Weeknight Chicken Biryani

Biryani is a beautiful South Asian rice pilaf often served at celebrations in India. It’s usually made by layering golden-hued rice, tender meat or seafood, and vegetables all in one pot, and baking or steaming until the whole dish is fragrant and infused with flavor. My Indian friends here in the United States talk about this dish with much nostalgia.

Biryani can also be a fantastic one-pot meal to make on busy weeknights. With a few shortcuts, you can have it ready in under an hour. Today, I’m sharing my easy stovetop version of biryani with chicken.

The ratio of rice to meat in biryani might surprise you. This isn’t a dish of meat served with rice on the side. It’s a dish of rice flavored with meat. Think of the chicken as a seasoning for the rice.

I use bone-in chicken thighs, which turn out juicy no matter how long they cook. To prepare them for cooking, cut each thigh in half along the bone — this will give you some pieces of meat with the bone still in and some that are boneless.

This way, the bones add richness to the pot and the meat still cooks through in the time it takes for the rice to absorb its water. And you get bones for the people who love them!

You can use boneless thighs instead (cut them in half and cook them the same way), but you won’t get the richness from the bones in the broth.

I like golden rice, so I make the dish with turmeric, cardamom, ginger, and a cinnamon stick. Golden raisins go in along with the rice and then chopped almonds and fresh cilantro are sprinkled on top at the end.

My weeknight version has spices, but not heat. If you want some heat, add a generous pinch of crushed red pepper to the onion while it softens.

This is the ideal dish to make if you’ve decided to eat less meat. You get lots of interesting tastes and texture in the pilaf, and just enough protein to feel satisfied.

Weeknight Chicken Biryani Recipe

Boneless thighs can be substituted for the bone-in thighs if you prefer, though you'll lose the richness the bones give the dish. Prep and cook boneless thighs the same way.

This recipe is great served with raita yogurt sauce and naan!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (150g) long-grain white rice, like basmati
• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 piece (2 inches) fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, plus more to taste
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock or water
• 1/4 cup skinned or unskinned whole almonds, or sliced almonds
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

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