Delicious Oven Baked Chicken Biryani
I love biryani, and now that I don’t eat lamb, I often make Vegetable Pilaf, which is similar to biryani, or this delicious Oven Baked Chicken Biryani.
I always try to find easy ways to cook, especially when I’m short on time.
My days have been super busy, so I tried preparing this Oven Baked Chicken Biryani the night before and simply popped it into the oven the next day. It was sublime!
Delicious Oven Baked Chicken Biryani
Biryani can be a little complicated to make, but this is a super easy way to prepare it. I find that everything tastes better when cooked in the oven.
Maybe it’s the slow cooking that makes the difference. I also avoid opening the oven during cooking, which helps keep the heat in and allows all those wonderful flavours to develop.
How to Make Oven Baked Chicken Biryani
For this delicious Oven Baked Chicken Biryani, I marinated the chicken overnight. I then layered the chicken, cooked potatoes and partially cooked rice in a pot before transferring everything to the oven.
It took about an hour to cook, and you cannot believe how aromatic and delicious this biryani tasted. It was heavenly!
What Rice Can I Use?
I used basmati rice for this Oven Baked Chicken Biryani, but you can also use long-grain rice if you prefer.
The potatoes are optional. Here in South Africa, we love adding potatoes to our curries and biryanis.
I think we must eat the most potatoes in the world… haha!
Biryani also needs a salad or some Raita. This Indian yoghurt condiment rounds off the meal beautifully.
What Is Masala?
I often have readers, especially those who don’t live in South Africa, asking about the difference between garam masala and masala. Let me explain!
Masala is a spice blend commonly used in South African Indian cooking. Most South African households that cook Indian food will have some form of masala in their pantry. It is a convenient blend that adds plenty of flavour to curries and other dishes.
The base of many South African masala blends is chilli powder, with other spices added to create an aromatic and flavourful mixture. Depending on the blend you use, you may not need to add many additional spices.
However, not all masalas are the same, so you may need to adjust the quantities and other spices to suit your taste. If you don’t have masala, you can use chilli powder as a substitute, but start with a smaller quantity and adjust the heat as needed.
What Is Garam Masala?
Garam masala is different from South African curry masala. It is an aromatic blend of warming spices, often added towards the end of cooking to enhance the flavour of a dish.
The spices used differ from those in many South African masala blends, and traditional garam masala generally does not contain chilli powder.
If you don’t have garam masala, you can leave it out. It will make a difference to the flavour, but your biryani can still be delicious.
You can find recipes for Garam Masala and Homemade Durban Masala on my blog.
I hope you give my Oven Baked Chicken Biryani a try. Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know how it turns out!
More Chicken Recipes
Happy cooking!
Delicious Oven Baked Chicken Biryani
Ingredients
Marinade
- 700 gram chicken thighs and drumsticks
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp ghee melted
- 1&1/2 tbsp ginger/garlic paste
- 1 tspn ground cumin
- 2 tspn ground coriander
- 1 tspn turmeric
- 1 tspn ground soomph/fennel
- 2 tspn garam masala
- 1/4 tspn ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tspn ground elachie/cardamom
- 1-2 tbsp masala
- 1 sprig curry leaf
- 2 tspn fresh thyme leaves
- 50 gram tomato paste
- 2 tbsp chopped mint leaves
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
- fried onion
- salt
Rice
- 1&1/2 cup Basmati Rice
- water
- 6 cardamom pods
- 5 cloves
- 3 bay leaf
- 2 4cm cinnamon sticks
- 2 star aniseed
- 1 black cardamom
- 2 tspn coarse salt
Crispy Onion
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 large onion thinly sliced
Fried Potatoes
- 2 potatoes cut into small cubes
- salt
- oil for frying
Saffron
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1/2 tspn saffron threads
Final stages of cooking
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp butter ghee melted
Instructions
Marinade
- Add all of the ingredients, except the chicken, coriander and mint, in a large pot. Mix it all together
- Add the chicken. Refrigerate overnight
Parboiled Rice
- Bring 2 litres of water to the boil
- Add rice, salt and whole spices
- Cook for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside
Crispy Onions
- Heat oil in a large pan. Cook onion in 2 batches on medium heat until golden brown
- Drain on a paper towel lined plate
Potatoes
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into small cubes. Place in a microwavable plate or large bowl. Add 1/4 cup water and cook on high for 5 minutes
- Season with salt
- Fry in a little oil until slightly brown and crisp
- Set aside
Saffrron
- Mix the saffron threads in 1/4 cup of warm water and set aside
Cooking the Biryani
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius
- Sprinkle half the crispy onion on top of marinated chicken
- Add mint and coriander
- Layer potatoes on top
- Add the rice and pour a cup of water over the rice
- Drizzle the saffron water over, then the melted ghee
- Sprinkle the remaining crispy onion on top
- Cover and bake in the oven for an hour or until chicken and rice is cooked
Notes
- You can use some egg yellow food colouring for the yellow colour if you do not have saffron
- Potatoes are optional
- The amount of masala can be reduced to 1 tablespoon for a milder Biryani
- This biryani tastes even better the next day so you can make it ahead and serve the following day
- Best served with Raita, made with yogurt
- You can replace the chicken with lamb or vegetable. However if using lamb I recommend you cook the lamb on the stovetop first so it is partly tender before further cooking in the oven
You mention Masala but what Masala is that?
Hi Jatin! I am not sure which part of the world you’re from. However, here in South Africa we use a blend of spices called a “Masala”, it’s a South African thing. It’s found in all our spice shops. If you don’t have any you can use a little more chilli powder. I do have a recipe for Masala on my blog.
I think Kashmiri masala
Hi there 😊 Yes, Kashmiri masala is a good option if that’s what you’re referring to. You can find my Homemade Durban Masala recipe here if you’d like to make your own spice blend. Hope this helps! ❤️
This is a quick, easy to follow recipe. Marinated the chicken for one and a half hours. The biryani was fragrant and delicious. Highly recommended recipe.
Thank you so much Denzil! I’m happy to hear that you loved the recipe:-)
Cooked the lamb version this weekend and was equally as good, if not better 🙂
Thank you Denzil! I am really happy to hear that. Thanks for letting me know:-)
YouTube link is broken , do you have a new video link
Hi! 😊 Unfortunately, I don’t currently have a video for this recipe, but I’ll be making one for my TikTok soon. Keep an eye out for it! ❤️
Hi I want to try this Tom
Can I use 3 cups long grain rice and use the same recipe.
Sorry for only replying now. I am sure your biryani is made already. You can use 3 cups of rice however you may need to make small adjustments to the recipe. In terms of liquid and maybe add a little more spices.
Hi! this recipe looks amazing! I was wondering if I could use biryani masala powder?
(the ones that come in a box)
Hi Maria! I am sorry but I have never used it myself but you can try:-)
Hi Dear made the chicken briyani I believe it is too Divinely delicious thank You for sharing such accurate and mouth watering recipes 😋 bless You
Mahlithy you are most welcome. Thank you for trying the recipe:-)
Hi Lorraine. I tried it today and it was just awesome. It had that authentic biryani taste and aroma. Thank you for sharing this glorious recipe and for the gentle advice you give in your videos. I must say though, the cooking time for me was much longer. I left mine in the oven for 3 hours and it dried up nicely. The chicken was still moist and tender, very unlike how it gets when you do the stove top braise. Thanks again for the great advice. I also added a good few spoons of masala and about 3 tsp of paprika to retain some colour. Worked well. Lol look at me, trying to sound like you 😊. Best wishes to you and your culinary endeavour and please keep sharing these excellent recipes with us. You really are a cut above the rest.
Thank you so much Noelin. This is the sweetest comment. So glad you enjoyed the Biryani. One of my all time favourite things to eat:-)
Hi Lorraine. I tried it today and it was just awesome. It had that authentic biryani taste and aroma. Thank you for sharing this glorious recipe and for the gentle advice you give in your videos. I must say though, the cooking time for me was much longer. I left mine in the oven for 3 hours and it dried up nicely. The chicken was still moist and tender, very unlike how it gets when you do the stove top braise.
Thanks again for the great advice. I also added a good few spoons of masala and about 3 tsp of paprika to retain some colour. Worked well. Lol look at me, trying to sound like you 😊. Best wishes to you and your culinary endeavour and please keep sharing these excellent recipes with us. You really are a cut above the rest.
Just wanted to say Masala originated in India and means a blend of spices. All Indian families have their own recipe which generally include black pepper corns, cinamon,nutmeg,cardamom and some other additions. My mum had her own blend which we used in our cooking and could also be sprinkled ontop of food at the end.
You are referring to Garam Masala. The masala I am referring to is a blend of spices which is commonly used by South Africans called a masala. Our masala starts with a chilli powder base and very different to Garam Masala.
Made this biryani today, for the 2nd time, and absolutely love the ease that you have given to this sometimes complicated dish. It is so flavourful and delicious 😋
Hi Lorraine
I have made this breyani for my family and they loved it,so I always use this recipe,it’s divine,tried your butter biscuits recipe as well,it was delicious, and your puri recipe,best puri recipe,thank you for the lovely recipes,much appreciated.
My go to recipe for Briyani ☺️
New year GREETINGS AND BLESSINGS TO YOUR FAMILY, AND O MG Dearest Lorraine this is my go to always briyani. The aroma colour and spices is to die for, love it, family lives it, no more leftovers. And so are all your other delicious recipes.
G’day Lorraine,
Should I wish to Subscribe to Your Recipes, could you please advice me as which would be right channel to do get that done.
Cheers
Sasee @ Sathyaseelan
Hi there! When you access my blog there will be a little pop up that appears. Please enter your email address there. Thank you
Wow,made this today on a perfectly cold day in CPT,it was simple and accurate instructions which resulted in the perfect ,most delicious biryani ever. Thank you so much.
Hi Lorraine, I made this chicken breyani today it was absolutely delish 😋
Do I use the same method for lamb breyani?
Thank you!
Wow! This dish is fantastic! Everyone loved it.
Do I remove the spices from the rice before I add it to the chicken? I did this time, but I’m wondering if I’m missing out on the full flavor by doing that.
Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Christine! Thanks so much. No you don’t remove the spices, at least I don’t. If you prefer you can remove them when serving:-)
Do you soak the rice before?
Hi there! 😊 Yes, I would recommend soaking the rice for about 20–30 minutes before cooking. Just remember to drain it well before using it in the recipe. Hope you enjoy it!