Biryanis, Non-Veg, Recipe Index, South Indian

Chicken biryani | Dindigul chicken biryani in cooker

Chicken biryani | Dindigul chicken biryani in cooker

When it comes to biryani, Chicken biryani is my all-time favorite. I make many varieties of biryani. This one is my mom’s style. And for the rice used, we know basmati is the king of rice varieties which is used widely in India for any special rice recipes. Here I have used jeera rice also known as jeeragasamba, seeragasamba which got the name from its size like cumin(seeragam in tamil) seeds.

This is one traditional rice variety in the south region, gives a wonderful flavor and it is equally tasty like basmati. In south Tamilnadu, a popular regional biryani is Dindigul thalapakatti biryani. There the Seeragasamba(jeera rice) is used for biryani which is worldwide famous. So please don’t get confused by the name jeera rice with the jeera pulao (pulao made with basmati & cumin seeds).

I have adapted Dindigul style roughly in my version except for coconut milk, marination in curd and tomato usage. It is a simple and quick recipe, we can even make this for lunch boxes. Easy pictures and explanations are below.

chicken biryani-thumbnail

Chicken biryani | Easy chicken biryani | One pot chicken biryani with jeera rice

Sangskitchen
Dindigul style seeragasamba rice chicken biriyani in pressure cooker. Simple & easy method with stepwise pictures.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 5
Calories 620 kcal

Ingredients
  

Ingredients to make cooker chicken biryani:

  • Chicken - 500gm
  • Jeera rice – 400gm (2 cups)
  • Onion – 1 big size
  • Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbs
  • Green chillies – 4 or 5 based on size
  • Tomato – 2 small or 1 big
  • Mint leaves – 1 cup
  • Coriander leaves – ½ cup (optional)
  • Chilly powder – ½ tsp
  • Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
  • Biryani masala – ¼ tsp (optional)
  • Salt as required
  • Oil – 2 tbs
  • Ghee – 1 tbs
  • Water – 3 cups (same cup used to measure rice)

Whole spices:

  • Bay leaf – 2
  • Cardamom – 3
  • Cloves – 4
  • Cinnamon stick – 2 inch piece
  • Star anise – 1
  • Black cardamom - 1

For marination:

  • Curd -1 cup or lemon juice – ¼ cup
  • Ginger garlic paste – ½ tsp
  • Salt – ½ tsp
  • Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
  • Chilli powder – ½ tsp

Instructions
 

  • For marination wash the chicken pieces thoroughly and take them in a big bowl. Add unsour curd, chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Lemon juice can be used instead of curd.
  • Keep aside for atleast 15 mins. Curd or lemon juice gives tenderness to the meat. Since my chicken was very soft and tender, I did not use marination. You can skip marination in busy mornings if packing for lunch.
  • Wash and soak rice with enough water.
  • Chop onions, green chillies and tomatoes.
  • Wash and chop mint, coriander leaves.
  • Recipe to make easy cooker chicken biryani with jeera rice:
  • Heat a correct size pressure cooker (I used 4lts cooker) with oil and ghee. You can use fully oil instead of ghee. Ghee gives nice aroma to the biryani.
  • Add all the whole spices mentioned in the list.
  • Once the spices are sautéed add onions chopped and slit green chillies. Fry them nicely till onions turn to golden brown color. This step is important to fry onions properly.
  • Add ginger garlic paste and fry them till the raw flavor goes off.
  • Now add chopped tomatoes. In authentic dindigul thalapakatti style biryani, tomatoes are not added.
  • Add some salt to cook the tomatoes fast. Now add turmeric powder, chilli powder. Add readymade biryani masala powder very little at this stage if you are using. I did not use masala powder as I felt whole spices will give the required biryani flavor.
  • Add chicken pieces in the cooker and mix. Now add chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves and leave for two mins for the chicken to get all the flavors.
  • After five mins the chicken will be quarter cooked by its own water and now add water exactly 3 cups. The ratio of rice to water is 1(rice):1.5(water) always for biryanis. For chicken biryani when cooked in pressure cooker, chicken releases water when cooked. So please be careful with the ratio.
  • Add enough salt. Check salt and spice level before adding rice. Salt level should be slightly high so that when rice is added it will be perfect.
  • When water is boiling add soaked and drained jeeraga rice. Give a gentle mix and close the lid of the cooker with weight on it. Keep in medium flame.
  • Give one full whistle and 3-4 mins simmer or ten mins in simmer mode.
  • Switch off the stove and let the steam come down on its own.
  • Open and fluff the biryani. You can transfer the biryani from cooker to other pot if storing for later use.
  • Serve with onion raita or chicken thin gravy.

Notes

  • If you are marinating the chicken pieces reduce the tomatoes from 2 to one. Because the curd or lemon used for marination will give sourness.
  • Mind the whistle and time when cooking biryani in pressure cooker. Extra time or whistle may turn the biryani into mushy texture.
  • Coriander leaves are optional. But mint leaves are must to give the biryani flavor.

Nutrition

Calories: 620kcal
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Pictorial illustration:

  • Heat a correct size pressure cooker (I used 4lts cooker) with oil and ghee. You can use completely oil instead of ghee. Ghee gives a nice aroma to the biryani.
  • Add all the whole spices mentioned in the list.

  • Once the spices are aromatic, add onions chopped and slit green chillies. Fry them nicely till onions turn to golden brown color. This step is important to fry onions properly.

  • Add ginger garlic paste and fry them till the raw flavor goes off.

  • Now add tomatoes and cook until mushy. In authentic Dindigul style biryani, tomatoes are not added.
  • Add some salt to cook the tomatoes fast.
  • Now add turmeric powder, chilli powder. Add readymade biryani masala powder very little at this stage if you are using. I did not use masala powder as I felt whole spices will give the required biryani flavor.

  • Add chicken pieces in the cooker and mix. Now add mint leaves and coriander leaves and leave for two mins for the chicken to get all the flavors.

  • After five mins the chicken will be quarter cooked by its own water and now add water exactly 3 cups. The ratio of rice to water is 1(rice):1.5(water) always for biryanis. Especially, while we cook chicken in pressure cooker we have to be very careful with water quantity as the chicken releases lots of water while cooking. So please be careful with the ratio. 1:1.25 ratio also works well for even more separate grainy textured biryani.

  • Add enough salt. Check salt and spice level before adding rice. Salt level should be slightly high so that when rice is added it will be perfect.

  • When water is boiling add soaked and drained jeeraga rice. Give a gentle mix and close the lid of the cooker with weight on it. Keep in medium flame.

  • Give one full whistle and 3-4 mins simmer or ten mins in simmer mode.
  • Switch off the stove and let the steam come down on its own.
  • Open and fluff the biryani. You can transfer the biryani from cooker to other pot if storing for later use.

 biryani -ready

For delicious biryani recipes:

Ambur mutton biryani

Chicken dum biryani

Chicken biryani in cooker

Prawn Biryani

Mutton biryani in cooker

 

3 Comments

  1. Pingback: Chicken dum biryani | Hyderabadi restaurant style chicken dum biryani

  2. Pingback: Ambur Mutton biryani | Ambur star Mutton briyani | Sangskitchen

  3. CHICKEN BIRYANI | DINDIGUL CHICKEN BIRYANI IN COOKER
    Chicken biryani cooked with jeera rice(seeragasamba rice) variety in pressure cooker in south Tamilnadu(Dindigul) style.

    Lovely biryani… Thank you for the recipe

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