Chicken tikka biryani - Whether you're creating a feast for your guests, or simply need a family dinner idea, you can't beat the aromatic flavors in this biryani recipe. It features a tasty mix of the classic grilled chicken tikka and spiced rice with a sprinkle of herbs, fried nuts and raisins.
Honestly, re-creating classics is so much fun. Again, combining two classics to create a totally different recipe is incredible. Yes, I'm talking about two all-time favourites- chicken tikka and biryani. Bring them together, and you'll be amazed how delicious it can be. Don't you love this combo? I'm pretty sure you do.
This chicken tikka biryani is, obviously, so different from any other chicken biryani I have made before. First, chicken is not cooked in the biryani masala. It's marinated and cooked, I mean, grilled separately. To be exact, we will be making chicken tikka separately, and add it to the masala at a later stage in the cooking process. This kind of cooking gives the chicken pieces a crispy outer layer which is a real contrast to the smooth consistency of the masala. And I totally love it.
You can find the chicken tikka recipe on the blog(click here). I've also included the video below.
Chicken Tikka Video Below:
Now, onto the second step of making this chicken tikka biryani - masala. This masala sauce is quite spicy and super delicious. Well, let me tell you what makes this sauce so tasty. We'll start by sautéing onions and tomatoes in ghee. You'll only need basic ingredients to make this sauce. A good masala sauce needs the right amount of spices in it. So, we'll add ground cumin, ground coriander, garam masala and red chili powder.
Herbs are an important element of any biryani. The more the better. No matter what type of biryani I make, I always add ample amount of coriander (cilantro) and mint leaves. If you have access to fresh herbs, you must definitely add them to your biryani. You won't believe the amount of flavor it adds to this chicken tikka biryani.
We'll also add a little yogurt as it'll make the sauce rich and creamy. Once the sauce is ready, the prepared chicken tikkas go into the sauce.
The secret to a good biryani is perfectly cooked fluffy rice. I know it sounds too complicated, but trust me, it's really easy. You'll need to soak rice for about 20 minutes prior to cooking. Fry up a bay leaf in some ghee for added flavor, and then quickly sauté the rice until it starts to change color. Add a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice, season with salt, cover with water, and then simmer until rice is tender. Drain. Easy peasy!
Now to the final step - layering. Layer masala, rice and herbs in a large pan. Cover and "dum" (cook over very low heat) for few minutes.
Without a doubt, this chicken tikka biryani is a must try recipe. I just can't wait to make this again. Absolutely love it!
Wondering what can be served with this chicken tikka biryani? Then checkout these:
- Carrot Cucumber Raita
- Grapes Apple Mint Raita
- Pomegranate Raita
- Lemon pickle
- Celery Pickle
- Mango pickle
Chicken Tikka Biryani | Video
Ingredients
Chicken tikka:
- Recipe link just below this recipe
Masala:
- 2 tablespoon ghee or clarified butter
- 2 large onions chopped
- 2 large tomatoes chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander coriander powder
- 2 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 cup coriander cilantro leaves
- 1 cup mint leaves
- ½ cup yogurt
- 5 saffron strands dissolved in ¼ cup milk
- Salt to taste
Chicken tikka biryani:
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- Water
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup chopped coriander cilantro leaves
- ½ cup chopped mint leaves
- Fried cashew nuts and raisins to garnish
Instructions
Chicken tikka:
- Recipe link just below this recipe. Follow the recipe instructions to make chicken tikka. Set aside.
Chicken tikka biryani:
- To make the masala for biryani, heat 2 tablespoon ghee in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and tomatoes. Sauté for 3-4 minutes or until the onions start to brown. Add ginger paste and garlic paste. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes or until aromatic.
- Add ground cumin, ground coriander, garam masala and red chili powder. Sauté for a minute. Add 1 cup coriander (cilantro) leaves, mint leaves and yogurt. Stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes. Separate the chicken tikkas from the skewers and add them to the masala. Add saffron milk. Season with salt. Stir to combine. Heat through. Remove from heat. Set aside.
- To cook rice for biryani, soak rice in water for 20 minutes. Drain. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium- high heat. Add bay leaves and sauté for few seconds. Add rice. Fry for 2 minutes. Add lemon juice and cover with water. Season with salt. Stir. Increase the heat to high. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer, covered, for about 5 minutes or until rice is half cooked. Drain. Set aside.
- To layer the biryani, in a heavy bottomed pan, add masala, then rice and sprinkle with coriander (cilantro) and mint leaves. Then add another layer of masala, rice and herbs. Repeat the layers until masala, rice and herbs are finished. Garnish with fried nuts and raisins.
Video
Nutrition
****Click here to get the recipe for chicken tikka
Like this chicken tikka biryani recipe? Then join Nish Kitchen on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or YouTube. Also, check out:
- Butter Chicken Biryani
- Chicken Kabsa
- Easy Chicken Biryani
- Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani
- Malabar Chicken Biryani
- Keema Biryani
- Egg Biryani
- Veg Dum Biryani
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