Posted on by Cleverona Kitchen

One-Skillet Chicken Biryani Recipe

Will you be hosting the family's Christmas dinner this year? Or are you attending a potluck with colleagues and friends? Do you want to prepare something that's interesting to the palate?

Try this super easy, one-skillet chicken biryani recipe!

This Indian food is as festive as the holidays can get. Surely, whatever gastronomic adventure awaits you this holiday season, you can't go wrong with a dish that will stand out amidst the pies and casseroles.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup rice
  • 1 1/2 pound skinned chicken breast
  • 1 cup greek yogurt
  • 1 stick butter
  • 2 laurel leaves
  • 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 to 2 anise seeds
  • 3 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 medium onion
  • Fresh mint for garnish

Procedure

Wash & soak rice in a bowl of water. Set aside.

Chicken Biryani Marinade

In a medium or large bowl combine sliced chicken breast, yogurt, one tablespoon butter, garlic-ginger paste, nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, chili powder, turmeric and anise seeds. Mix well and add a laurel leaf. Set aside.

Chop the onion very finely. Heat 1 to 3 tablespoons of butter and fry the chopped onions. Once the onions start to turn brown, transfer them to a paper towel lined plate, and set aside. Onions continue to cook even after you take them out of the fire.

Drain water from rice. In the same skillet, combine 2 tablespoon of butter with 2 teaspoons turmeric powder. Mix until combined and add rice. Mix until the rice is evenly colored yellow. Add 3 cups water.

rice on fry pan

Start the stove on medium heat. Once the water begins to boil, stir rice to evenly distribute water. Once water has evaporated, turn down the stove to low setting. Let rice cook for 3 minutes. Set aside. Transfer cooked rice on a plate.

Put the skillet back on the stove. On medium flame, melt the rest of the butter. Add the remaining laurel leaf. Add in the marinated chicken. Continuously stir it to be sure that the chicken will cook evenly. After 10 to 12 minutes, add the rice on top of the chicken. 

chicken biryani pre plating

Turn the stove down to the lowest setting. Add the fried onions. Cover the skillet and let the chicken cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the stove and leave the skillet covered for 5 more minutes.

Garnish the chicken biryani with the remainder of the fried onions and some fresh mint leaves.

Bonus Recipe Notes

One-skillet chicken biryani recipe

Skip switching to several skillets when cooking the dish. Use a trusty nonstick skillet for this recipe.

Ideally, when cooking Indian food, freshly ground spices are used. To cut down prep time, however, you can go with ground spices which may already be on your spice rack.

Most recipes use white basmati rice but you can actually use whatever rice you have. You can even use brown rice for added nutritional value.

One more note on cooking rice - the rule of thumb for rice to water ratio is one part rice to two parts water.