Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani | Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani | Chicken Dum Biryani | Chef Ranveer Brar

Heat oil in a shallow pan or kadai over medium heat.

Add sliced onions in small batches and fry until they turn golden brown (almond brown or cappuccino color).

Stir occasionally to ensure even coloring while frying.

Remove the onions from the oil when they are almond brown, as they will continue to cook in residual heat.

Set the fried onions aside in a bowl for later use.

In a bowl with some of the fried onions, add curd, finely chopped tender coriander stems, roughly torn mint leaves, and broken green chillies.

Add ginger garlic paste and the oil used for frying onions (after cooling if hot).

Add salt, coriander powder, degi red chilli powder, and turmeric powder. Mix thoroughly.

Coat the chicken pieces thoroughly with the marinade mixture, ensuring complete coverage. Add additional fried onion oil and mix well.

In a large handi or sauce pot, bring water to a roaring boil over high heat.

Add salt, ghee, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf to the boiling water.

Add soaked Sella basmati rice to the boiling water and cook for 4-5 minutes on high flame with the lid on.

Strain the first batch of rice (about 60% cooked, slightly undercooked) and transfer it to a tray to rest.

Strain the remaining rice (more cooked than the first batch) and transfer it to another tray to rest.

In a small bowl, combine milk, saffron water, green cardamom & mace powder, a pinch of shahi jeera (optional), slit green chilli, roughly torn mint leaves, coriander leaves, salt, and sugar. Mix well.

In a handi or sauce pot, place the marinated chicken at the bottom.

Add the first batch of cooked rice (slightly undercooked) over the chicken to form the bottom layer.

Drizzle some prepared jhol and saffron water over the first rice layer, then sprinkle some fried onions.

Add the second batch of cooked rice (more cooked) over the first layer to form the top layer.

Drizzle more prepared jhol, saffron water, and a spoonful of ghee over the top rice layer, then sprinkle additional fried onions.

Heat a tawa (flat griddle) and place the handi on it. Cover with a lid and cook on high flame for 2-3 minutes.

Reduce the flame to low and cook for 15-20 minutes to allow the chicken and rice to cook thoroughly through the dum (steam circulation) process.

Turn off the flame and let the biryani rest with the lid closed for 10-12 minutes.

Open the lid, gently stir the biryani to mix the layers slightly, ensuring each serving has both top and bottom layers for balanced flavor.

Wait for 3 minutes before serving to allow the rice grains to hold their structure and avoid becoming mushy.

Serve hot on a plate, garnished with coriander and mint sprigs.