Butter Chicken Biryani Recipe

Butter Chicken Biryani , as the name says it all , is an aromatic , flavourful and colourful biryani which has a gravy of Butter Chicken . This Biryani is one of the best one after the authentic chicken biryani , served with boondi raita or onion curd raita or curd mint dip . In fact I remember I first time had butter chicken biryani in one of the Mumbai 's Restaurant where they served with hung curd mint dip and I instantly fell in love with it. Since then I always serve my Authentic Biryani and Butter Chicken Biryani with hung curd mint dip.





Though in Restaurants , they do not add potatoes in Biryani's , but at home I always make sure to add fried potatoes in my authentic Biryani but not in this one. Some do add potatoes in all Biryani's be it any variation or authentic ones . Here in this recipe I have not added potatoes and have tried to keep it the way they serve in Restaurants. Without much ado , here is my delicious , delectable and lip smacking recipe of Butter Chicken Biryani....!   




INGREDIENTS FOR MARINATION : 

1 kg boneless chicken 
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
2 tsp tandoori masala 
1/4 cup curd 
1 tbsp lemon 
1/4 tsp garam masala powder 
1/4 tsp cumin powder
salt to taste 
1-2 tbsp oil  
1 tsp red chilly powder 
pinch of red food colour ( optional ) 

OTHER INGREDIENTS : 
1 small piece Coal 
2 tbsp ghee/butter/oil

INGREDIENTS FOR GRAVY : 
3 -4 finely chopped onions or birista 
3-4 large chopped tomatoes 
1 bay leaf 
2-4 peppercorns 
1 small cinnamon stick 
1-2 green cardamom 
1 big cardamom 
4 cloves 
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste 
2 tsp coriander powder 
1/4 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp red chilly powder
3 - 4 finely chopped green chilies 
1/4 tsp garam masala 
1/2 cup cashews 
1/4 tsp turmeric powder 
1 small tsp sugar
1/2 cup yoghurt

OTHER INGREDIENTS : 
1/2 cup milk 
1/4 cup kewra water ( rose water ) 
few strands of saffron 
few dry fruits ( cashews , raisins ,pine nuts ) 
pinch of food colour ( optional )
1/2 cup coriander leaves chopped 
3 -4 tbsp mint leaves for garnishing
2 -3 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp cream ( fresh cream ) 
1 finely chopped green chilies 
salt 
oil 

INGREDIENTS FOR RICE : 
3 cups of basmati rice 
1 bay leaf
3-4 peppercorns
3-5 cloves 
1 small stick cinnamon 
1 green cardamom  
5 -6 cups of water
salt  





METHOD : 

• Clean , wash and chop chicken boneless into 1.5 inch thick pieces (make few slits on each pieces if your pieces are bigger like we get in restaurants ) and marinate them with salt , ginger garlic paste, curd , garam masala, tandoori masala , red chilly powder , oil , lemon juice , cumin powder and food colour ( optional ) for few hours , I mostly marinate them a night before preparing biryani and refrigerate them. 
• In a fry pan add 2 tbsp butter and fry the marinated chicken pieces for about 3-4 minutes , flip and fry the other side too until done . ( note : this frying shall not take more than 10 -15 minutes )   OR 
• Alternatively you can grill the chicken pieces in oven too , weave the chicken pieces on skewers and grill them in pre heat oven at 180 degree C for 20 minutes or until done . Make sure you keep an oven tray beneath so that the masala that drips will be later added to the gravy . Grill the chicken pieces for 10 minutes , bast with butter , flip and grill the other side too until slightly charred and done. ( my oven has a rotary system so I just baste the pieces at few intervals ) 
• Heat the coal on gas . In a pot add all the chicken pieces and once the coal is red hot , place it in between the chicken pieces on a small piece of foil or small steel bowl , add 1 tbsp oil or butter on the coal and cover immediately , this step will give a smoky flavour to the chicken pieces . After sometime discard the coal and keep the chicken pieces aside.
• If you have prepared the chicken tikkas in pan instead of oven, after you give smoke to the tikkas , weave only the chicken pieces on skewers , baste with butter and directly grill them from all over to give charred effect . Preserve the gravy or you can say marinade for further use . ( Recipe by Zulekha Arafat)

PREPARATION OF GRAVY : 

• In a kadhai , add oil and sliced onions, fry until golden brown . Drain some of the fried onions and keep aside ( as this will be added in the end at the time of assembling the biryani ).
• In a food processor , grind cashews , fried onions ( birista ) and blanched tomatoes and keep aside. 
• In the same oil add whole garam masala like bay leaf ,peppercorns , cinnamon stick , green cardamom ,  cardamom , cloves . Let it splutter.
• Add ginger garlic paste and fry until raw smell disappears.
• Add this cashew paste and fry until oil separates.
• Now add salt , red chilly powder , coriander powder and roast for a minute.
• Add 1/2 cup water and fry until oil separates. Now add curd and marinade ( the preserved gravy ) and fry for sometime.
• Lastly add cumin powder , garam masala powder and sugar . Cook for 5 minutes and adjust salt and red chilly powder.
• Add milk , cream , mix well and cook on low flame for 2-3 minutes .
• Now add chicken tikkas and mix well , cook for 7 - 10 minutes , adjust the gravy and off the gas. 
• Garnish with coriander leaves and here your butter chicken is ready to assemble  into Butter chicken biryani.

PREPARATION OF RICE : 

• Wash rice 2-3 times in running water and soak in water for 30 minutes .
• Side by side as the gravy is being prepared , in a large deep pan or pot , boil water with salt .
• Add whole garam masala mentioned under the INGREDIENTS FOR RICE "section directly in the boiling water.
• Drain the soaked rice and add to the boiling water , cook until the rice is 3/4 th done, drain the rice and keep on strainer until all the water has drained out. 
• Roughly hand pick the whole garam masala and discard them .

ASSEMBLING OF CHICKEN TIKKA BIRYANI / BUTTER CHICKEN BIRYANI :

• In a vessel or deep pot , make one small layer of rice , then add the chicken tikkas with gravy , sprinkle some coriander leaves and place fried thick potatoes cubes ( if you adding them , though I dis not add in thia biryani ) and 1 finely chopped green chillies .
• Now add rest of the remaining rice all over the chicken tikka gravy , sprinkle some crispy fried onions which we preserved for further use ( birista ) , coriander leaves , few chopped mint leaves , 2 tsp ghee all over the rice . Lastly add milk with saffron and food colour mixed in rose water . ( if you feel that saffron alone is not giving that desired colour to your biryani then add food colour or else just add plain rose water ) . 
• If you want you can add fried cashews , pine nuts and raisins too. ( this step is optional )
• Cover with the lid and keep something heavy on it so that the steam remains inside. Cook on low flame until the steam starts coming out or for 20 minutes. ( preferably keep a hot griddle under the vessel in which biryani is being made , so that it does not stick too much from the bottom )
• Serve hot with dahi pyaz raita or boondi raita or hung curd mint dip. ( Recipe by Zulekha Arafat)  

NOTE : 

1. Adding of food colour is optional .
2. You can adjust the spice, increase or decrease the chilly powder and green chillies as per your taste and preferences.
3. You can skip cream , but adding makes it more flavourful .
4. You can skip sugar too , but I always prefer adding sugar as it gives the balance taste and more over tastes like restaurant style butter chicken biryani.
5. Restaurants do not serve potatoes in Butter Chicken Biryani , but if you want to add them , its your choice.
6. Instead of adding blanched tomatoes , you can add chopped tomatoes. Once the onions are golden in colour after preserving few fried onions for later use , add tomatoes and fry until soft . ( at the time when you keep aside few fried onions , make sure you remove excess oil too in which you fried the onions , and keep aside separately  ). Let it cool and now grind this soft and semi cooked tomatoes with fried onions and cashews.
7. If you have birista ( golden fried onions ) pre hand , you can use them but it is better if you make fresh birista.

PREPARATION TIME: 1 HOUR Approximately .
SERVES : 3-4 PERSONS.