Biryani is not just a food, it’s a celebration. I always get excited when I get to have some. I find it more fun to make it than actually eating it. When I have biryani for a meal, I make sure I don’t leave even a single grain of rice on my plate. I’m that obsessed with biryani.

Making biryani is relatively lengthy process. I feel like there’s no right or wrong way to make biryani. It’s all about how much in detail do you want to take it to.

I have made many different types of biryanis in my life. However, this ground chicken biryani is something I came up with and only made a couple of times. I have made the process as easy and simple as possible. I believe there are still some room for me to improve as well.

What’s special about this ground chicken biryani

As you can already guess, the best thing about this biryani is, you don’t have to cut the meat. Which is a huge timesaver. You can literally throw it on the pan straight from the packaging.

Another good thing that I figure- kids really love this biryani. It’s because there’s no large piece of meat or bone, which makes it very easy to eat. Which is an advantage for us adults as well.

Macro profile – protein and calories

What I really like about the biryani in general, they are a good option for both who wants to lose weight as well as who wants to put on some healthy weight. Let me explain-

This recipe roughly has a macro ratio of-
Carbs: 40%
Protein: 25%
Fat: 35%
Calories: 512

Meals with this type of macro tend to keep you full for longer which helps you to eat less frequently and lose weight.

In other hand, this is also a good macro if you are trying to put on some muscle mass. As this biryani is so full of flavour, you can easily eat in surplus. This is clearly a disadvantage if you are trying to eat less and lose weight, so limiting your portion is the key.

This protein rich meal has about 31g of protein per serve with 512 calories.

Ingredients

Ground chicken / chicken mince

Ground chicken is also known as chicken mince in some places so you may also call this meal a chicken mince biryani.

Ground chicken is generally leaner than other type of chicken or meat. At least, that’s how it is in Sydney, Australia where we made this recipe. If you get different types of ground chicken in your place, get the low fat one.

Rice

It’s best to use long grain basmati rice to make a biryani. I actually used Sella basmati rice. Sella rice, also known as parboiled rice, is a type of rice that has undergone a special processing method before milling.

I prefer Sella rice for biryani as it has a textured flavour, and the grains stay firm without breaking. The rice also looks golden which I find attractive.

Sella rice is also a little bit chewy, and I like it because chewing carbs is fun.

Spices

I would say biryani masala is a must if you want to make any type of biryani. In addition to that, it’s also important to include cinnamon sticks, cardamom, and star anise. All other spices are optional, so don’t be afraid to add a few more spices that you like.

Cooking tips

The common mistake you can make while cooking biryani is adding too much water. This makes the biryani taste like a regular steamed rice and curry. It’s not fun when you cook something and turns out another thing.

The amount of water truly depends on the type of rice you are using. Some rice take less water while some do more. To be safe, you can start with a little bit less water and top up some boiled water at the end if you find the rice is not fully cooked.

What would I do differently next time

In this recipe, I have added saffron at the same time I started to cook the rice. That way, the colour got mixed with the water and spread to all over the rice. This made the whole rice golden.

You may like it that way, but I think it’s better to have a mixed colour. Some golden, some white, and some in between. To make that happen, you can add saffron after the rice is sixty percent cooked.

Recipe

Ground Chicken Biryani

Try this new way of making chicken biryani. Very tasty and easy to make as you don't have to cut the chicken.

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 512 kcal

Ingredients

500 g ground chicken
1 cup basmati rice
1 cup greek yogurt
1 cup onion
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 tsp salt

Spices

1 tbsp biryani masala
6 cardamom
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp saffron

Instructions

Rinse the rice a couple of times with warm water. Then add same amount of warm water (1 cup water for 1 cup rice). Toss in the given spices. Add half of the salt and soak for 30 minutes.
2 tsp salt, 6 cardamom, 2 cinnamon sticks, 2 star anise, 1 cup basmati rice
Cut onion in dice shapes.
1 cup onion
Heat a large pan that is deep enough to cook biryani. Put half of the olive oil. Roast the onion until light brown.
2 tbsp olive oil
Take out the onion and put aside in a plate.
In the same pan, put other half of the olive oil. Spread well and add in the ground chicken.
2 tbsp olive oil, 500 g ground chicken
Add the following spices and other half of the salt. Cook while stirring and breaking off any bigger pieces. Cook until the water is gone.
1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp salt
Turn off the heat and put yogurt on top.
1 cup greek yogurt
Spread the yogurt and then sprinkle biryani masala.
1 tbsp biryani masala
Add the soaked rice with all the water and spices.
On the final layer, add in the fried onion, butter, and saffron for the colour.
1 tbsp butter, ½ tsp saffron
Put the lid on and turn the heat on medium for about 10 minutes. After that, lower the heat and cook for another 5 minutes. Keep an eye towards the end to make sure it doesn't burn.
When the steam stops coming up and there is no water left, turn off the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Take the lid off and mix well.
Serve the biryani warm, garnish with some green, and enjoy.