Quick and Easy Chicken Biryani

This Quick and Easy Chicken Biryani recipe uses diced chicken and prepared ginger paste to put this delicious and satisfying dish on the dinner table in no time flat! 

Other than Thai food, there’s no cuisine I find myself craving more often than Indian.

I’d love to make it three nights per week (the other four reserved for Thai food, of course), but I don’t always have the time to make a complicated dish when I’m already 100% hangry.

For those nights, I love making this Indian Potato Chickpea Stew (on the table in 30 minutes), this Creamy Cashew Chicken Curry (another half-hour miracle dish), and today’s recipe, a simple Chicken Biryani recipe (just 45 minutes start-to-finish).

How to Make Chicken Biryani

 Assemble the ingredients, for the exact amounts see the recipe card below.

In this quick biryani recipe, chicken breasts are diced into small pieces before hitting the pan, which cuts down cooking time. Using chicken breasts instead of thighs makes this an easy to eat, boneless chicken biryani!

While I love using fresh ginger root whenever possible, I don’t always have a good chunk of it on hand. Dried or powdered ginger does a poor job of replicating the spicy and fragrant taste of fresh ginger, so I like to keep a tube of prepared ginger paste in the door of my refrigerator.

You can also use prepared ginger in the mango chutney recipe I shared earlier this week! 

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet or frying pan. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chicken pieces and let them cook, undisturbed, for 3-5 minutes until golden brown.

Turn the chicken pieces and add the onion, jalapeno, ginger, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, and salt. Sauté for 3 minutes, or until the onions have softened.

Add the garlic, tomatoes, and raisins to the pan. Stir well, then add the rice and broth.

Allow the liquid to come to a boil, then cover the pan and turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the rice steam for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and fluff the rice with a fork. Re-cover the pan, and allow the rice to continue to steam for another 10 minutes.

Garnish with cilantro leaves and almond slices. 

Serve the Biryani straight out of the pan, accompanied by lime wedges for squeezing.

 

This simple biryani tastes completely freaking amazing with a dollop of mango chutney thrown on top.

You can also serve this with homemade Indian Naan Bread.

Here’s the Recipe!

Quick and Easy Chicken Biryani

This Quick and Easy Chicken Biryani recipe uses diced chicken and prepared ginger paste to put this delicious and satisfying dish on the dinner table in no time flat! 

Print

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon ghee (or vegetable oil)
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 3 Tablespoons prepared ginger paste
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1 cup uncooked basmati rice
• 2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth*
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup sliced unsalted almonds
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet or frying pan. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chicken pieces and let them cook, undisturbed, for 3-5 minutes until golden brown.
2. Turn the chicken pieces and add the onion, jalapeno, ginger, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, and salt. Sauté for 3 minutes, or until the onions have softened.
3. Add the garlic, tomatoes, and raisins to the pan. Stir well, then add the rice and broth. Allow the liquid to come to a boil, then cover the pan and turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the rice steam for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and fluff the rice with a fork. Re-cover the pan, and allow the rice to continue to steam for another 10 minutes.
4. Garnish with cilantro leaves and almond slices. Serve the Biryani straight out of the pan, accompanied by lime wedges for squeezing.

Notes

*Or use 1 (14-ounce) can broth + 1/2 cup water

Nutrition

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 567|Total Fat: 18g|Saturated Fat: 5g|Trans Fat: 0g|Unsaturated Fat: 12g|Cholesterol: 153mg|Sodium: 973mg|Carbohydrates: 42g|Fiber: 5g|Sugar: 16g|Protein: 61g|

Nutrition information has been auto-calculated for your convenience.

Did you make this recipe?

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Old photo for fun.

August 26, 2015 | Last Updated on September 9, 2021 by Linda