Cooking chicken biryani is easier than you think! This chicken biryani recipe features an aromatic yellow rice flavored with a mixture of exotic spices, caramelized onions, tender shredded chicken, cubed potatoes, and spiced mini meatballs. Serve this delicious rice with an Assyrian salad for the ultimate feast!
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If you've never tried chicken biryani, you're in for something special! Sure, it takes a bit of time, around 90 minutes from start to finish, but trust me, when you take the first bite, you'll know every minute was worth it!
This is adapted from my sister, Beni's, recipe. It is slightly different than the recipe in my Mom's Authentic Assyrian Recipes cookbook, but I think they're both equally delicious! If you need an easier version, check out my easy chicken biryani recipe, which is prepared in an Instant Pot.
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🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chicken: I prefer chicken thighs because they're more flavorful and make a tasty broth, but if you'd like, you can substitute chicken breast.
- Rice: Traditionally, biryani is prepared with basmati rice; however, I prefer jasmine. Feel free to use either.
- Ground Beef: I used lean (10% fat) ground beef. You can use beef with a higher fat content for more tender meatballs, or ground turkey, if you prefer it leaner.
- Onions: 3 small onions, or 1 large onion, of which ⅓ is used in the meatballs and the rest is sautéed and mixed into the rice.
- Potatoes: 2 medium potatoes.
- Spices: Sea salt, black pepper, biryani spice, curry, and allspice. If you don't want to make biryani spice from scratch, you can purchase it on Amazon, but it probably won't be as good as mine, just sayin.
- Peas: Fresh or frozen peas.
- Toppings: Slivered almonds, raisins, and sliced boiled eggs.
🍗 How to Make Chicken Biryani
Prepare Meatballs
Step 1: Mix ground beef and minced onion with 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon hot curry, and 1 teaspoon allspice. Form into approximately 30 small meatballs.
Step 2: Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet and fry meatballs until browned (approximately 10 minutes). Remove meatballs from the pan and add them to a large bowl.
Cook Chicken
Step 3: Add chicken thighs to an 8-quart Dutch oven and cover with 5 cups of water. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon biryani spice. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken skin and allow chicken to cool; reserve chicken broth.
Pro Tip: I like to make some cuts in the chicken thighs to allow them to cool faster.
Sauté Vegetables & Chicken
Step 4: Slice onions and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon biryani spice. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet and sauté onions until caramelized. Remove from the skillet and add to the meatballs.
Step 5: Peel and cube potatoes into small pieces. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon biryani spice, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Add 2 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet and fry potatoes until cooked through and golden brown, about 7 minutes. Add to meatballs and onions.
Step 6: Shred cooled chicken and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon biryani spice. Sauté for a few minutes in the hot skillet, then add to the other ingredients in the bowl.
Prepare Biryani
Step 7: Add saffron to 2 tablespoons of boiling water and allow to bloom. Meanwhile, wash rice to remove starch, then strain and place in the empty 8-quart Dutch oven. Strain 2-½ cups of chicken broth, and pour it over the rice. Season with 1-½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon curry, and 1 teaspoon allspice. Add saffron and stir to combine.
Step 8: Bring the rice to a gentle boil, then decrease the temperature to the lowest setting. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Stir the rice, then mix in meatballs, onions, potatoes, chicken, and peas. Cook for an additional 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and the flavors have melded.
Pro Tip: If using basmati rice, you may not need to cook it as long.
Step 9: While rice is cooking, boil and slice eggs, then fry almonds in 1 tablespoon of oil. When the almonds start turning golden, add raisins and sauté until slightly toasted.
🍽 Biryani Serving Suggestions
Serve chicken biryani topped with raisins, almonds, and sliced boiled eggs. Traditionally, biryani is served with a simple Middle Eastern salad. I highly recommend mixing it into the rice with some of its delicious lemon and olive oil dressing. It's over-the-top good!
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Chicken biryani is a spicy rice dish, loaded with chicken, potatoes, caramelized onions, and mini meatballs. Chicken biryani gets its golden color from a mixture of spices, including curry, allspice, saffron, and turmeric or biryani spice mix, which also includes cinnamon and cardamom. When plated, the rice is topped with toasted almonds and raisins. 
It is believed that Biryani originated in either India or Persia. However, like many recipes that are popular in the Middle East, the origin might be disputed, depending on who you ask. Either way, it's very popular in the Middle East and in India and can be found all over the region.
Chicken biryani is an explosion of flavor! Aromatic basmati rice layered with shredded chicken, warm spices, and caramelized onions. Assyrian biryani also includes flavorful mini beef meatballs. It's rich, savory, and slightly spicy, with a burst of sweetness from the toasted raisins and a satisfying crunch from the toasted almonds.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Although I prefer the taste of jasmine rice, basmati rice is another option; it cooks faster and is more traditional.
- If some of your guests don't like some of the toppings, you can serve them on the side instead of serving the biryani topped with raisins, almonds, and sliced boiled eggs.
- Instead of serving the salad on the side, pile it high onto each plate of biryani with some of the salad juices; that's how we do it!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
🍽 More Rice Recipes
If you enjoy this chicken biryani recipe, give these other dishes a try!
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📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Mix ground beef and minced onion with 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon hot curry, and 1 teaspoon allspice. Form into approximately 30 small meatballs.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet and fry meatballs until browned (approximately 10 minutes). Remove meatballs from the pan and add them to a large bowl.
- Add chicken thighs to an 8-quart Dutch oven and cover with 5 cups of water. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon biryani spice. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken skin and allow to cool; reserve chicken broth.
- Slice onions and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon biryani spice. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet and sauté onions until caramelized. Remove from skillet and add to meatballs.
- Peel and cube potatoes into small pieces. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon biryani spice, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Add 2 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet and fry potatoes until cooked through and golden brown, about 7 minutes. Add to meatballs and onions.
- Shred cooled chicken and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon biryani spice. Sauté for a few minutes in the hot skillet, then add to the other ingredients in the bowl.
- Add saffron to 2 tablespoons of boiling water and allow to bloom. Meanwhile, wash rice to remove starch, then strain and place in the empty 8-quart Dutch oven. Strain 2-½ cups of chicken broth, and pour it over the rice. Season with 1-½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon curry, and 1 teaspoon allspice. Add saffron and stir to combine.
- Bring the rice to a gentle boil, then decrease the temperature to the lowest setting. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Stir rice, then mix in meatballs, onions, potatoes, chicken, and peas. Cook for an additional 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and the flavors have melded.
- While rice is cooking, boil and slice eggs, then fry almonds in 1 tablespoon of oil. When the almonds start turning golden, add raisins and sauté until slightly toasted.
Nutrition
Notes
- I like to make some cuts in the chicken thighs to allow them to cool faster.
- Although I prefer the taste of jasmine rice, basmati rice is another option; it cooks faster and is more traditional.
- If some of your guests don't like some of the toppings, you can serve them on the side instead of serving the biryani topped with raisins, almonds, and sliced boiled eggs.
- Instead of serving the salad on the side, pile it high onto each plate of biryani with some of the salad juices; that's how we do it!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Noone says
The best biryani recipe
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Noone, so glad you like it, enjoy!
gina says
hi !! Can i buy the "biryani mix" at a local middle eastern market? If i cant, what are the spices in the biryani mix?
HildaSterner says
Hi Gina,
Most Middle Eastern markets sell Biryani Mix, however, you can make it yourself. Here's what I put in mine: 1-1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. cardamom, 2 T. allspice, 1 T. curry powder, hot.
chicken biryani recipe says
Nice article! thank you very much
HildaSterner says
Thanks for your comment, I appreciate the feedback! 🙂
beni says
My sister Hilda and I share the love of cooking. While she was visiting me in Chicago, we spent many hours in the kitchen cooking, sipping wine, and comparing recipes. I am blessed to have her as my youngest sister. I hope you enjoy my version of beryani.