Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani

Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani

This is the first dish I tasted on my visit to hyderabad after my wedding. I have fallen in love with this authentic and elegant delicacy since then. It is worth spending time to make this at home and watch your loving ones relish the dish. Hyderabadi dum biryani is a signature dish from hyderabad, the city of pearls and is said to be a blend of mughal and persian cuisine. Basmati rice cooked with layers of marinated chicken or meat in a wide, heavy bottomed vessel on a low flame, is where it gets the taste from. This process of cooking is also known as “Dum .

Cooking basmati rice nice and fluffy make your rice dishes look more beautiful. A little practice is all you need to cook this beautiful long grain rice. Here are a few tips for cooking basmati rice.

Wash rice two to three times under cold water to remove the starch.
soak rice for atleast 30mts in plenty of water. This allows the rice to expand and cook without breaking during cooking.
Add a tbsp of butter or oil to the boiling water while cooking rice. This would make the grains separate.
Make sure you cook the rice in a wide bottomed pan and do not disturb the rice by stirring in between. This would result in breakage of the rice.
Let the cooked rice rest for a while before serving it.

There are 3 basic steps for cooking a delicious hyderabadi chicken dum biryani.

Marinating the chicken
Half cook the basmati rice
Layering chicken and rice together for the biryani.

Note: Please adjust the marinade ingredients according to your spice levels.

Now lets get into the things we need for these 3 steps.

For the Marinade

Chicken – 1 lb (about ½ kg) skinned, washed and cut into cubes. Boneless

chicken can also be used but I prefer to use whole chicken with bones. Make sure you drain all the water after washing the chicken.

Ginger & Garlic Paste - 2 tsps

Mint leaves (pudina) – 10 sprigs finely chopped

Coriander leaves – 10 sprigs finely chopped

Saffron - 2 pinches soaked in ¼ cup of milk

1 onion – finely sliced and deep fried till dark brown. (see pics)

yoghurt – ¾ cup ( I used a measuring cup)

chilli powder – 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

garam masala – 2 tbsps (lightly roasted in a pan on low heat for 30 secs)

juice of 1 big lemon (about 4 tbsps)

Oil – ¼ cup

Salt – ½ tsp

Oil for deep frying the onions – ¼ cup (do not use left over oil in the marinade after frying onions. discard or save it for a different dish)

For the rice

Basmati rice – 2 cups ( I used a measuring cup). Wash under cold water and soak for 30 mts then drain the entire water in a strainer and set aside

Whole green Cardamom – 4

Cloves – 3

Black cumin seeds (Shahi jeera) – ¾ tsp

Bay leaves – 2

Biryani flower ( Anasapuvvu) – 1

Black pepper corns – 4

Butter/oil/ghee – 1 tbsp

Salt – 4 tbsps

Water for boiling – 10 cups ( I used a measuring cup)

A wide & deep sauce pan to cook rice

For cooking in layers

1 wide heavy bottomed deep vessel / pot

A large dosa pan / flat bottomed skillet

Pinch of red orange color dissolved in 2 tbsps milk or water (optional)

Alluminium foil or a wet towel (squeeze the entire water) to cover the pan. Alternatively you can use whole wheat flour dough to seal the edges so that the steam does’nt escape.

Now that you have all the ingredients ready. Lets take a peek at the recipe.

- In a sauce pan heat about 1/4 cup of oil and deep fry onions as shown in the below pics till dark brown. Remove the onions and drain them on the kitchen towel. Once cool, crush them and set aside. They are ready to be mixed in the marinade. Alternatively you can use store bought fried onions too. (Do not use left over oil in the marinade)

The first step is marinating the chicken:

In a large bowl, mix all the marinade ingredients till well combined. Cover and let it rest for an hour or overnight if you have some time. This would let the chicken absorb all the flavours of the spices and enhance the taste of your biryani.

Cooking the basmati rice:

While the chicken is marinating, place a deep sauce pan on the stove with 10 cups of water on high flame. When the water gets to boil, throw in the spices (cardamom, cloves, shahijeera, bay leaves, bay flower, pepper corns, butter, and salt) and cook for a minute. Now gently add in the drained rice to the boiling water and let it cook on high flame till another boil (takes 4 mts).

Immediately drain the rice along with the spices in a strainer. Let all the water drain off. Set aside.

OK, show time now, cooking both the chicken and rice together. But now that everything is ready, this is going to be a cake walk. Trust me. You can do this. Its EASY.

Place a heavy wide bottomed deep pot or vessel on the stove top and turn it on high flame. Allow the pot to get hot for about a minute.

Now arrange the entire marinated chicken at the bottom of this pot. This is your first layer.

Then arrange the half cooked rice on top of the chicken. This is going to be your second and last layer.

On top of the rice, add about 2 - 3 tbsps of oil. Cover the pot with a lid and cook on high heat for 3 to 4 mts. Do not cook more than that because your chicken might get burnt.

Meanwhile heat a dosa pan/flat bottomed skillet on high heat till the pan is hot. Once hot reduce the flame to the lowest setting and place the chicken and rice pot on the tawa.

Remove the lid and pour in the red orange color water around in the center. This would give your rice the restaurant style look with some of the rice grains looking orange in color. Who would’nt want to surprise their guests with such looks!!!

Now seal the pot with an alluminium foil or a wet towel (squeeze all the water) or using the traditional whole wheat dough method. This allows the flavors of your chicken and rice to remain inside. Cook for 30 mts undisturbed on the tawa on the lowest setting. Switch of the flame and let it rest for 10 mts.

Just before serving open the lid, gently mix in the chicken at the bottom with the rice. serve it hot with mirchi ka salan or raita and enjoy.

I could’nt post the recipe for mirchi ka salan right away but promise to surely do it in my next post. Meanwhile do try the recipe and let me know how you liked it.

Tags: biryani, chicken, Rice & Biryani Recipes

77 comments
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Ammu February 22nd, 2009 10:10 am
Sowjanya..When to add color? after transferring into pan or before that?
Sowjanya February 22nd, 2009 4:26 pm
Ammu,

Thanks for dropping by. The food color is added to the rice after placing the pot on the dosa pan/skillet on low flame. i.e just before covering it with alluminium sheet and cooking.Hope that helps.
priyanka February 27th, 2009 8:37 am
thanks sowjanya for the recipe… i will say no one cud ever explain the recipe so clearly… will try it asap… its my favourite…
Sowjanya February 27th, 2009 2:28 pm
priyanka, thanks for dropping by and u’r nice words. let me know how u liked it. drop me a word if u need any help. I’d be glad to help you.
Nalini March 21st, 2009 10:25 pm
Thanks for such a detailed explanation. Can I use the oven to do the same thing? I noticed that you did nt cook the chicken .Will the marinated chicken get cooked on its own within that time and not get burnt? What kind of garam masala do you use? Hope I have not asked too many questions
Sowjanya March 22nd, 2009 2:00 am
Nalini,

yes, you can use the oven too. The chicken would absolutely get cooked and will not get burnt as you are not directly placing it on the flame after the first few minutes. I’ve tried this countless number of times, and never had any issues with the chicken being undercooked. I use a homemade garam masala and sometimes priya garam masala when i run out of the homemade. Thanks for dropping by. It was nice to hear from you. Please leave me a note if you need any clarification. I’d be more than happy to help you.
Nalini March 22nd, 2009 11:02 pm
Thanks Sowjanya for the reply. I had one more question. You did not add ginger garlic paste in the marinade , was this your personal preference or is there any other reason for it.
Sowjanya March 23rd, 2009 7:19 am
Nalini,

That was a typo. I just updated the post with the quantity for ginger & garlic paste. Thanks for reminding me.
preethi March 23rd, 2009 8:52 pm
Hi sowjanya , if we want to cook directly in oven (without using stove at all) after layering everything what should be the temperature and how long will it take ?
Sowjanya March 23rd, 2009 9:54 pm
Preethi,

If you are cooking in a conventional oven, preheat oven to 350 degrees, layer everything in an oven proof dish, tightly cover with an alluminium foil, and cook in preheated oven for 25 - 30 mts. Please note that cooking time varies from oven to oven. So take a peek at the rice and the chicken after 25 mts to check if its cooked. Let me know if you have any clarifications. I hope you’ll like it.
Sravya Reddy March 28th, 2009 7:18 pm
Hi Sowji,

Thanks for your reply regarding the royyalu iguru. I tried making it again with the poppy seeds fried a little before I made the masala paste. This time it worked. Regarding this chicken biryani is the saffron a must? Please let me know so I can make it tomorrow for lunch. Also, do we have to fill little water in the dosa tawa to put the chicken rice pot in it? I like all your recipes and tried most of them. Please try to post more of non-veg dishes. I love the way you explain how to make them with home made masala paste.

Thanks,
Sravya
Sowjanya March 28th, 2009 8:10 pm
Sravya,

Saffron adds taste and color to the biryani, but its ok to skip if you are running out of it

you do not need to add any water in the dosa pan for cooking the biryani. Cooking it on low heat itself is enough. Hope that helps.
Sravya Reddy March 29th, 2009 10:50 am
Sowji:

HURREEEEEEEEEEY!! I am so happy after I saw Your reply. I AM GOING TO MAKE IT NOW FOR TODAY’S LUNCH.

Thanks Sowji.
Sravya Reddy March 29th, 2009 10:55 am
Sowji:

Forgot to ask You one more question. After we add the food color on the top of the rice, do we have to mix or shall I wait till the rice and chicken is completely done and then mix?
Sowjanya March 29th, 2009 12:05 pm
Sravya,

Just add the food color on top of the rice. do not mix it. Once you turn off the flame let the biryani sit for 10 mts and then mix it gently. enjoy your lunch
Kalyani March 30th, 2009 9:41 pm
Hi soujanya,

i like biryani very much and u explained in a very detailed manner …
I also do almost the same process .. Sometimes in oven and sometimes on stove ….
Thanks for the tempting picture ………
Aparna April 30th, 2009 4:41 pm
Wow! nice biryani.
Can you please give the recipe for the garam masala.
Sowjanya April 30th, 2009 8:33 pm
Aparna,

Sure will post the recipe for garam masala soon. If you need the recipe before I post it, I can email it to you. Let me know.
usha May 16th, 2009 7:02 am
recipe for garam masala please
RaDo May 17th, 2009 8:21 pm
Heyyy Soujanya!!
Thanks fro the recipe
i ve never seen any recipe so detailed….
Prev.i have a doubt about layerin chicken and rice..
ur description n pics helped alot..
Sowjanya May 18th, 2009 10:24 am
RaDo,

Thanks for the sweet words. I hope you’ll like it.
ananya May 19th, 2009 7:22 am
what a clear explanation…!!!!!!
i tried out this recipe yesterday and it came out so well …my hubby appreciated me a lot for this, i followed ur instructions as it is with exact quantities..thanks a lot for this recipe, explained so neatly and clearly that to with photos….it really helped me a lot….looking forward for more recipes…

but i do have a doubt regarding whole garam masala( in general) tell me exact no of cloves,cardamom,elaichi to be used in order to prepare any biryani or fried rice for cooking 1 kg of rice ( actually iam new to cooking)i donot no wat all to be used and how many to be used..?

once again thanks a lot …
Sowjanya May 19th, 2009 9:02 am
Ananya,

Its good to hear you liked the recipe. I love it when someone try out the recipes I post.

Sorry, I did not quite understand your question though regarding the qty of garam masala. Are you asking about the qty of whole spices that go into rice while half boiling it or the qty of whole spices used to grind garam masala. Please let me know so I can help you out.

One more thing, I do not use any garam masala spices in fried rice recipes. All that goes into fried rice is black pepper powder apart from the other ingredients. Hope that helps.
ananya May 20th, 2009 8:09 am
hi sowjanya
thanks for repling so early;;

its reg… the qty of whole spices while half boiling in the preperation of biryani….
Sowjanya May 20th, 2009 9:02 am
Ananya,

Approximately for 1 kg of rice, you can use the following spices. But then again increase or decrease them according to your spice levels.

Green Elaichi - 8
Cloves - 6-8 (adjust)
Shahi Jeera (Black cumin seeds)- 2 tsps
Bay leaves - 4
Anasapuvvu - 2
Whole Black Pepper corns - 8 (adjust)
Butter 2 tbsp
Salt - A fistful (say around 8 tbsps)
Water - 4-5 litres (about 14 cups) - Please note that the water we are using is just to half cook and later would anyways be discarded. Since we want to bring it to a good boil we are using plenty of water.

Hope that helps.
ananya May 20th, 2009 11:20 pm
thanks a lot for ur reply…could you also post the recipe for garam masala powder…
Sowjanya May 21st, 2009 8:49 am
Ananya,

Sure some of my readers have been asking for the garam masala powder recipe for a while. Will surely post it for you asap. Sorry, I’m juggling between work and home these days
Also will post pachi pulusu soon. Are you asking about vankaya pachi pulusu? or pachi pulusu recipe alone.
Deepika June 3rd, 2009 8:48 am
Hi Sowjanya,- this is an excellent recipe- the rice was properly cooked as well as the chicken- I tried several other recipes for Biryani but your recipe gave me the perfect combination. Can we use the similar recipe for vegetarian biryani, that is instead of chicken, can I marinate vegetables (carrots, cauliflower etc) and follow the same directions? - let me know thank you once again for such a great recipe and keep posting.. I am going to try your chepala pulusu this weekend and will let you know how it turned out
Sowjanya June 3rd, 2009 7:54 pm
Deepika,

I’m glad you liked my recipes. For vegetable biryani I follow a slightly different process. I will be posting the recipe soon. Let me know how you liked the fish pulusu. Feel free to drop me a note if you need any help.
Melissa June 15th, 2009 10:05 am
Hi Sowjanya,

Very interesting and well written recipe for Dum Biryani. I would like to prepare this for say around 20 people. What would be the measurements. If I knew how many number of people the recipe above served would just adjsut accordingly. Can I know how many people the above recipe would serve to.

Thanks
Sowjanya June 15th, 2009 10:09 am
Hi melissa,

This would serve around 4-6 persons when accompanied by other sides dishes.
Hope that helps.
Melissa June 15th, 2009 10:15 am
Hi

I am sorry but I found the number of servings. Thankyou. Lovely recipes
Sowjanya June 15th, 2009 10:16 am
Great. Let me know if you need any help.
shobha June 29th, 2009 12:21 pm
hi
iam planning to make this recipe for 25 people can u help me with the measurements of items needed for this biryani.
thanx
Sowjanya June 29th, 2009 2:32 pm
Shobha,

I’ll email you in detail.
shobha June 29th, 2009 11:20 pm
thanx i will be waiting
Sowjanya June 30th, 2009 4:36 pm
shobha,

emailed you with the measurements. pls check and let me know if you need any help.
shobha July 1st, 2009 4:51 pm
hi sowjanya,
iam making it for my son’s birthday party i will let u know how it came out as soon as possible.
Sowjanya July 1st, 2009 5:14 pm
Sure shobha,

Let me know how you liked it. As said earlier please adjust the ingredients according to your spice levels. oh and by the way “many more happy returns of the day” to your son.
Ramana July 11th, 2009 6:28 pm
I’m gonna treat my boss with this today.. Tried a couple of times before though. Will let you know how it comes out..
Sowjanya July 11th, 2009 10:58 pm
Thanks ramana. Hope your boss likes it. Do let me know if you need any help.
shobha July 21st, 2009 11:55 am
hi sowjanya,
This time the biryani came out very good. thanx.
ramya July 30th, 2009 11:31 pm
wow this biryani is looking authentic and perfect.
Thank you for the recipe.
Rice August 3rd, 2009 10:35 am
Nice recipe
sangeetha August 3rd, 2009 12:12 pm
Hello Sowjanya

I followed your recipe and the results were awesome. Verdict from my hubby the best biryani ever.

thank you for the wonderful recipe.

cheers
Sowjanya August 3rd, 2009 3:06 pm
Sangeeta,

I’m glad you and your hubby liked the recipe. Thanks for dropping by and leaving your wonderful comment.
kiranmayi August 26th, 2009 9:03 am
Hi Sowjanya,
I tried your recipe for my husband’s birthday and it came out perfect- he is from Hyderabad and loves biryani. I tried your directions and it came out perfect- the rice consisitency was perfect and the spices well balanced. I am planning to make it for lunch for a party of 9-10 people so I think I will double the qty. I know I can double the qty of the ingredients- my doubt is- how changing the qty will affect the cooking time? Can you please tell me the cooking times for double the qty i.e cooking time for rice and cooking time for biryani once we have it all together.
Sowjanya August 26th, 2009 10:07 am
Kiranmayi,

Thanks for trying the recipe and your compliment. I’m happy you and your family liked it.

Even if you double the quantity (I’m assuming you want to cook 4 cups of rice) the cooking time for half boiling the rice remains the same. (around 4- 5 mts).

The cooking time after layering chicken and rice also remains the same ( around 30 mts).

Since stove tops vary, please make sure to see if the rice is fully done before you mix it and serve. If you feel it needs a little bit more time then cook it on low flame with the dosa pan on it.

Oh and do not forget to use a vessel that is wide enough to fit your ingredients since you are doubling the quantity.

Let me know if you need any help. I’ll be glad to. Hope you and your friends enjoy.
Habiba September 7th, 2009 9:22 am
Wow, this looks delicious! I’m throwing a surprise dinner party for my husband in a few weeks time and would love to make this for about 20 people. I’d really, really appreciate it so much if you could send me the quantity/ingredients/measurements to cook this dish for 20 people. Many thanks in advance.
Sowjanya September 8th, 2009 10:09 pm
Hi habiba,

The recipe posted above would serve around 4-5 persons when accompanied with other side dishes. I’m going to email you the approximate ingredients for 20 persons.
Soumya September 9th, 2009 12:27 pm
Hey sowji….

guess what i finally prepared Hyderabadi Veg Dum biryani last sunday as per your recepe…and you dont believe , it turned out really good…. Balaji loved it and i felt a sense of accomplishment :))..thanks for the recepie.. will buzz you some time..

cheers
soumya
Sony September 14th, 2009 6:58 pm
Hey sowji,

Thanks a lot, very clear reciepe.

1. I would like to make it for my friends (Around 20 people). Can you please email me the approximate ingredients for 20 people.
2. Where did you buy the vessel for layered cooking?does this vessel need thick bottom (I live in US where can i buy?)
3. Can you use any flat tawa that i got from India?
4. What else can we use instead of tawa?
sony September 15th, 2009 2:08 pm
Sowji,

can u please answer these questions also -

1. Where did you buy the vessel for layered cooking?does this vessel need thick bottom (I live in US where can i buy?)
2. Can you use any flat tawa that i got from India?
3. What else can we use instead of tawa?
sp September 17th, 2009 12:52 pm
Is the saffron added to the marinade chicken or add it to the rice. Could you please let us know as it was mentioned in the chicken marinade.
To cook Biryani in oven at 350 degrees took around 50 minutes.
Sowjanya September 17th, 2009 3:07 pm
Hi SP,

Thanks for dropping by. Yes I add saffron to the chicken marinade and food color to the rice. Oven temparatures vary from one oven to oven. As I mentioned in my earlier comments, please keep checking after the first 25-30 mts to see if the rice is cooked or not. Hope that helps.
Mrs. Lobo September 24th, 2009 7:00 am
very clearly written recipe… will try it for my hubby’s bday which is on this sunday … and will definitely let u know the results
Sowjanya September 24th, 2009 9:40 am
Thanks for dropping by and leaving your comment lobo. Lemme know how you liked it.
Mrs. Lobo September 29th, 2009 12:23 am
gr8 dear…. I cudn’t believe it, it turned out really good…. my hubby Balaji loved it and i was praised by my all my family members …….thanks for the recepie..
Rani September 30th, 2009 2:45 pm
Thanks so much for this recipe … I fully followed the recipe and directions … came out GREAT! thank you so much
Fatima October 7th, 2009 11:43 pm
what can i use in place of a tawa?
Sowjanya October 8th, 2009 12:15 pm
Hi Fatima,

you can use a flat iron skillet if a tawa is not available. Most indian stores sell tawa/dosa pans.
Ricardo October 15th, 2009 5:49 am
Hi Sowjanya,
Wow this is amazing,, its as good as standing in front of mamma in her kitchen and she giving me the recipe and cooking it as well,,,THANKS AGAIN
I have down loaded quite a few recipies and methods for cooking dum biryani but believe me nothing beats your explaination and the photos are just the iceing on the cake,
im sure i will be a better cook than i am now if there are more helpfull people like you in this world,
thanks for being so kind,
hope to see few more non veg dishes from you,

Rick
Sowjanya October 15th, 2009 8:29 am
Rick,

Thanks for dropping by and the nice words. I’m glad you liked the recipe.
Divya October 22nd, 2009 1:13 am
Hi Sowji,

The biryani was yummy and my husband like it very much and he was so happy

Thank you so much for the recipes and are very good.

Divya
Sowjanya October 22nd, 2009 10:17 am
Divya,

I’m glad you and your husband liked the dish. Thanks for the compliments. hope to see you around. comments give me a lot of energy to blog more
shilpa December 4th, 2009 2:23 am
Hi Sowjanya,

I would like to know that for 1/2 kg chicken approximately how much of curd must be used in this recipe? You said 3/4th cup can you pls tell ne the exact quantity? Actually, till now i haven’t tried this as I’m very scared to try but after seeing your recipe nad the readers comments I surely want to try this weekend.
Please let me know the curd measurement…
Sowjanya December 7th, 2009 1:15 pm
Hi Shilpa,

Sorry for the delay in replying back. When posting in the website, all the measurements I give are using measuring cups and spoons. 3/4th cup is 3/4th measuring cup which is equal to 175 ml. Hope that helps.
fatima December 26th, 2009 6:52 am
i tried it many tyms n d results wer outstanding thnks a lot
Fatima January 1st, 2010 1:49 am
Hey Sowjanya,

Lady you rock !! i mean just look at the simplicity with which you’ve explaine this “not o easy” recipe… we went for dinner to one of our relatives, and there my husband really liked the hyderabadi biryani.. Now my very obvious attempt was to make an equally good biryani at home..glued myself to google..but trust me you, i did not find a better explained recipe than yours..

And guess what… My husband just loved the biryani i made.. I even shared your site with my collegues at office.. they too tried it at home,and their families just loved it….
So i thought it was time to share the compliments with the one who deserved it most…
Also wishin u n ur family a very happy new year !!! May you help us with more of such recipes this year as well…

Lots of love
jaya January 21st, 2010 12:27 am
Hi,
This looks really good! Just what I was looking for. Can you pls email me the measurements for 30 people.
Thanks!
jaya January 21st, 2010 12:29 am
sorry I sent you the wrong email id earlier . Thanks! pls send it to this id.
jaya January 21st, 2010 12:34 am
I would like to know the measurements for 30 people. Thanks!
Sowjanya January 21st, 2010 10:30 pm
Hi Jaya,

I am currently on vacation and would be back in a week or so. I will mail you the measurements as soon as I am back. Thanks so much for dropping by.
shashank February 5th, 2010 2:18 am
hii!!
biryani was really spicy and good . i liked alot not only me but also my frnz and neighbours…thank u sowjanya..
and i want to know how to make a pizza…
Amanda February 21st, 2010 5:02 am
Sending Thank you from Australia Sowjanya, the biryani turned out great even on my first try! I cooked it in a Le Creuset pot and it still turned out fantastic, a bit crusty on the bottom but then I didn’t have a tawa to moderate the heat.
Avanti March 2nd, 2010 4:12 pm
Hi Sowjanya
This recipe was excellent. My husband and son both loved it! Your images and detailed description were very helpful. I used half a chicken for this recipe and assumed it should be about a pound but I guess it was more than that– because my husband said it would have been better with lesser chicken. But taste wise it was perfect!!!!!! Its really cool that you could explain such a complicated dish so clearly. Thanks! My husband wants me to make it again for a party for about 15 people. Could you tell me what quanities and cooking times to use for this please? Thanks!
Pallavi March 3rd, 2010 7:50 am
Hi Sowjanya, the recipe looks great and really yummy. The way you explained each step is very clear. I’m making this recipe this weekend, so just dropped by to clear a doubt. You mentioned in the recipe to cook biryani in a very low flame. My stove top has 4 hobs. one is very small, the other 2 are medium and one is a bigger hob. So i just wanted to know on which hob to cook the biryani, because the heat varies from medium hobs to the bigger hob. If i cook the biryani on the medium hob with a very low flame for 30mins maybe the biryani maynot cook or if i cook the biryani on the bigger hob with a very low flame for 30mins the biryani might get burnt. And also the same about half cooking the rice. So please would you clear my doubt.

Thank You,
Pallavi.