Hyderabad, now the capital city of Telangana State in Southern India, is famous for its chicken and mutton (lamb) biryani. Though I was raised in a vegetarian household in this city, the lure of biryani was too much for me to resist! As I hung out with my friends in college, we would make it a point to hit all the biryani spots in town, as often as we could.
What is Biryani?
This delicious and complex recipe made with rice and meat (or vegetables) draws its inspiration from Moghul cooking. Hyderabad has a long history of Moghul rule, going way back to the 15th century. While biryani can be cooked in several ways, the Hyderabad version includes cooking meat and rice in separate layers and then mixing them together before serving.
Hyderabad Chicken Biryani served with Raita, Salan, Raw Onion and Lime
Salan
Generally, when you order biryani at restaurant in Hyderabad, it is served with two sides, raita and salan. My favorite is Mirchi Ka Salan, a spicy peanut-based gravy that incorporates large, de-seeded and sautéed green chili peppers. I cannot imagine having biryani without salan. It is almost as complex as the biryani. When done right it is a perfect companion for biryani.
Salan
Raita
While salan is a spicy side, raita is the opposite. It is a probiotic, yogurt-based recipe that is made in several ways, but the basic version could include just raw onions and salt. Raita helps the stomach handle the complex spices of the main dish. What else? Oh yes, not only raita and salan, but a typical biryani is also served with some fresh cut lime and sliced onions to help tone down the spices. Here are some of our raita recipes you could try Tomato Onion Tadka Raita or Mooli (Daikon Radish) Raita.
Tomato Onion Tadka Raita
Instant Pot Hyderabad Chicken Biryani
While I did want to cook it myself, I did not attempt this dish until a few years back since I considered it too complex. I’m always up for a challenge but this recipe was too involved for me to even try. This resistance went away in 2017, when I met a colleague at a conference in Chicago. He is an expert in software technology, a guitarist, and a terrific cook. As we were chatting and I mentioned my interest in biryani, he just started telling me the entire recipe from memory!
Marinating
Undoubtedly, this is the most important aspect of cooking biryani. Both whole and blended spices are used here. For the first time ever, I used papaya fruit in the marinade – it is a great way to soften the meat, giving it that fall-off-the-bone quality. I typically marinate overnight, about 12 to 15 hrs. That’s right! It is the key to getting the real biryani flavor. We’re not done yet – there are several other steps you need to complete, to get that perfect biryani. Just follow the recipe instructions below and you’ll be fine. Enjoy your home-made Hyderabad Biryani!
Chicken thigh meat is more moist, because it is a little higher in fat, but it also has more flavor and iron. Using skinless thighs, removing any excess fat and sautéing with very little olive oil makes this recipe delicious and healthy (reasonably low on calories).
Do check out our other delightful one-pot meal recipes:
- Brown Rice Vegetable Pulao
- Brown Rice Khichdi
- Egg Tomato Spicy Rice
- Vegetable Multigrain Khichdi
- Mexican Rice
- Brown Jeera Rice
- Bisi Bele Baath
- Quinoa Vegetable Pulao
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Instant Pot Hyderabad Chicken Biryani
Ingredients
Marinade
- 3/4 Pound Chicken - Pasture Raised, Skinless Chicken Drumsticks or boneless, skinless thighs
- 2 Cups Mint Leaves - Fine cut
- 2 Cups Cilantro - Fine Cut
- 1 Tablespoon Ginger & Garlic Paste
- 1/4 Teaspoon Black Cumin - Shahi Jeera
- 1 Piece Mace Flower
- 1 Stick Cinnamon - 1/2 inch piece
- 8 Corns Black Pepper
- 4 Pods Cardamom
- 6 Cloves
- 1/4 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder - Or to taste
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Coriander Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 Pepper Green Chili Pepper - Large, ground to paste
- 1/8th Cup Onion - Tempered in ghee
- 1/2 Cup Yogurt - Full Fat
- 1 Tablespoon Papaya Fruit - Blended
- 1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt - Or to taste
Biryani Rice
- 2 Cups Rice - Basmati or Long grain, white
- 3 Cloves
- 1 Stick Cinnamon - 1/2 inch
- 3 Pods Cardamom
- 1 Pinch Black Cumin
- 1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt - Or to taste
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 5 Cups Filtered water
Tempering
- 1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
- 3 Tablespoons Ghee - Organic
- 1/4 Cup Onion - Thin, long strips
- 1/8th Cup Milk
- 1 Teaspoon Saffron
Instructions
Marinade
- Mix chicken well with all the marinade ingredients in a glass/ceramic container, close the lid and store in refrigerator for 14 -16 hours.
Rice
- Wash rice and drain water. Soak with about one inch of water over the rice for about 40 minutes. Drain water again and add oil, salt, cloves, cardamom, black cumin and cinnamon bark. Add filtered water, mix well, and cook in a rice cooker (Pro tip: this is a pot-in-pot method - in the rice cooker container, add 1.5 cups of water and then set the container with rice and other ingredients. Turn cooker on 'cook' mode and wait till it turns to 'keep warm' mode. Now set it aside to cool).
Biryani - Instant Pot (IP)
- Set IP on 'slow cook' mode, add marinated chicken, lemon juice, set lid on and set the timer to 1.5 hours.
- Now layer the cooked and cooled rice on top of the chicken and spread evenly. In a pan on a stove top, temper onions to golden brown. Warm milk in a microwave and mix the saffron strands well and add it to the rice. Sprinkle tempered onions on top, set lid on again and cook on slow cook mode for 1 hour. Remove lid, allow it to cool for about 5 minutes and mix well before serving.
- Serve hot with salan and raita.
