Weeknight Chicken Biryani

Weeknight Chicken Biryani is a dish of spiced, stewed, flavorful chicken cooked beneath fluffy, buttery rice. It is bursting with flavor, variety, warmth, and comfort. A bowl of biryani satisfies both your tastebuds and your stomach! But what if you want all this on a weeknight? The solution: Weeknight Chicken Biryani made with rotisserie chicken as a shortcut. All the flavor, in just about as much time as it takes to make the rice!

If you’ve never tried South Indian food before, give this a go, it does not disappoint. It requires a lot of spices, but they are very versatile and come in handy for many dishes if you stock up! Just be sure to store them in a dark, dry place in your kitchen.

The rice is my favorite part. Soft and lightly spiced, then drizzled with unctuous butter and saffron. The rice provides the perfect canvas for the flavorful chicken. It’s the simple and rich balance to the complex and intense flavors of the sauce.

Topped off with crisp fried onions and cool, creamy yogurt? This dish hits all the spots. Spiced, rich, complex, creamy, aromatic, and ready in time for a weeknight dinner.

I hope you love this Weeknight Chicken Biryani as much as I do! If you make this recipe, leave a comment and let me know what you thought or feel free to ask a question! I’d also love to see what you made! Tag me in your food pics #fortheperfectbite on Instagram.

Weeknight Chicken Biryani

Warm and comforting, spiced yet creamy, and easy enough to pull together for a weeknight dinner.

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Course Chicken, Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

Chicken

• 1 rotisserie chicken, meat pulled off the bones
• 1 ¼ cups plain yogurt
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 whole bulb garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 tsp ginger powder
• 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• ¾ tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 3 tbsp paprika
• 3 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp cumin

Rice

• 3 cups Basmati Rice
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 star anise pod
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp kosher salt

Other

• 2 onions sliced
• 1 tsp saffron
• 1 stick salted butter
• extra yogurt for topping
• cilantro for topping (optional)

Instructions

 

• Mix all the spices for the chicken with the yogurt, water, and olive oil. Combine with the rotisserie chicken pieces and allow to marinate while you prepare the rice.
• Place the rice in a pot with 4 1/2 cups water, the salt, ground cloves, anise pod, ground cardamom, and bay leaves and bring to a simmer.
• When a simmer is reached, turn the heat to medium low and cook the rice for 12 minutes (it should be just underdone). Remove the anise pod and bay leaves.
• While the rice is cooking, fry the sliced onions in olive oil until just slightly charred and crisp, about 7 minutes.
• Place the chicken, sauce and all, into a pot, and sprinkle half the fried onions on top. Cover and bring to a simmer.
• Steep the saffron in 3 tbsp warm water, and melt the stick of butter.
• Let the chicken simmer in the sauce for 5 minutes, then layer the rice over the chicken and press to cover.
• Drizzle the saffron water over the rice, then drizzle the melted butter over the rice. Cover, and allow to simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.
• Scoop the biryani into bowls, being sure to include both rice and chicken in each scoop.
• Serve topped with the rest of the fried onions, a spoonful of yogurt, and cilantro if you prefer.

Keyword weeknight chicken biryani