If you like chicken dishes, you would love chicken pulao. The difference between a pulao and a biryani is in the masala used and the cooking method.
Usually chicken is cooked together with rice for chicken pulao, which sometimes leads to make the pualo sticky. Here I am cooking both separate and mixing them later. This way rice will not become sticky.
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How to make Chicken Pulao
Ingredients
Boneless Chicken – 500 gm
Rice (Jeerakasala) – 3 cups
Curd – 1/4 cup
Cashew Nuts – 12
Grated Coconut – 1/2 cup
Onion – 4
Tomato – 1
Ginger – 1 inch
Garlic Cloves – 5
Green Chilly – 8
Coriander Powder – 2 1/4 tsp
Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp
Kashmiri Chilly Powder – 1 3/4 tsp
Lime Juice – 2 tsp
Oil – 4 1/2 tbsp
Lemon Zest – a pinch
Bay Leaves – 3
Cinnamon Sticks – 4
Fennel Seeds – 1/2 tsp
Cardamom – 10
Cloves – 10
Caraway Seeds – 1 tsp
Poppy Seeds – 1 1/4 tsp
Salt – 2 1/4 tsp
Mint Leaves
Coriander Leaves
Water
Directions
- Chop onion, green chilly, tomato, pudina leaves and coriander leaves.
- Crush ginger and garlic. You can use ginger garlic paste, if you want.
- Dry roast 2 bay leaves, 1 1/4 tsp of poppy seeds, 1/4 tsp of fennel seeds, 1/2 tsp of caraway seeds, 5 cardamom, 5 cloves, 2 cinnamon sticks on a low flame and grind them to make a fine powder. You can use a blender..
- Our pulao masala is ready.
- Let us marinate the chicken by adding 1/4 cup of curd, 3/4 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder, 3/4 tsp of kashmiri chilly powder, 1 tsp crushed ginger & garlic, lemon zest, mint leaves, coriander leaves, 1 tsp of lime juice, 1 tsp of oil and mix it well.
- Add 1/4 tsp of pulao masala and mix it. Close and keep the marinated chicken aside.
- Grind 1/2 cup grated coconut and 12 cashews in a blender.
- To make a fine paste like this, I have added 3 tbsp of water while grinding.
- To cook the rice, place a pressure cooker on the stove and add 2 tbsp of oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add 1 bay leaf, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 cardamom, 1 clove, 1/4 tsp of caraway seeds, a pinch of fennel seeds and mix.
- Add 3 cup of drained rice and saute it for 3 minutes.
- Add 3/4 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of pulao masala and mix.
- Add 4 1/2 cup of hot water and mix. Close it and cook.
- When the first whistle is about to blow, take it off from the stove.
- Our rice is cooked perfectly (Once the cooker is depressurized, transfer the rice in to a vessel).
- Now place a pot on the stove. Once it is hot, add 2 tbsp of oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add 2 cardamom, 2 cloves, 3/4 tsp of caraway seeds, a pinch of fennel seeds, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf and mix.
- Add sliced onion, green chilly, 3/4 tsp of salt and mix. Close and cook for 1 minute.
- After 1 minute open and mix.
- Add crushed ginger&garlic and saute it. Close and cook for 2 more minutes on a medium flame/temperature.
- After 2 minutes, open and saute it well.
- Add 3/4 tsp of turmeric powder, 2 1/4 tsp of coriander powder, 1 tsp of kashmiri chilly powder and saute it.
- Add sliced tomato and mix. Close and cook for 30 seconds.
- Open and mix everything. Then add marinated chicken and mix it well.
- Add coconut and cashew paste along with 1/4 cup of water and mix.
- Close and cook for 10 minutes on a medium flame/temperature.
- After 10 minutes, open and check the salt. Add 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of lime juice and mix.
- Add 1 tsp of pulao masala and mix.
- Add coriander leaves and mint leaves. Close and cook for 5 more minutes.
- After 5 minutes, check if the chicken is cooked or not.
- Chicken is cooked perfectly, now add the cooked rice and mix it well. All rice should be perfectly coated with the masala.
- Add mint leaves, coriander leaves and cashews (optional). Close and cook for 2 minutes.
- Our chicken pulao is ready to serve.
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