logo left

chicken biryani

logo right
nuttys kitchen logo

oven baked

Sure, I’m Nutty. And yes, I get that Biryani has a rep for being complicated. But honestly? It’s just rice, chicken, and a little spice magic. All myths removed. Chicken Biryani (One-Pot Style) is a simple and easy dish to make, but the flavours and textures are absolutely incredible. It features fragrant, flavourful rice paired with perfectly cooked chicken drumsticks. This recipe uses a special biryani masala from Chettinad cuisine, known as Chettinad Masala, which gives the dish a unique and delicious taste. One of the great things about this recipe is how forgiving it is—you can easily adjust the heat by using less fresh chilli's and chilli powder (though personally, I like it HOT! 🌶 ️🌶 ️🌶 ️). Since the chicken and rice are cooked together in the same pot, this is a classic one-pot biryani. The process starts with grinding the Chettinad Masala, then sautéing onions and tomatoes with the freshly ground spices. Next, the chicken is added and cooked until it's halfway done. Finally, pre-soaked rice is placed on top and everything is baked in the oven at 180°C (350°F) for 45 minutes.

Okay, so the hardest part—as usual—is getting those onions nicely browned. It takes a bit of time, but trust me, they’re a must for good Chicken Biryani . Another not-so-fun job is taking the skin off the drumsticks. I know it’s a bit of a hassle, but it really makes a difference.

Don’t worry about the bone end—it doesn’t have any meat on it anyway. Think of it as a built-in handle. 😉

Click the Method tab below to see a step by step guide on how to make this oven baked Chicken Biryani along with a few of pictures as a guide.

chicken biryani raita popadams

ingredients

Here's what you need :¬)

serves 4 to 6

For the Chicken Biryani Masala powder

  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 inch cinnamon stick
  • 1 tsp whole peppercorns
  • 3 Green cardamom
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 1 tsp whole cumin seeds

for making the Chicken Biryani

  • 2 Tbsp Oil
  • 2 Tbsp Ghee/ Clarified Butter
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 3 Cloves
  • 3 Cardamom
  • 3 small brown onions(250g) thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp salt into the onions
  • 1 Tbsp Ginger paste
  • 1 Tbsp Garlic paste
  • 3 green chilli's split
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 Tbsp Extra hot Chilli powder
  • 1 tomato sliced(150g)
  • 2 Tbls Mint leaves chopped
  • 3 Tbls Coriander leaves chopped
  • 1/2 cup Yogurt
  • 1kg Chicken drumsticks
  • 1 cup Basmati Rice soaked for 30 minutes
  • 1.5 cups of water
  • 1/2 tsp Salt into the water

method

First, let's get the masala ready. In a dry frying pan, roast the spices for the masala powder until they become fragrant. Be careful not to burn them, as that will make the masala taste bitter. Once the spices have cooled, grind them into a fine powder and set them aside.

Next, organize all your ingredients and start heating the oil and ghee. Place the rice in a bowl of cold water and let it soak for 30 minutes. Pre-heat your oven when you add the chicken drumsticks to the pan.

whole spices for biryani masala
whole spices for biryani masala
  1. To make biryani masala - dry roast the following for 2 minutes on a medium heat. Allow them to cool completely then grind it all to a fine powder
    • bay leaf
    • fennel seeds
    • coriander seeds
    • star anise
    • green cardamom
    • cinnamon stick
    • pepper
    • cloves & cumin seeds
toast the spices
toasting whole spices for biryani masala
  1. Get your rice onto soak as it takes 30 minutes
  2. Heat a heavy based pan (on this occassion I am using my wok then transfering to my dutch oven to bake the dish just because I can & I am sure you can too!)
  3. To begin the biryani - heat 2 Tbsp of oil and 2 Tbsp ghee / clarified butter (ghee adds extra aroma and richness to the biryani as an added bonus ghee mellows spices)
  4. then add the whole spices - bay leaves, cardamom and cloves.
fry bayleaves & spices
frying bayleaves cloves and cardamom in oil
  1. Add thinly sliced brown onions (its important to slice them thinly as you can), then add 1 tsp salt and saute until the onions are golden brown.
add onions
onions added to pan
  1. Once the onions are nice and brown add 3 slit green chillies, 2 Tbsp of ginger garlic paste and cook until the raw smell is gone
add chillies
chillies added to browned onions
  1. Now add the masalas - turmeric powder, freshly ground biryani masala (from step 1) nutmeg & chilli powder - this can be reduced to your spice preference. Give it a good stir fry (be careful do not burn the spice powders).
add masala & spices
masala and spices added to wok
  1. Add sliced tomato and cook until the tomato softens down & begins to disappear (we don't want tomato chunks in our biryani) — mix well
add tomato
tomatoes added to wok
soften the tomato
tomatoes softening in wok
blend tomato with ingredients
tomatoes blended with ingredients in wok
  1. Now remove the skin from the chicken drumsticks if you have not already done so. Set your oven onto 180c to pre-heat
  2. Add the chicken drumsticks. Mix well, cover and cook until the chicken pieces are 50% done. About 5 minutes.
add the drumsticks
chicken drumsticks added to wok
mix well, cover & cook for 5 mins
chicken drumsticks coated in spices
  1. Add some mint and coriander leaves, 1/2 cup of yogurt and mix everything well.
add mint, coriander & yogurt
chopped mint added to chicken
  1. Now add the cleaned, soaked & drained basmati rice on top of the chicken.
  1. Then add water (for 1 cup of Basmati rice add 1.5 cups of water). Add another 1/2 tsp salt. Cover & place in a pre-heated oven for 45 minutes.
add water - cover & cook
water added to dutch oven
  1. Uncover & check the rice is cooked — mix gently to enjoy tasty home-made Chettinad style chicken biryani.
check rice is cooked
chicken biryani cooked

Oven Baked Chicken Biryani served with a Mint Raita. Or you could go all out & make a vegetable curry sauce to accompany this dish.

Nutty says "Well all I need is fork ;-) and a quiet corner to eat & enjoy!"

chicken biryani...
chicken biryani raita popadams
...with mint raita & popadoms