Home Style Kacchi Chicken Biriyani....

This Biriyani is very simple to make with all the ingredients easily available at home. It is cooked in a cast iron pot with marinated chicken and half cooked rice. The chicken is infused with smoky flavour by burning a charcoal piece and placing it over the chicken and covering the lid. Once the biriyani is made, cover the pot and let it stand for an hour before serving. Serve it with raita. 

For Marinating the Chicken

Ingredients

500 grams Chicken pieces 

1 medium size Onion paste 

3 tbsp Ginger - Garlic - Chilli - Coriander leaves and Mint Leaves paste

3 tbsp Fried Onion crushed 

Salt to taste 

1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder 

1/ 4 tsp Cloves powder 

1/4 tsp Cardomom powder

1/8 tsp Nutmeg powder 

1/2 tsp Cumin powder 

1/2 tsp Coriander powder

3/4 tsp Chilli powder 

1/4 tsp Pepper powder 

3/4 cup Curd

1/4 cup Saffron Water mixed with pinch of Saffron colour 

Method 

Add all the above ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix all the ingredients together. Keep it aside atleast for 2 hours or more. 

To make the Rice

Ingredients

250 grams Basmati Rice washed and soaked for 30 minutes 

2 Bay Leaves 

1 small piece Cinnamon 

2 Cloves 

2 Cardomom 

Salt to taste 

Method 

Take a deep bottom pot. Add half liter of water let it simmer. Add salt, cloves, cinnamon , cardamom and bay leaves. Let it simmer for a minute. Add the rice and let it cook till it is 50 % done. Drain out the excess water. 

To make the Biriyani 

Ingredients 

Marinated Chicken pieces 

Rice

2 Big size Potatoes cut into big chunks and fried 

2 tbsp Onion fried 

1 tbsp Almond flakes 

1 tbsp Raisins 

6 Apricots

3/4 cup Ghee 

3/4 cup Milk 

1/2 cup Hot water 

1/4 cup Saffron water 

Few drops of Kewda essence (Optional) 

1 Charcoal piece

Method 

Take a cast iron pot. Add the marinated chicken. Lay the fried potatoes and apricot over the marinated chicken. Sprinkle almond flakes and raisins. Take a bowl. Add milk, hot water, half of the ghee, remaining saffron water and kewda essence. Keep it aside. Smoke the charcoal piece. Put it on a small plate. Place the plate over the chicken and add a tsp of ghee. Quickly cover the pot for 2 minutes. Remove the cover. Remove the charcoal plate. Drizzle the remaining ghee over the chicken. Spread the rice over the chicken. Pour the milk over the rice. Garnish with fried onions. Cover the pot. Place the pot on a low flame. Cook it for 45 minutes to an hour. Check if the chicken is cooked. Let it stand for an hour before serving. Serve it hot with raita. 

P. S. If you don't have cast iron pot then use normal pots. The cooking is done evenly and the bottom does not burn in the cast iron pot.