Goa Chicken Biryani

This is a simple and easy way to make a really flavourful chicken biriyani. We have used chicken drumsticks in our recipe, but you can use any other cut of chicken for this. There are also many extra toppings you can add to this biryani like eggs, salad, and other sauces.

To make our biryani, we have used Mata Goa Biryani Rice Instant Paste (also known as Loajehi Biriyani Paste), provided to us by one of our partners, KDM. It is a really good combination of the spices that are used to make biriyani and smells just as good. As it is an instant paste, it reduces the time that would otherwise take to prepare the spice mixes and sauce for the biriyani. In this recipe, we have also used the bay leaf, cloves, and cinnamon stick that is in the Mata Goa Biryani Rice Instant Paste packet.

Serving size: 5-6

Ingredients:

For the rice

• 1 ½ cup basmati rice
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups water

For the chicken drumsticks

• 1 tsp oil
• 800g small chicken drumsticks
• 1 ½ tbsp lime juice
• 1 ½ tbsp chilli powder
• ¼ cup plain yoghurt
• 1 tbsp Mata Goa Biryani Rice Instant Paste

For the biryani

• 1 tbsp oil
• ½ cup thinly sliced onions
• ½ tsp grated garlic
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 20 curry leaves
• ½ scotch bonnet
• 20 cashew nuts
• 2-inch piece of cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tbsp Mata Goa Biryani Rice Instant Paste
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, cut into halves (optional)
• ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves (optional)

Instructions:

1. To start off, wash 1 ½ cup basmati rice well and drain it. Then, add the rice to a small pot along with 2 tbsp oil, 1 tsp salt and 2 cups water.
2. Cook the rice on high heat for 8 minutes, without covering the pot. By then, the water level will be the same as the rice.
3. At this point, change the heat to low and cover the pot with the lid. Cook the rice for another 7-8 minutes or until there is no water left in the pot. When cooked, the rice should be soft and fluffy.
4. Defrost 800g small chicken drumsticks and remove the skin. Then, rinse the chicken well and drain any excess water. Set aside.
5. Add 1 tsp oil to a large pot and heat it up at medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Then, add in the chicken drumsticks, 1 ½ tbsp lime juice, 1 ½ tbsp chilli powder, ¼ cup plain yoghurt, and 1 tbsp Mata Goa Biryani Rice Instant Paste. Stir to mix well, then cover the pot with the lid. Cook at medium-high heat for around 15 minutes.
6. Remove the lid and cook the chicken for another 10 minutes on low heat. By now, it will be fully cooked through with a light crust on the outside (to check if the chicken is cooked, make a small cut on the meat; the inside should be white all the way through, not pink).
7. Remove the chicken drumsticks from the pot to a bowl and wipe the excess sauce from the bottom of the pot.
8. To the same pot, add 1 tbsp oil and heat it up at medium-high for around 30 seconds. Then, add ½ cup thinly sliced onions, 1 tbsp grated garlic, 1 tsp grated ginger, 20 curry leaves, ½ scotch bonnet, 20 cashew nuts, 2-inch piece of cinnamon stick, 2 cloves, and 1 bay leaf.
9. Stir and sauté for 6 minutes or until the onions turn golden brown in colour.
10. After that, add in 3 tbsp Mata Goa Biryani Rice Instant Paste, ¼ cup water, 1 tsp cumin powder, and 1 tsp salt. Stir and cook for 2 more minutes or until everything is well combined and fragrant.
11. Decrease the heat to low and add the cooked chicken drumsticks back into the pot. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes.
12. Finally, add the cooked basmati rice into the pot and mix well for 5 minutes at low heat.
13. Turn off the heat once mixed well, and the rice turns a yellow orange colour. Before serving, you can place 4 hardboiled eggs (cut into halves) and ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves on top of the rice as an optional topping.