Chicken Briyani - A easy breezy way

When I was India, making Briyani was meant only for special occasions. All the ingredients had to be bought on the day and everything was made fresh from scratch. Those were the days when my mom used to write a long list of groceries and my dad would go around the market, hunting for each and every item. After the invention of cell phone, there used to a call every now and then, for the left out items and the items that weren't available. What makes it so special is theBasmati rice. This is one of the costliest rice which is used for its fragrance and long grains. It tastes so good with its aroma and the ingredients of the recipe. I made the vegetable briyani and onion raitha for my hubby the first time when he came to visit me after our engagement.

But after coming to the USA, making any Briyani is an usual affair. Everything is available to us, either frozen or fresh and all we need to do is the cooking. Briyani available here is the export quality aged briyani. The fragrance of which is felt mildly even when washing it. And the rice is available in big bags, and frozen meat and vegetables, which means I don't have to plan anything in advance. So here goes the very easy recipe of Chicken briyani


Ingredients

• Basmati rice - 3 cups
• Chicken - 1 lb
  
• Bay leaf - 1
• Cloves - 4
• Pepper - 4
• Cardamom - 2
• Cinnamon - 1 stick
• Fennel Seeds - /2 tsp
• Onion - 1, chopped
• Tomato - 1, chopped
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red Chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Dhania powder - 2 tsp
• Garam Masala - 1 tsp
• Green Chillies - 2, slit lenghtwise
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Method

I did the rice and the chicken separately and then mixed them together. But it could also be done together in the pressure cooker. But the proportion of the water is all what matters. For cooking in a rice cooker the proportion would be 1:1.25 cups of rice and water. In case of pressure cooker, the ratio 1:1 would do just fine. (This proportion might vary as per the cooker). Heat oil in a sauce pan. When hot add the fennel seeds, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom. After they are done, add the rice and fry for a minute. This will ensure that the rice does not stick to each other and gets burnt at the bottom. Transfer this rice mixture to the rice cooker and add water. Add salt required for the rice and allow to cook. After its done, use a fork and fluff the rice. The fork will not break the rice but at the same time will help to separate the grains.

Heat some oil in a pressure cooker. Add the fennel seeds when hot. Once they are done, add the chopped onions. When they turn translucent, add the green chillies and tomatoes. Keep cooking till the tomatoes are soft and everything becomes a paste like consistency. Add the chicken at this stage. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, dhania powder, garam masala powder and salt. Add 1 cup of water and close the cooker. This water would be enough for the chicken as both the chicken and the tomatoes ooze water of their own.

Once the pressure subsides, add the chicken pieces to the rice cooker and once again mix everything well using a fork. Take extra care that you don't break the rice grains. Allow it to cook a little more, so that the gravy of the chicken infuses its aroma to the rice and everything becomes dry in the process.

This is an awesome delight with a simple onion raitha. Try it, You'll love it!!  I am sending this to "The potluck - Chicken" event hosted by Viki