Indian arancini (biryani arancini). Cheesy and crunchy biryani rice balls to steal the show at your next gathering. Spiced biryani, cheesy center and amazingly crunchy coating makes this a staple on your entertaining menu.

Allow me to introduce you to arancini made with leftover biryani - a spicy twist on the classic Italian favorite. Sure, the classic arancini is a stunner appetizer, but how about incorporating a spicy twist to your favorite? Better yet, think traditional Indian biryani covered in a super crunchy coating to resemble arancini. Cool idea, right?

Arancini with an Indian twist!

Let’s start with the rice. Although classic biryani is made with basmati rice, I highly recommend using jasmine rice. Yes, I’m talking about the rice commonly used in South East Asian cooking. This Thai chicken fried rice is a great example. The rice grains need to stick together easily to make the perfect rice balls, and I think jasmine rice is the right choice in this recipe.

Again, this biryani arancini or Indian arancini is made with a simplified version of classic chicken biryani. So, you’ll need to cook the rice separately before adding it to the spiced chicken masala. Just be sure to cook it until perfectly fluffy and not mushy.

To make the spiced chicken sauce, brown some onions, fry garlic and ginger for extra flavor, and throw in dried spices like ground turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, garam masala and red chili powder. Cook chicken in this spice mixture until they are tender. Shred the cooked chicken into very tiny pieces so it’ll blend in with the rice.

Now, stir in the cooked rice along with some shredded cheese. I love mozzarella, but feel free to use your favorite like parmesan or cheddar. And now you have base biryani mixture for this Indian arancini. Allow the mixture to cool completely before rolling them into super cute rice balls.

Crunchy and golden arancini balls with a little secret

Once cooled, roll the rice balls, place cheese in a small indent in the center of the balls, and roll again. Have you noticed that dramatic cheese pull in the photos? I’m totally obsessed with it.
Now, onto the final step of making this Indian style arancini. Roll the balls in flour, whisked eggs and breadcrumbs. And here’s the little secret to making the crunchiest arancinis - panko breadcrumbs.
And there you go. Gooey, cheesy, spicy, crunchy arancinis to kick start your next gathering.