Chicken Biryani

Another favorite recipe here: Chicken Biryani. Here's my recipe, modified from the Cooks Illustrated Quick Recipe cookbook and illustrated from tonight's cooking.


Here's my mise en place: In front, six boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into smallish pieces and seasoned with salt and pepper. Middle left: one medium onion, chopped; 3 jalapenos, two seeded, all cut into short strips; Approximately two teaspoons ground cardamom, half a teaspoon ground ginger, and half a teaspoon cinnamon. Middle middle: one and a half cups basmati rice, two cloves of garlic, diced, and a pinch of saffron. Middle right: two and a half cups water. Back: the recipe.


Preheat oven to 375. Heat one tablespoon oil in big oven-proof skillet over high heat.


Cook chicken until no longer pink; don't overcook or it will dry out in the oven later. Remove chicken from pan and cover with aluminum foil.


Add the onions, jalapenos, cardamom, ginger and cinnamon.


Add a little water to deglaze the pan to release any browned bits, until the onions soften and begins to brown.


Add the rice, saffron and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until te grains of rice are coated with fat.


Off the heat, add the 2 1/2 cups water and the browned chicken. Return the pan to the heat and bring back to a boil.


Cover the skillet with a lid and transfer to the oven. Bake until rice has absorbed liquid, 20-25 minutes.


While the biryani is baking, make the yogurt sauce to put on it. Ingredients: Yogurt, cilantro, garlic, salt & pepper. Basically to taste, use however much you want.


Chop cilantro, mince garlic, stir into yogurt, and season with salt and pepper.


If your wife happens to like things INSANELY spicy, chop up an extra jalapeno for her to garnish with.


Remove skillet from oven, being very careful to use the happy piggy pot holder, and let cool a bit.


The finished product, before plating.


And ready to serve.


Hopefully you don't burn yourself trying to get a cutesy pot holder picture...