Chicken 65 biryani. Here’s your new go-to biryani recipe. Add crispy, spicy chicken 65 to your favorite chicken biryani, and whip up a masterpiece for your loved ones. Lace with a generous drizzle of rose water and saffron for ultimate biryani flavor. Oh so delicious!
Why I Love This Crispy Chicken And Rice Dish
Who doesn’t love crispy fried chicken, perhaps with a bowl of spiced rice for weekend dinners? Well, if you love the classic chicken biryani, this combo is going to be the perfect upgrade. Instead of the usual soft spiced chicken, the spicy red bites of chicken 65 is going to be the star of the show. The wild, flavor packed mashup is obviously a treat for your tastebuds.
Imagine this: fragrant basmati rice topped with crispy outside soft inside chicken pieces, flavored with a hint of saffron and rose water. The incredible layers of flavors make it absolutely delicious. And the restaurant favorite chicken 65 takes this dish from standard to extraordinary. Between classic vs. fried, which biryani is your favorite?
Key Ingredients In Chicken 65 Biryani
- Chicken - Boneless chicken diced into small pieces.
- Rice - Basmati rice is preferred.
- Whole spices - Bay leaf, cardamom, cloves, cumin seeds.
- Powdered spices - Turmeric, cumin, red chili powder, garam masala.
How To Make Chicken 65 Biryani
Chicken 65 - Start with marinating chicken with a few spices, egg, lemon juice and cornstarch (corn flour). Fry until golden and you have crispy chicken 65.
Cook rice - Add more flavor to the rice with whole spices like cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cumin seeds and cloves. Once done, drain rice.
Biryani base - This is a simple masala made by stir frying curry leaves, dried red chilies, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, ground spices, fried onions, half of fried chicken, and yogurt.
Layer biryani and cook - Starting with the biryani base, arrange all the elements alternatively in a heavy bottomed pan. Cover and cook over low flame to combine all the flavors.
Chicken 65 Biryani
Ingredients
Chicken 65:
- 1 kg chicken breast or thighs, diced into small pieces
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (corn flour)
- 1 egg
- Juice of 1 lemon
- A pinch of red food coloring
Fried onions:
- 3 large onions, sliced
- Oil, for deep frying
Saffron milk:
- 4 saffron strands
- 2 tablespoons milk
Rice:
- 3 cups basmati rice, rinsed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 cardamom pods
- 4 cloves
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- Lemon slices
- Salt to taste
Biryani masala:
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 dried red chilies
- 1 sprig of curry leaves
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- ½ cup canned tomatoes or 1 tomato chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- ¼ cup yogurt
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
- Salt to taste
For layering:
- 3 tablespoons chopped mint and coriander (cilantro) leaves
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 teaspoon rose water
Garnish:
- Fried onions
- Chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
- Toasted cashew nuts (optional)
To serve:
- Raita
- Papadums
Instructions
Make chicken 65:
- Place chicken in a large bowl.
- Add ground turmeric, ground cumin, red chili powder, garam masala, cornstarch (corn flour), egg, lemon juice and red food colouring (if using). Season with salt.
- Toss to coat chicken. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Heat oil for deep frying. Fry chicken until golden and crisp.
Fried onions:
- Heat oil for deep frying. Add onions.
- Fry, stirring, for about 5-6 minutes or until golden. Reserve 2 tablespoons of onions to garnish.
Saffron milk:
- Combine together saffron strands and milk in a small bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Cook rice:
- Soak basmati rice for about 20 minutes. Drain.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, cumin seeds and lemon slices. Season with salt.
- Add rice and cook until 90% done (grains should be still firm). Drain.
Prepare biryani masala:
- Heat a large heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Add ghee and oil.
- Add dried red chilies and curry leaves. Saute, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Add garlic, ginger and tomatoes. Saute, stirring, for 2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add ground turmeric, red chili powder, ground coriander and garam masala. Saute, stirring, for about 1 minute.
- Add fried onions. Stir to combine.
- Add yogurt. Pour in water. Season with salt. Stir to combine.
- Add half of fried chicken. Stir to combine. Add chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves.
For layering:
- Add half of rice over the biryani masala. Top with half of the remaining chicken 65.
- Add another layer of rice followed by saffron milk, rose water, ghee and remaining chicken 65.
- Cover with a tight fitting lid.
- Reduce heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes.
Garnish:
- Garnish with chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves, remaining fried onions and toasted cashew nuts (if using).
- Gently fluff the biryani. Serve with raita and papadums.
Video
Notes
- Let biryani cool for 20-30 minutes at room temperature.
- Divide into small portions and store in airtight containers so you only reheat what you need.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Freeze for about 3 weeks.
- Fry chicken 65, cook rice, and make biryani masala and store them separately.
- When it’s time to eat, layer all the elements, and add ghee, saffron milk and rose water. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes. Garnish and serve.
Nutrition
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Check out more chicken biryani recipes:
- Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani
- Easy Chicken Biryani
- Butter Chicken Biryani
- Chicken Tikka Biryani
- Malabar Chicken Biriyani
Nia says
Love this!! Plain white rice is boring.