My Mom’s Picnic Chicken Biryani
Chicken Biryani and India gate.
India Gate and Chicken Biryani.
I think about one, and the other shows up without an invitation.
In Delhi summers, when our tiny apartment felt especially unwelcoming, we ended up just carrying our dinner to India gate. Our favorite spot was this triangular green patch that gave us a great view of the Rashtrapati Bhavan on one side, and the India Gate on the other side. We would often get to this spot late in the evening, carrying our pressure cooked Chicken Biryani, wrapped in a thick blanket, and stay well past midnight, watching stars and enjoying the breeze.
At India Gate, we made memories with our closest friends and family, celebrated birthdays, welcomed new family members and spent many evenings, sprawled on the cool grass, sharing meals, listening to the music of bottle openers sliding across soda bottles as soap bubbles lazily floated around.
This recipe is my ode to India Gate - the sprawling greens, the magnificent walls, the breathtaking view of the city from top, the wet grass, the Chuski, the Madari, the Jamura, the balloon waala, the lover's spot, the families' weekend outing, Mama's special pressure cooker. the starlit night sky and the whiff of my mother's Chicken Biryani.
My mom's quick chicken Biryani recipe, perfect for lazy picnic dinners!
- 3 tbsp Ghee
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 tbsp Black Pepper (Whole)
- 1 Inch Cinnamon Stick
- 2 pods Black Cardamom
- 3-4 clove Laung/ Cloves
- 2 cup Red Onions (Sliced thin)
- 2 tsp Kashmiri Red Chili Powder (or to taste)
- 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
- 3-4 clove Garlic (grated)
- 3 lb Chicken with bones (If you can, get a full chicken cut into 8 pieces. If not, a combination of drumsticks and thigh pieces would suffice.)
- 1/4 cup Cashews
- 2 cup Basmati Rice
- 2.5 cup Water
- Prepare the ingredients
Soak the rice for 30 minutes to 2 hours. When you are ready to start cooking, strain the rice out of the water.
Slice the onions. Grate the garlic. Wash and dry the chicken pieces.
In the pressure cooker or instant pot heat half the ghee. Add all the whole spices and sauté till fragrant.
Add sliced onions and sauté till they are translucent.
Add salt and Kashmiri Red Chili powder, followed by splashes of water to keep it from burning. Stir until the onions are coated with bright red color.
Add chicken pieces, followed by garlic paste. Fry chicken on medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until it is no longer pink.
Add rice, cashews, water and the remaining ghee. Stir gently to mix.
If you are using an Instant pot, cook on manual pressure cooking setting for 5 minutes and allow natural release of pressure. [These settings are based on the 3qt instant pot]
If you are using a pressure cooker, cook for 1 whistle.
- Let it rest
Once all the steam has escaped, open the lid and leave the biryani for about 10 minutes before serving.
When serving, gently scoop out the biryani layer by layer.
Enjoy with a cucumber raita and my dad's onion chutney.
