Ponni Rice Chicken Biryani | Biryani Without Basmati Rice | Easy Biryani Recipe

When you have no basmati rice and have no extra time but need something to satisfy your taste buds go for this simple chicken biryani. I have used normal cooking rice here and also haven't used any mint leaves or tomatoes, but it tastes so good and yum. No extra efforts needed because we are going to use a pressure cooker for making this biryani. Though the ingredient list seems quite long the preparation method is so easy than the other versions of biryani. You can replace chicken with vegetables and prepare vegetable biryani too. Goes great with spicy sides or just onion raita is more than enough to accompany this one pot meal. Now lets see how to make this delectable and delicious biryani.

Check out my Vegetable biryani recipe here!! 
And check out all variety rice recipes here!!

INGREDIENTS

Serves 3-4 people 
Total Preparation Time - 25 to 30 minutes

1. Rice (I used Ponni rice) - 1 cup (250 grams)
2. Chicken - 250 grams 
3. Coconut milk - 1½ cups (use the same cup to measure rice and coconut milk)
4. Big onions - 2 
5. Green chillies - 8 
6. Chopped coriander leaves - 1 cup 
7. Red chilli powder -1½ spoons 
8. Coriander powder - 1½ spoons 
9. Turmeric powder - ¼ Spoon
10. Ginger-garlic paste - 2 spoons 
11. Cardamom pods - 5
12. Lemon - 1/2 of a lemon
13. Bay leaves - 2 
14. Star anise - 2 
15. Cloves - 2 
16. Cinnamon stick - 2 (2 inch long small sticks)
17. Fennel seeds - 1 spoon 
18. Salt - As per taste
19. Ghee - 3 spoons   
20. Oil - 3 spoons 

PREPARATION METHOD

• Wash chicken pieces and rice well in water. Washing rice helps remove excess starch and therefore avoids stickiness.
• Then take a pressure cooker and place its pan on flame. Add oil and ghee, after it heats up add cinnamon, fennel seeds, cloves, bay leaves, star anise, cardamom pods and saute for a few seconds then add sliced onions and saute on low flame.
• When it turns translucent add slit green chillies, coriander leaves and saute until the leaves shrink. 
• Now add the ginger-Garlic paste and saute well. Then add chicken pieces stir well for a minute. 
• Then add red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and stir well.
• Add coconut milk, lemon juice and washed rice and stir well. Check for salt and add if needed. 
• Close the cooker with its lid and wait for steam/pressure to ooze out of the nozzle. Then place weight and cook on low flame for perfectly 7 minutes. 
• Then remove from flame and set aside undisturbed for 10 minutes.
• Now when all the pressure has released, remove the weight, open the lid and serve!! 

TIP 1: Dilute the coconut milk and add do not add thick coconut milk. 

TIP 2: You can also soak rice for 10 minutes prior to cooking, but its optional. 

TIP 3: Do not substitute chicken with lamb/mutton here, because mutton or lamb will not get cooked soon like chicken does. 

Delicious and simple Biryani is now ready!! 

Serve with raita (onions in curd) or with your favorite spicy sides!!