Chicken Dum Biryani Recipe is a food that turns any lunch or dinner meal special. Food lovers globally love Chicken Dum Biryani Recipe as it is a fulfilling meal in itself, smells incredible, looks great on the table, and the rice is packed with flavour. It’s a great comfort food – for a big family get together, a holiday, or just a nice weekend treat. Enjoy this Chicken Dum Biryani Recipe for an unforgettable meal.

What is Chicken Dum Biryani?

Chicken Dum Biryani Recipe is a simple classic recipe that originated from India and is a part of its culinary delight. It is a layered dish made with marinated chicken and basmati rice, along with a unique combination of spices. The Chicken Dum Biryani Recipe rice is layered where each layer is added with the spices, chicken, and steamed together in a single pot. The Chicken Dum Biryani Recipe is consumed with salan and raita based on the liking of the taste. Chicken Dum Biryani Recipe is suitable for all occasions to serve as a main course meal.

Traditional Biryani Features

It’s made with basmati rice, long size, and non graded
Chicken marinated with curd / yoghurt
Combination of spices and crispy fried onions
Fresh spices such as cloves, cardamom, & cinnamon
Fresh mint and coriander leafs
Milk with saffron or turmeric

Regional Variations

Hydrabadi: Marinated chicken placed over the rice, steamed, and then the entire dish is slow cooked
Lucknowi: Yakhni (broth) is used with the additions of softer spices and saffron
Malabar: Sweet coconut ghee with fried cashew raisin
Kolkata: Mild with potatoes and a subtle, refined taste

Every one of them represents a long culture of slow cooking.

Why you’ll love this recipe

Using this recipe, you can easily prepare Biryani at home. The marinated chicken pieces are cooked with onions and a combination of spices that are commonly available in kitchen.

It is ideal for family meals, hosts, special events, and bulk preparation
Bone-in chicken provides richer, healthier juices for biryani dum cooking
Spiced Ghee is more effective than spiceless ghee at adding health value
Homemade garam masala for the biryani, however readymade garam masala from market will also suffice for healthier preparation
Consider the type of basmati aged for nutrition, and use long grain for the best biryani texture, feel, and taste

Chicken Dum biryani ingredients

Meat & Produce

1 kg chicken (preferably with bone for more flavour)
2 large onions, thinly sliced (to fry it)
2 tomatoes, chopped
2-3 green chillies, slit
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
½ cup Fresh mint leaves
½ cup Fresh coriander
1 lemon

Dairy & Liquids

½ cup yogurt (whisked)
3-4 tbsp oil or ghee
3 tbsp milk
Little quantity of saffron or ½ tsp turmeric mixed in warm milk

Whole Spices

1 bay leaf
4 cloves
3 green cardamom
1 small cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 tsp shah jeera (optional)

Ground Spices

1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp red chilli powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
Salt, as per taste

Rice

2 cups of basmati rice (soaked for 30 minutes)
1 tsp oil + 1 tsp salt (for boiling the rice)

How to cook Chicken dum biryani?

Prepare the Marinade

Take the following ingredients in a bowl: 1 tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste, 1 tablespoon of coriander powder, little bit of edible oil, and 3 cups of curd in a bowl. Use a hand mixer to mix all the above ingredients to make the marinade. Add lemon juice and salt as per the taste.

Adjust the taste of the marinade with the right ratio of spices before moving on to the next steps with the chicken.

Marinate the chicken

Marinate the chicken pieces till each piece is evenly coated with marinade mix. Cover the bowl tightly and place it in the refrigerator atleast for 1 hour or if you have time keep this overnight to allow the marinade to penetrate the meat. This will provide a rich flavour to the Biryani.

Cook the base masala

For base masala, heat some oil or ghee in a pan, add the cumin seeds and whole spices. Stir it well. Add the onion & one cut tomato along with the green chilies and sauté until the tomato, onion, and mixture of spices are soft and have a sheen.

Add the marinated chicken

Add the marinated pieces to the masala in the pan and mix it well. Cook the chicken in the pan without covering it for sometime so that raw smell goes away. Add water, depending on how thick you want the curry to be, and let it boil gently. Once it starts boiling, cover the pan and let it simmer till the meat becomes tender and cooked through.

Layer the biryani

Layer 1: Chicken Masala- Spread the cooked chicken masala on the bottom of the pot. This creates a tasty base layer of flavours to infuse into the rice
Layer 2: Half cooked Rice– Form a second layer of the base of half cooked basmati rice over the chicken evenly. The rice should be long grained and about 70% , so that it does not become mushy when fully cooked
Layer 3: Fried Onions- Sprinkle with generous amounts of crispy fried onions. This adds crunch texture to the biryani and a sweet flavour
Mint & Coriander- Fresh mint and coriander leaves are layered at the end. Fresh mint, along with coriander, adds a cooling fragrance to the biryani
Saffron Milk- Pour some saffron milk over the top of the rice. Adding saffron milk is what gives biryani its royal colour and aroma
Ghee- A spoonful of hot melted ghee is then put on top of the layer. The ghee makes the biryani soft and assists the spices in the ghee in rising up and seeping through the upper layer of rice

Repeat these steps until all ingredients are cooked and make sure that rice is placed on top at all times.

Seal for dum cooking

Option 1. Dough Seal

Seal the pot completely with a strip of rolled out kneaded dough across the rim of the pot to form an airtight barrier. This allows the biryani to cook in its own steam and absorb all the aromatic flavours

Option 2. A heavy lid with a weight

A simpler technique is to get a tight, heavy lid for the pot and place a weight on top. This also keeps the steam from escaping and allows for more gentle, even dum cooking

Dum Process

Heat a Tawa/Flat Pan
Start by putting a tawa on the heat for some slow -cooked biryani. The tawa will act as a heat diffuser, which will stop the biryani from burning from the bottom
Place Biryani Pot on Tawa
Carefully place the sealed biryani pot on the tawa. This position will allow some indirect heat to be captured and will assist the cooking of the rice and the chicken to perfection
Medium Heat for 10 Minutes
Do medium heat to start with. This will heat the pot, create steam inside, and initiate the cooking process
Low Flame for 30 Minutes
After 10 minutes, set the heat to low and steam for the rest of the time. The slow dum cooking is critical, as it will add all the deep & layered flavours turning rice fluffy and aromatic

Rest & Serve

Let it rest for 10 minutes
After the dum is done i.e post the switching off the flame, wait 10 minutes for it to steam itself, and to settle the flavours within. This final resting period will create the perfect balance of flavours in the biryani, resulting in an ultimate dish with well cooked rice

Gently fluff the rice
Now open the lid and gently fluff the rice with a large spoon and mix it well. This step is crucial to make sure you’re the rice looks separated and not clumped together

Chicken dum biryani variations

Creamy biryani

Basis the quantity, add some cream or malai for a richer biryani. The cream / malai gives the dish a soft texture and minor sweetness balancing the high spice flavours. This addition will also preserve the chicken’s tenderness even after the steaming stage of cooking

Boneless biryani

When you cook biryani with boneless chicken, always buy the thigh part as it is more meaty and goes well with the rice. The cooking time lessens because boneless chicken cooks faster than meat that has bones, hence the timer on the cooking stage should be decreased by 10 minutes. Timing is critical for removing the meat at the correct stage so that it remains soft & tender, and not overcooked

Coconut milk biryani

Using around a quarter cup of thick coconut milk in the marinade makes an added help to the biryani and gives it more similarity to South Indian cuisine. It strengthens the aroma on the coast and balances well with the kind of spices being used on the biryani. This will even add more richness to the gravy and make it fit with basmati rice

Nut-paste version

To get a creamier blend with a slightly posher Mughal biryani, a paste consisting of soaked almonds or cashews should be added to the marinade. The paste also adds greater depth to the dish’s flavor, particularly to that of the marinade. The masala layer is added to the dish to enhance its aroma and make it more appealing

Pressure cooker style
If you’re cooking the dish with a time constraint, a pressure cooker can make this recipe more efficient! Do the same layering as with a saucepan over low heat. Do, however, reduce the cooking time to just a singular whistle. Let the pressure release by itself
Slow cooker biryani
Add the marinated chicken and the rice you cooked only halfway to the slow cooker. This will take a slow around 5 hours on low flame to finish cooking. The blend of spices, along with the heat, allows the rice to become fragrant and soft to create a delicious biryani
Spicy Andhra style biryani
If you’re looking to prepare an authentic spicy Indian Biryani dish from the Andhra Pradesh regions of India, then blend green chilis into the meat marinade along with adding an extra tablespoon of chili powder. This combination works to really bring the heat and create a more space flavour for spicy chili lovers

Serving of chicken dum biryani

There are several recommended accompaniments for Chicken Dum Biryani that combine to create a complete meal

Raita: A raita made of mint, cucumber, or onion, or even boondi raita, is an accompaniment that serves as a refreshing cool side dish with the meal of biryani. It helps in balancing the spices with the rich taste of the biryani
Kachumber salad: Kachumber salad is a salad that is offering a warm and aromatic dish that is made out of the contrasting taste of the sour cucumber and coriander and lemon. But this salad is well known for its palatable cleaning property for spicy and rich food
Mirchi ka Salan: This is a classic side dish and the recipe uses the Hyderabadi chatpatta moorela and chilli sauce that aims to add more biryani flavour to it
Lemon wedges and onion slices: This is intended to serve as the side dish. By taking the lemon and onion slices while dining on the dal biryani, it will season the dish, and it will improve in flavour
Coconut chutney: If one is having any sea food item accompanying the biryani, then the combination of coconut chutney is sure to impress coconut lovers. It adds sweetness to balance the spices

Expert tips & Recipe notes

Golden fried onions are the soul of a biryani and should never be hurried
Don’t overcook the rice. If you do it 70%, it will come out just right
Always make sure that the cooking vessel used is heavy bottomed so that the rice does
Do not open the pot during dum cooking process. The steam produced is very helpful
Adding water to the process in the middle, add water that is hot
If you want to get the restaurant-quality taste, then marinate the chicken for more time

Troubleshooting for problems you may face:

Rice is mushy because the rice prior to layering was overly cooked
If the chicken remains raw after cooking, it simply means the flame was not high enough, or the chicken was cut up into pieces a little bit large
If your biryani is dry, it means there is less water inside the pot. You should add a few tablespoons of warm water before you complete the cooking process

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Should I use basmati rice or can I substitute another type?

Long size grain, aged basmati rice will be ideal for the best texture. However, non-basmati long grain also works well. Short size rice is not for biryani in its best

What can I do to prevent my chicken from getting dry?

Don’t overcook the chicken or use only the breast portion. Make sure to use the thigh cut or any piece with bone

What is the best way to store the leftovers?

You can refrigerate the leftovers for few days. If you want to keep it for longer, you can freeze it for a month. Just add a little water (1 tbsp) before reheating. Also, do not heat it again and again. Finish up your biryani in maximum 2 times

Can I use canned tomatoes or puree?

Sure. Note that use it less because biryani should not have a strong tomato taste

Are fried onions optional? Can I skip the fried onions?

Highly recommended to use fried onions. It adds aroma and sweetness to the dish

Share this Chicken dum biryani recipe with your family & friends. Suggest points if you want to add anything on this recipe, we will add it here that is useful to the readers.

Chicken Dum Biryani Recipe – Simple, Flavourful & Easy