it.
• Parboil, then dum: the rice goes in about 70% cooked and finishes in the sealed steam, so the grains stay separate instead of turning to mush — the dum is what makes it biryani, not the pot.
• A yoghurt marinade and a sealed pot: the yoghurt tenderises the chicken while it waits, and the tea-towel seal traps the steam and the saffron aroma so the rice finishes in the meat's flavours.

Ingredients

• 500 g boneless chicken thighs, cut into large pieces
• 150 ml (2/3 cup) plain yoghurt
• 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 400 g (2 cups) aged basmati rice
• 2 tablespoons ghee or oil
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons oil, for frying the onions
• 3 tablespoons coriander leaves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons mint leaves, chopped
• 1 green chilli, slit
• 1 teaspoon saffron threads
• 3 tablespoons warm milk
• 3 tablespoons ghee, melted, for drizzling
• 2 tablespoons toasted flaked almonds (optional)
• 3 bay leaves
• 5 cloves
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 cardamom pods
• 2 teaspoons salt, for the rice water

Instructions

1. Marinate the chicken —Stir the yoghurt, ginger garlic paste, garam masala, turmeric, Kashmiri chilli, lemon juice and salt together in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces and coat them thickly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour — 2 hours is better, overnight is best.
2. Rinse and soak the basmati —Rinse the basmati under the cold tap until the water runs clear, then soak it for 30 minutes. Drain it in a colander and set it aside while the chicken cooks.
3. Fry the onions dark brown —Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a heavy pot and fry the sliced onions for 10 to 15 minutes until dark brown, not burnt or they turn bitter. Lift half the onions out and set them aside for the top.
4. Cook the chicken halfway —Seal the marinated chicken in the same pot for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat, then cover and cook for 5 minutes until half done. The chicken finishes in the dum, so do not cook it through now. Scatter the coriander, mint and green chilli over the chicken.
5. Parboil the rice —Bring a large pot of water to the boil with the bay leaves, cloves, cumin seeds, cardamom pods and 2 teaspoons of salt. Add the drained rice and parboil for 5 minutes, no lid, then drain. The rice should be about 70% cooked — firm in the centre, not soft.
6. Layer the pot —Spread the parboiled rice over the chicken and pat it down gently. Drizzle the saffron milk across the rice, then the melted ghee. Scatter the remaining fried onions and the flaked almonds on top.
7. Dum, rest and serve —Lay a tea towel over the pot under the lid to seal it. When steam shows, turn the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 20 to 25 minutes. Rest for 10 minutes off the heat with the lid still on, then fluff gently with a fork and serve with raita.

What a Chicken Biryani Is

What is a chicken biryani? It is not rice with chicken stirred through it. It is marinated meat at the bottom of a pot, parboiled rice layered over it, and a sealed lid — the dum — so the rice finishes cooking in the steam and aromas of the meat below. The layers stay separate until serving. When the pot is opened, the rice is fluffed through the chicken.

Pulao, the closest cousin, cooks the rice and the meat together in one pot, in measured water, with no layering and no sealed steam. For that method, see our chicken pulao. Biryani is also not a curry served over rice: the rice is cooked in the pot, over the meat. For the rest of the rice dishes, see the curries and rice collection.

Chicken Biryani Ingredients

The chicken biryani recipe ingredients begin with 500 g of boneless thighs, cut into large pieces. The marinade is 150 ml of plain yoghurt, a tablespoon of ginger garlic paste, 2 teaspoons of garam masala, half a teaspoon of turmeric, a teaspoon of Kashmiri chilli, a tablespoon of lemon juice and a teaspoon of salt. The rice is 400 g (2 cups) of aged basmati. Aged rice stays separate when it steams, while new rice clumps.

The rest is built in layers. There are 2 sliced onions fried dark brown, coriander and mint, a slit green chilli, saffron threads soaked in 3 tablespoons of warm milk, melted ghee (clarified butter) for drizzling, and toasted flaked almonds on top if you like them. The rice water takes the whole spices — bay, cloves, cumin, cardamom — and 2 teaspoons of salt. For plain rice technique, see our basmati rice guide.

The Chicken: Cut, Marinade and Pre-Cook

Skinless bone-in or boneless pieces both work. Boneless is easier to serve; bone-in is juicier but needs the full 25 minutes.

Marinade: coat the chicken in the yoghurt and spices and refrigerate for at least 1 hour — 2 hours is better, overnight is best. Pre-cook, the last part of how to cook the chicken for biryani: seal the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes, then cook covered for 5 minutes until half done. It finishes in the dum.

Layering and Dum: How to Make Chicken Biryani

Layer in this order: chicken at the bottom, herbs and half the fried onions over it, then all the parboiled rice, patted down gently. Drizzle the saffron milk across the rice, then the melted ghee, then the remaining onions and the almonds. The chicken should cover the base of the pot.

Seal the pot: lay a tea towel over the pot under the lid to keep the steam in, so the rice finishes in the meat's aromas. Put the pot on the lowest heat once steam shows and cook for 20 to 25 minutes. Then rest for 10 minutes off the heat with the lid still on. Do not lift the lid during the dum: every peek lets the steam out.

Hyderabadi Variation

This hyderabadi chicken biryani recipe is the layered, sealed version this recipe already is. The name refers to the Hyderabad style, where raw marinated meat and parboiled rice are layered and cooked together in a sealed pot. This recipe follows that method, so there is no second full Hyderabadi method here.

For the dedicated Hyderabadi version with its own spice balance and method, see our Hyderabadi chicken biryani. The difference from other biryanis is the seal. The pot is closed tight and the rice steams over raw marinated meat, rather than over pre-cooked chicken.

The Faster Route

This easy chicken biryani takes about 45 minutes after a 20-minute marinade, using the faster pot method. Sauté the marinated chicken for 5 minutes, spread the soaked rice over it, and cook for about 15 minutes from when the water boils, then rest 10 minutes. There is no separate parboil and no tea-towel seal. The rice cooks in the pot over the chicken, in one step.

The flavour is lighter and the layers are less distinct, but it is the same dish in less time — a chicken biryani recipe easy enough for a weeknight. If you have the full hour, cook the dum version.

What to Serve With

Raita is the essential partner: a bowl of cooling yoghurt with cucumber and a pinch of salt, which cuts the biryani's spice and moistens any dry mouthful. Biryani also pairs with sliced vegetables, papad (crisp lentil wafers) and shorba (thin spiced broth). Our raita is the one to make: plain, not sweetened.

Warm garlic naan is the second partner, for scooping up the chicken at the bottom of the pot. A simple onion and tomato salad adds the crunch the soft rice needs. A drink helps too: mango lassi if the biryani is spicy. Do not serve a second rice dish beside biryani — the pot is already the rice course.

Make Ahead, Storage and Reheat

Make ahead: marinate the chicken overnight and fry the onions ahead. Those two steps hold well. Assemble and dum on the day, because the rice must be parboiled fresh and the dum needs the steam. Do not assemble the pot the night before. The rice goes soggy sitting on the wet chicken.

Freeze leftovers in portions. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave until piping hot. To reheat, sprinkle a little water over the rice first so it steams rather than dries.

Tips

• Use aged basmati and rinse it until the water runs clear, then soak for 30 minutes. New rice clumps in the dum; rinsed aged rice stays separate.
• Fry the onions dark brown, not black.
• Do not lift the lid during the dum. Every peek lets the steam out and the rice stalls — wait the full 20 to 25 minutes, then rest 10 minutes.

Storage

Fridge: Reheat until piping hot throughout.

Freezer: Best within a few weeks.

Reheat: Sprinkle a little water over the rice first so it steams rather than dries, then reheat until piping hot throughout — microwave or a covered pan on low heat.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a chicken biryani?

A chicken biryani is marinated meat at the bottom of a pot, parboiled basmati rice layered over it, and a sealed lid, the dum, so the rice finishes cooking in the steam and aromas of the meat below. The layers stay separate until serving, when the pot is opened and the rice is fluffed through the chicken.

What are the steps of making biryani?

Marinate 500 g of chicken thighs in yoghurt and soak 400 g of basmati for 30 minutes. Fry the onions brown, seal the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes, parboil the rice for 5 minutes. Layer chicken and rice with saffron milk and ghee, seal it, dum on low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, and rest 10 minutes.

What are the ingredients for authentic chicken biryani?

The chicken is 500 g of boneless thighs in 150 ml of plain yoghurt with ginger garlic paste, garam masala, turmeric, Kashmiri chilli, lemon juice and salt. The rice is 400 g of aged basmati, layered with fried onions, coriander, mint, saffron soaked in warm milk and melted ghee, while bay, cloves, cumin and cardamom flavour the rice water.

What is the secret to making the best biryani?

The secret is the method: keep the 4:5 rice-to-chicken ratio, marinate the chicken in yoghurt and spices, and parboil the rice for 5 minutes until about 70% cooked. Layer it over the chicken, seal the pot with a tea towel, and dum on the lowest heat for 20 to 25 minutes, then rest 10 minutes without lifting the lid.

How to make boneless chicken biryani?

Use 500 g boneless thighs, cut into large pieces, and coat them in the spiced yoghurt marinade for at least 1 hour, overnight if you can. Seal the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes, then cook it covered for 5 minutes until half done. It finishes in the dum, so do not cook it through now.