Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani

Step 1

Marinate chicken in yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, green chili, lemon juice, red chili powder, turmeric, and salt for at least 30 minutes (or up to 4 hours).

Step 2

Soak basmati rice in water for 20 minutes, then drain.

Step 3

Steep saffron strands in warm milk and set aside.

Step 4

Heat 2 tablespoons ghee in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Deep-fry sliced onions until golden brown and crispy (about 8-10 minutes). Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons fried onions for garnish.

Step 5

In the same pot with remaining ghee, layer half the marinated chicken on the bottom.

Step 6

Boil water in a separate large pot with bay leaves, cinnamon stick, green cardamom, black cardamom, cloves, black peppercorns, mace, and salt. Add soaked rice and cook until 70% done (rice grains should still have a slight firmness), about 6-7 minutes. Drain immediately.

Step 7

Layer half the parboiled rice over the chicken in the pot, then sprinkle half the fried onions, cilantro, and mint.

Step 8

Layer remaining marinated chicken, then top with remaining parboiled rice. Sprinkle remaining fried onions, cilantro, mint, and the saffron-milk mixture.

Step 9

Drizzle 2 tablespoons ghee over the top layer. Cover pot with aluminum foil, then place a tight-fitting lid on top (this seals in steam for dum-pukht cooking).

Step 10

Place pot on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until steam forms, then reduce to low heat. Dum-cook (steam-cook) for 45 minutes without opening the lid.

Step 11

Turn off heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the lid, gently fluff biryani with a fork, and transfer to serving dish. Garnish with reserved fried onions, cilantro, and mint.