Easy Chicken Pulao
Inspired by the Donne Biryani and made with green masala, this Chicken Pulao Recipe will become a favourite! Spicy, aromatic, this is no regular pulao.
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
Rice
- 2 Cups Jeera Sambar Rice or any short grain rice (see note 1)
- 2 Cups Water
Chicken Marinade
- 500 Grams Chicken bone in, skinless, cut into 1.5 inch pieces (see note 2)
- ½ Cup Curd
- ½ Tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- ½ Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
Wet Masala
- 1 Tablespoon Oil
- 15 Cloves Garlic
- 2 Inch Ginger cut into chunks
- 3 Onion cut into chunks
- 6 Green Chillies slit lengthwise (see note 3)
- ½ cup fresh grated Coconut thaw if using frozen
- 1 Cup Coriander leaves and stem, loosely packed
- 1 Cup Mint Leaves loosely packed
Biryani Masala
- 2 Tablespoons Ghee + 1 tsp Ghee divided
- 2 Tablespoons Oil
- 4 pods Cardamom
- 4 Cloves
- 1 Inch Cinnamon stick
- 12 Whole Black Peppercorn
- 1 Bay Leaf
- ½ Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Coriander Powder
- 2 Tomatoes cubed into half inch pieces
- ¼ Cup Tomato Puree
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
Instructions
Rice
- Rinse the rice three times and soak it in water. Ensure the rice is fully submerged in two cups water
- Do this step and then start your prep, allowing the rice to soak while you prep everything else - about 20-30 minutes.
Chicken Marinade
- In a mixing bowl, combine washed chicken, curd, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder and salt. Cover and allow to marinade for 30 minutes.
Wet Masala
- In a kadai, heat 1 tablespoon oil on medium flame. Once hot, add ginger and garlic and lightly fry for 30 seconds. Add onion and chilli and fry for 4 - 5 minutes or until onions soften. Add coconut and fry for a minute or two. Add coriander and mint leaves and saute until soft, about a minute.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cool, grind to a slightly coarse paste. Keep aside.
Biryani Masala
- Heat oil and ghee over medium heat in a pressure cooker. Once it becomes hot, add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, peppercorn and fry for 30 seconds to a minute.
- When it becomes aromatic, add the ground wet masala and saute till the oil separates, about 5 - 7 minutes. Add turmeric powder and coriander powder and fry for 2 minutes.
- Add tomato puree and marinated chicken and saute for 2-3 minutes on a medium high flame. Add cubed tomatoes and mix.
- Add all the rice along with water and salt and mix to combine. Sprinkle a few curry leaves and a teaspoon of ghee on top.
Stovetop
- Bring the mixture to a quick boil and then reduce the flame, and cover and cook for 20 minutes. Rest covered for 10 minutes before serving.
Pressure Cook
- Cover the pressure cooker lid and seal with the whistle. Cook on high for 10 - 12 minutes or 2 whistles. Turn off the heat and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Instant Pot
- If using the Instant Pot or an electric pressure cooker, cook the chicken under pressure for 4 minutes. Quick release, mix the chicken once, then add rice and water (making sure the rice is submerged completely under water) and pressure cook again for 5 minutes. Quick release and open immediately.
Video
Notes
- Rice: Jeera Samba Rice is a variety of short grained rice that's almost the size of jeera (cumin seeds). You can substitute this with any other variety of short grain rice. Since this rice is so small in size, do not soak it for more than 30 minutes.
- Chicken: I highly recommend bone in, skinless chicken for this recipe because of the cooking time. Cuts like chicken breast will dry out. If you prefer using boneless chicken, use chicken thighs
- Chillies: We've used 6 green chillies here. You can go up to 12 for an extra spicy chicken pulao, or go down to 2 for a mild version.
- I have a vegetable pulao version that's vegan!
Nutrition
Calories: 537kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 792mg | Potassium: 541mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 980IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 3mg