Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani
The dum method: marinated chicken and half-cooked saffron rice sealed together so the pot finishes the dish in steam.
Indian (Hyderabadi) · advanced · serves 5
prep 40 min · cook 60 min
~822 cal · 56g protein · 94g carbs · 22g fat · 3g fiber · 6g sugars · 10g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
↓ Jump to Recipe
AI-generated illustration
Hyderabadi biryani is among the most celebrated dishes of India, marinated chicken (or mutton) and fragrant, half-cooked basmati rice sealed together in a heavy pot and slow-steamed by the 'dum' method until the raw meat cooks in the rice's steam. Its lineage runs through the kitchens of the Nizams of Hyderabad, where Mughal and South Indian cooking merged.
The 'kacchi' (raw-marinated) technique is the mark of a true Hyderabadi biryani: the meat, marinated in yogurt and spices, cooks entirely within the sealed pot alongside the rice, so nothing is precooked. The result is deeply perfumed, each grain distinct, layered with fried onions, mint, and .
Served with cooling raita and a tangy 'mirchi ka salan,' Hyderabadi biryani is the pride of the region's tables and a dish of celebration across India.
Saved recipes and passport stamps are kept on this device. Sign in to keep them across your devices and leave reviews.
Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 5
2 lbs chicken thighs, bone-in
2.5 cups basmati rice, soaked 30 minutes
1 cup thick yogurt (for the marinade)
1.5 cups fried onions (birista)
3 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tsp
2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup mint, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
a pinch in 1/4 cup steeped in warm milk
3 tbsp
5 pods
5 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 lemon
Instructions
1
In a large bowl, mix the chicken with the yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, garam masala, chili powder, turmeric, lemon juice, half the mint and cilantro, and half the fried onions.
2
Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight for the deepest flavour.
✎ Chef’s note
The yogurt tenderises the meat and the long marinate is what gives biryani its depth. Do not rush this step.
3
Soak the basmati rice in water for 30 minutes, then drain.
4
Bring a large pot of water to a boil with the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, and plenty of salt. Add the rice and boil just until 70% done, a grain should snap when bitten, not squash.
5
Drain the rice immediately so it stops cooking. It will finish in the steam.
6
Spread the marinated chicken in an even layer across the bottom of a heavy pot, then pile the parboiled rice evenly on top.
7
Drizzle the saffron milk and ghee over the rice, then scatter the remaining herbs and fried onions on top.
8
Seal the pot with a tight lid (lay foil under the lid if it does not seal well) to trap the steam.
✎ Chef’s note
This sealed steaming is the "dum" method. A tight seal is essential, so the rice cooks through in trapped steam rather than drying out.
9
Cook on medium-high for 8 minutes to build steam, then turn the heat to the lowest setting and cook 35 minutes more.
10
Turn off the heat and let it rest, still sealed, for 10 minutes without peeking.
11
Open at the table and dig down from the bottom so each serving gets both the chicken and the rice. Serve with raita or a sliced-onion salad.
Hyderabad kacchi-dum tradition.
Ratings & reviews
Cooked it? Rate this dish:
No account needed. Sign in to leave a full review with a comment.
Cooked it?
Kept on this device, no account needed. Sign in to leave a review and keep your passport across your devices.
No reviews yet, be the first to cook it.
🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Telangana (Hyderabad). Telangana, home to Hyderabad, is famous for its regal biryani, layered with saffron rice and marinated meat. Nizami and Mughlai heritage meet fiery Andhra spice in a distinctive south-Indian table.
🗺️
India. A grain line runs across the country, rice through the south and east, wheat rotis through the north and west, and the cooking fat shifts with it: coconut oil and curry leaves in the south, mustard oil in the east, ghee and dairy-thickened gravies in the north. Chilli is a relative newcomer to all of them, carried in by Portuguese traders in the sixteenth century.
🌍
Asia. Fermentation is the thread that runs the whole way across: soy sauce and miso, Korean doenjang and kimchi, Southeast Asian fish sauces, the soured batter behind an idli. Chilli is the newcomer among them, arriving only after 1500 with Portuguese and Spanish traders, which makes the heat in Sichuan, Thai and Korean cooking far younger than the fermenting underneath it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from India
Punjabi Chole (Chickpea Masala)Chickpeas simmered dark and tangy with tea-infused water, ginger, and a toasted spice blend.
Kerala Ishtu (Coconut Vegetable Stew)A gentle, fragrant stew of potatoes and vegetables in coconut milk with ginger, green chili, and curry leaves.
Pav BhajiMumbai’s beach-stall classic: a buttery mashed vegetable curry with toasted buns, lime, and raw onion.
Browse all India recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan, Steamer.
Storing it: Cool leftover rice quickly and refrigerate within an hour. Keep up to 2 days and reheat until piping hot all the way through.
Make it a India meal
Mango LassiDrink
Besan LadooDessert
Masala DosaLunch
Similar dishes from around the world
Maqluba (Upside-Down Rice)Jordan
KabsaSaudi Arabia
Bahraini MachboosBahrain
La Bandera DominicanaDominican Republic
Emirati MachboosUnited Arab Emirates
Palestinian MaqlubaPalestine
Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani?
The dum method: marinated chicken and half-cooked saffron rice sealed together so the pot finishes the dish in steam.
Where does Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani come from?
Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani is a Indian (Hyderabadi) dish from Telangana (Hyderabad), India.
Can Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani take to make?
About 100 minutes total (40 minutes prep, 60 minutes cooking), serving 5.
Get the Sunday Spin
One dish from somewhere in the world, in your inbox every Sunday. No spam, just dinner inspiration you can cook that day.