Chicken Tikka Biryani | How To Make Chicken Tikka Biryani | Festive Biryani Recipe

"Chicken Tikka Biryani" This has been one of my favorite recipes recently. It is so hot and spicy with sizzling flavors and those chunky chicken tikka pieces completely excites you. I prepared this one to be published in the popular Tamil magazine Aval Kitchen July 2015 edition, under the title "Virundhu" meaning feast. This will be their special edition as they are celebrating their first anniversary this month. I must thank their team for featuring me and for showcasing my recipes in their magazine and also for making me a part of their anniversary celebrations too. Feeling so honored and humbled! There are five main authors and I am one among them, three of them are chefs and there's my favorite blogger Sangeetha sis's contribution too. Happy to have been featured along with such talented people!

Do fetch a copy from your nearby stores if possible! If you are a foodie and if you can read Tamil you must not miss this one, it is a good quality book dedicated to food and food alone! There are more recipes, too good food related articles that anyone would love. 

I was asked to prepare a special non-vegetarian feast for their July month magazine and I was so excited, thrilled and a little scared too! I accepted immediately as I always wanted to try a platter or a feast spread, someday and I kept postponing the very idea as I do not get much opportunity to cook a feast and it has always been a day today cooking at home. But then I knew I had no choices but to go for it. I chose different recipes and finalized the following ones. I was planning to make something with crab and prawns but I didn't get them on the day I had to prepare the spread, so I pulled myself together, and with what I could with all my effort I did my best. Believe me all the recipes on the spread you see is what I did single handed without any support. I started my cooking and preparations at 12 in the noon and completed them all in four hours! Right from chopping, to cooking, to styling the food, to clicking I had no one to help! And I didn't want any support too :) I wanted to know how much I was capable of and now I know how much :) It was quite a challenge and yes I accomplished the mission successfully. 

The leaf spread had the following recipes;
I will be posting all these recipes on my blog so stay tuned!

1. Chicken Tikka Biryani 
2. Mutton Masala Vada
3. Indian Style Ginger Chicken
4. Chicken Egg Varuval 
5. Chettinad Fish Fry
6. Onion Raita
7. Mango Paneer Ladoo 
8. Chicken Rasam 
9. Mango Custard
10. Curd 
11. White Rice
12. Sweet Beeda 

INGREDIENTS

Makes biryani for two to three people

1. Basmati Rice - 250 grams 
2. Chicken - 250 grams (boneless preferred) 
3. Onion - 100 grams 
4. Green chillies - 1
5. Coriander leaves - A handful
6. Mint leaves - A handful
7. Curd - 2 tablespoons 
8. Lemon - 2 teaspoons 
9. Red chilli powder - 1 tablespoon 
10. Cumin powder - 1 teaspoon
11. Coriander powder - 2 teaspoons 
12. Ginger garlic paste - 2 tablespoons 
13. Cinnamon stick - 2 grams 
14. Cardamom pods - 5 
15. Star Anise - 1 
16. Cloves - 3 
17. Black stone flower (Kalpasi) - 1 small pinch
18. Salt - As per taste
19. Ghee - 50 ml 
20. Oil - 25 ml 

Masala for tikka 

1. Red chilli powder - 1 tablespoon
2. Cumin powder - 1 teaspoon
3. Tandoori masala powder - 1/2 teaspoon 
4. Kasthuri methi - 1/2 teaspoon 
5. Thick curd - 1 tablespoon 
6. Lemon juice - 1 teaspoon 
7. Salt - As required 
8. Oil - To brush over the pan 

PREPARATION METHOD

• Soak Rice: Before starting biryani preparation always make sure to soak rice grains in water for a while. It is not compulsory but gives rice a better texture. For this wash rice in water gently twice or thrice. Then pour enough water and leave it soaked for 15 to 30 minutes. Drain water completely and use the soaked rice in the recipe. 

Tikka Preparation Method

• Take chicken in a pan and pour 500 ml of water into it. Add salt and place on flame let it boil well until chicken gets 3/4th cooked. 

• Then remove from flame and remove the chicken pieces. Do not discard the water we will be using it to make the biryani. Now let the pieces cool down. 
• Take a bowl and add all ingredients (except oil) mentioned under "masala for tikka" and mix well to form a thick paste, do not add water. 
• Then add the chicken pieces into this masala paste and mix well. Set it aside for 10 to 15 minutes. 

• Then heat a pan and brush very little oil over it. Now place the chicken pieces and grill them on a low flame for 5 minutes on each side or until the raw smell leaves.

•  Then prick each piece with a fork or a knife or a wet skewer and show on direct flame to give the tandoori smoky flavor. Show each piece on flame for just a few seconds. Do not burn it too much. 

• Now keep the pieces aside and prepare the biryani. 

Biryani Preparation Method

• Place a wide pan on flame and pour ghee and oil into it. Wait until it heats up and add the spices. Cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise, kalpasi and saute for a few seconds. Do not let the spices burn. 
• Then add chopped onions and slit green chillies and saute on a low flame until the onions turn slightly brown in color. 
• Then add ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell goes away. 

• Add the mint leaves and coriander leaves and saute until it shrinks.
• Now add red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and saute. Add curd, lemon juice and give a good stir. 

• When oil separates from the masala add the soaked rice and give a good yet gentle stir. See that you don't stir too much and break the rice grains. 

• Pour 500 ml of the chicken stock/soup we have saved earlier. Stir and check for salt add if required. Remember our chicken stock already has some salt in it so be careful. 
• Then cover the pan with a lid and cook on low flame for 7 to 10 minutes or until there is no water and rice grains seems cooked. Now remove the lid and gently using a flat ladle or fork give a stir. 

• Remove the pan from flame and put the prepared chicken tikka pieces in the center of the biryani and cover the pieces completely with biryani. Then place the lid and leave the pan aside undisturbed for ten minutes or until you want to serve. 

• Serve hot with raita!

TIP 1: You can do the same with prawns, fish and even mutton also. If using prawns and fish you don't have to boil them prior to making tikka, just make tikka directly and use in recipes. Instead of chicken broth use plain water or vegetable stock or even chicken stock. Of using mutton, pressure cook it for 20 minutes (use boneless pieces) and then make tikka, use mutton stock in biryani. 

TIP 2: After adding chicken tikka pieces remove the biryani from flame and leave the biryani covered for atleast some minutes so that the flavors mingle or blend well.