Notes

📋 Chicken Tikka Biryani Recipe Card

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour | Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 4 | Cuisine: Indian | Course: Main Course

🛒 Ingredients:

For Chicken Tikka Marinade:

500g boneless chicken (cut into cubes)
1/2 cup yogurt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

For Rice:

2 cups basmati rice (washed and soaked 30 minutes)
4 cups water
2–3 cloves
2–3 green cardamoms
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
Salt to taste

For Biryani Layers:

2 onions (thinly sliced)
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
2 tbsp ghee (or butter)
1/4 cup warm milk + saffron strands (optional)
1 tsp biryani masala (optional)

🥄 Instructions:

1. Marinate the Chicken:
In a large bowl, mix yogurt, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, cumin, salt, and oil. Add chicken cubes. Marinate for at least 1 hour (or overnight).

2. Cook the Chicken Tikka:
Grill or pan-fry the marinated chicken until slightly charred and fully cooked (8–10 minutes). Set aside.

3. Cook the Rice:
Boil 4 cups of water with spices (cloves, cardamoms, bay leaf, cinnamon) and salt. Add soaked rice and cook till 80% done. Drain and set aside.

4. Prepare Fried Onions:
In a pan, fry sliced onions till golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels.

5. Assemble and Dum Cook:
In a heavy-bottomed pot:

Grease the bottom with ghee.
Layer rice, mint, coriander, fried onions, and chicken tikka alternately.
Drizzle saffron milk and sprinkle biryani masala.
Cover tightly and cook on low heat (dum) for 20–25 minutes.

6. Serve:
Fluff the biryani gently and serve hot with raita or salad!

💡 Pro Tip:

Longer marination makes the chicken juicier and more flavorful!
For a deeper smoky flavor, you can give a charcoal smoke to the biryani just before dum cooking.