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Chicken dum biryani Hyderabadi style is made with top quality flavored Basmati rice and fresh chicken marinated with ginger, garlic, onions, green chilies and a variety of aromatic whole and powdered spices. It is then covered and cooked on a low flame to perfection. The steps to make chicken dum biryani Hyderabadi style at home are elaborate but simple, as you will find out from my recipe.

Table of Contents

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Chicken dum biryani Hyderabadi style is most the favored dish among food lovers.
Serve the dish with curd raita, salad, boondi raita, salad, or green chutney.

Chicken dum biryani Hyderabadi style tastes creamy, spicy, sweet and savory.
Other similar biryani recipes are mutton dum biryani, Kolkata chicken biryani, plain chicken biryani, Awadhi biryani, Malabar chicken biryani and Chettinad biryani.

The Ingredients:

To make the rice:

1 kg basmati rice (washed and pre-soaked for half an hour)

5 liters water
4 pods green cardamom
1 piece cinnamon (1-inch stick)
½ tsp black pepper powder
5 pieces cloves
Coriander leaves (a few whole stems)
Mint leaves (a few)
3 pieces green chilies (slit)
2 tsp lemon juice (half a lemon)
1 tsp clarified butter (ghee)
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)
½ cup milk
Saffron (a few strands)
¼ tsp yellow food color
Fried onion (remaining)
Chopped coriander leaves (a few)
Mint leaves (a few)

To marinate the chicken:

1 kg chicken (cut into large chunks)
250 grams dahi (curd)
2 fistful fried onions
3 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp green chili paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 pieces bay leaves (torn in random pieces)
4 pods green cardamom
1 piece cinnamon (1-inch stick)
5 pieces cloves
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp coriander seeds powder
1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
Ground spice mix
1.5 tsp salt
12 pieces mint (pudina) leaves
Chopped coriander leaves (a handful)
4 tsp lemon juice
¼ cup cooking oil (left after frying the onions)
2 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)

To make the beresta (fried onions):

2 tbsp cooking oil
4 pieces onions (medium sized, sliced finely)

To make the spice powder:

6 pods green cardamom
1 piece cinnamon (1-inch stick)
½ piece nutmeg
2 pieces mace
5 pieces cloves
1 tsp caraway seeds

This wonderful recipe was from the daughter of my house-help, who had just finished her 10^th boards. She made it at home and brought some along when she came to visit her mother one day at my house. I was surprised seeing her sense for flavor and oozing confidence. However, when I asked how did she make it, she narrated the entire process shyly.

I made it that Sunday. My husband was surprised by the taste and said it had a youthful charm, and the boys said it felt like “teen chef food.” Now, it is our vacation food. That experience reminded me that talent does not wait for age; sometimes, it sits cross-legged in school uniforms, stirring taste into the future.

How to Make Chicken Dum Biryani Hyderabadi Style? (Step by Step Guide with Images)

Step 1: Take 1 kg chicken and cut into large chunks. Make cuts in the leg pieces as shown in the figure. Wash them and keep them aside to dry.

Step 2: In the meantime, to make the beresta first, take a kadai and heat at least 2 tbsp of cooking oil on a medium flame for about 3 to 4 minutes. When the oil is smoking hot, put 4 pieces of onions (medium sized, sliced finely) in it. Turn the flame to a high and stir the onions continuously.

(Pro tip: Slice the onions with a slicer. It will be faster and the slices will be uniform).

Step 3: When the onions start changing color to golden brown, turn the flame of the gas stove off and remove the fried onions, draining the oil nicely. Leave the oil in the kadai.

(Pro tip: Turning the flame off is recommended or else it will over-fry the onions to render a bitter taste).

Step 4: Put the fried onions on a piece of tissue paper and spread them while hot. Your beresta is ready. Keep them aside.

Step 5: Now, to make a spice mix, take 6 pods of green cardamom, 1 piece of cinnamon (1-inch stick), ½ piece of nutmeg, 2 pieces of mace, 5 pieces of cloves, and 1 tsp of caraway seeds in a mixer grinder.

Step 6: Grind them to a fine powder.

Step 7: Now, to marinate the chicken, transfer them to a deep-bottom vessel, put 250 grams of curd (dahi), 2 fistfuls of fried onions, 3 tbsp of ginger garlic paste, and 1 tbsp of green chili paste in it. Along with it, add the whole spices to it like 1 tsp of cumin seeds, 2 pieces of bay leaves (torn in large pieces), 4 pods of green cardamom, 1 piece of cinnamon (1-inch stick), and 5 pieces of cloves.

Step 8: Follow it with powdered spices like 1 tsp black of peppercorns, 1 tsp of coriander seeds powder, 1 tsp of Kashmiri red chili powder, and 1 tsp of turmeric powder. Also, add the ground spice mix, 1.5 tsp of salt, 12 pieces mint leaves, a handful of chopped coriander leaves, 2 tbsp clarified butter (ghee), ¼ cup of cooking oil left after frying the onions, and squeeze 4 tsp of lemon juice.

Step 9: Mix everything nicely. Cover the vessel and keep it aside for about 2 hours, at least, for getting marinated perfectly.

(Pro tip: If you marinate the chicken overnight, it will be softer and juicier.

Step 10: In the meantime, make the rice. Take another vessel and heat 5 liters of water. To add flavor to the water, put 4 pods of green cardamom, 1 piece of cinnamon (1-inch stick), ½ tsp of black pepper powder, 5 pieces of cloves, coriander leaves (a few whole stems), mint leaves (a few), 3 pieces of green chilies (slit), 2 tsp of lemon juice (half a lemon), 1 tsp of clarified butter (ghee), and 2 tbsp salt.

(Pro tip: Do not worry about the salt. Adding enough salt is crucial for the perfect taste of the biryani.

Step 11: Let the water boil on a high flame for about 3 to 4 minutes. Now, remove the whole spices and other ingredients from the boiling water using a strainer.

Step 12: Now, add the pre-soaked basmati rice to the hot water.

Step 13: Let it cook on a high flame and come to a boil. When it does, check the doneness.

(Pro tip: The rice at this stage should be about 80% cooked. While checking, ensure the rice grain breaks and cannot be mashed).

Step 14: By that time, in a small bowl take ½ cup of lukewarm milk, a few strands of saffron, and ¼ tsp yellow food color to make a mixture.

Step 15: Now, transfer the entire rice to create a layer on top of the marinated chicken in the other vessel.

Step 16: Spread the rice evenly and put 2 tbsp of clarified butter (ghee) on top.

(Pro tip: Adding ghee on top of the rice will prevent it from becoming too dry or sticky).

Step 17: Finally, add the saffron mixture, the remaining fried onions, a few chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves on the top.

Step 18: Cover and cook the biryani at lowest possible flame for about 50 to 55 minutes. When it is done, mix the rice and chicken very carefully from the sides as shown in the image. You can keep some rice white.

(Pro tip: If the bottom of the vessel is too thin, keep a tawa on the gas oven first and then place the vessel. This will prevent the bottom layer of chicken from burning and spoiling the taste of the biryani.

Step 19: Transfer it to a serving tray. Additionally, you may garnish it with a few fried onions and very finely chopped coriander leaves and enjoy your delicious, homemade, spicy and tasty Hyderabadi style chicken dum biryani with curd raita, salad, boondi raita, salad, or green chutney.