Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biriyani

Marination: 3 hrs
Prep & Cooking: 1 hr
Serves 5 - 6 persons

Ingredients
1 kg chicken, washed and drained completely
2 large onions, finely sliced
2 tbsps chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp saffron
1/2 cup luke warm milk
salt to taste

For marination:
3/4 cup thick curd/yogurt
8-10 green chillis, make a small slit in them
1 1/2 tbsps ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp red chilli pwd
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
3/4 tbsp coriander pwd
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
3/4 cup mint leaves
lemon juice
1 3/4 tsps salt

Fried onions

Biriyani Masala (I used Banne Nawab)

Ingredients to cook rice:
4 cups Basmati rice
6 cloves
Shahi Jeera 1Tbsp
3 cardamoms
1″ cinnamon stick
3 bay leaves
1 star anise

Chicken Marination

1. Marinate the chicken pieces with the above listed ingredients.
2. Marinate this overnight or at least for 2-3 hrs.                       

Boil Rice

1. Soak Basmati rice for 2 hours.
2. Now in a vessel add the rice and water with the above listed spices,oil,salt and boil till the rice is 70% cooked and drain the water.
3. Water has to be a little salty so that you don't have to add salt later in the rice.                  

Cooking

1. Take a tray & apply little oil all over and arrange the marinated chicken in the tray.
2. Now slowly add the 70% cooked rice on top layer by layer and add mint + cilantro on every layer.After you add all the rice now add fried onions and red color on the top.
3. Tightly close the tray with foil so that no air enters or comes out.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Place the tray in the oven  for about an hour.Chicken should be cooked by now.
6. Now mix the chicken and rice gently so the rice doesn't break and cover it again with foil and leave it in the oven for 15 min(we do this so that the water left inside evaporates).

                                           Enjoy it with a glass of Coke and Chips !!!