chicken biryani

How to make chicken biryani recipe

Serves 4, Total cooking time 30 minutes

Ingredients:
250 g (8 oz) easy-cook basmati rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
300 g (10 oz) skinless chicken breast fillets, diced
1 bay leaf
3 cardamom pods
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 tablespoons curry paste
150 ml (¼ pint) chicken stock
75 g (3 oz) raisins
4 tablespoons natural yogurt
50 g (2 oz) toasted flaked almonds
4 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander, to garnish

Method:
Cook the rice in a large saucepan of lightly salted boiling water for 15–20 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan, add the onion and chicken and cook over a medium-high heat for 5–8 minutes or until golden, adding the bay leaf, cardamom and turmeric for the final 1 minute of cooking.

Add the curry paste and stir-fry for 1 minute, then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, add the raisins and yogurt and cook gently for 10 minutes until the stock has reduced by half.

Drain the cooked rice, add to the pan with the chicken and toss and cook for 2–3 minutes. Scatter with flaked almonds and garnish with chopped fresh coriander.

For simple fruity chicken biryani:
cook 250 g (8 oz) express rice and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a heavy-based frying pan and cook 250 g (8 oz) diced skinless chicken breast fillets over a high heat for 8 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Add 2 tablespoons curry paste, 75 g (3 oz) raisins and 4 tablespoons flaked almonds and toss well in the pan. Add the cooked rice and toss again before garnishing with fresh coriander to serve. Total cooking time 10 minutes.

chicken biryani