Pakistani Chicken Biryani is one of the most comforting and aromatic dishes on earth. It’s a whole meal in itself, and it’s not only delicious, but it’s also cheap to make.

Chicken Biryani goes back hundreds of years, and it’s a staple food in the region. It’s not only the protein and starch combined seamlessly in a lovely dish, but it’s also the enticing aromatics and intense flavor that makes this beauty a crowd-pleaser.

Thinking about you, we’ve put together three chicken biryani recipes from easy to hard. But trust us, they all end up as beautiful, colorful dishes that you can enjoy any day of the week but that can also be a special dinner for date night. 

If you’re not familiar with Pakistani food, look at this exciting video about street food in Karachi. You’ll get a pretty good idea of how a Pakistani Chicken Biryani recipe ends up like.

Now that you’re ready. Let’s get cooking!

You’ll see that there are many ways to cook this famous dish, from time-consuming authentic preparations to easy interpretations for a quick meal.

You’ll also realize that everyone has a different take on the classic dish. Many ingredients are common, but every family, every street food stall and restaurant has a different recipe. When it comes to Pakistani Chicken Biryani recipes, there’s no right or wrong, only delicious food to nurture your loved ones. 

We’ve chosen three Pakistani chicken biryani recipes for you: one is what you’d typically find in a lifestyle magazine, it’s fast and easy. The second one is a traditional family recipe, authentic but not overly complicated. Finally, a professional recipe from a seasoned chef, this one is restaurant quality, although it’s a bit tougher to tackle. Have your pick, and they’re all delicious!

Easy Chicken Biryani

Ingredients 

• 4 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
• 2 cups basmati rice
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 small piece of ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 the juice of one yellow lemon
• 2 tsp of garam masala
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 28 oz of chicken stock
• 1/4 cup of coriander, chopped
• Oil as needed
• Salt to taste

You can get a great organic garam masala here. And this is our recommended basmati rice.

Preparation

1. In a bowl, add the chicken, lemon juice, garam masala, chili powder, and a pinch of salt. Incorporate everything well.
2. Add the oil to the pan, heat and add the onions until they get a golden color. Then add the garlic and ginger until softened.
3. Add the chicken until thoroughly cooked.
4. Rinse the rice in running water. Add to a pot with the chicken stock and put over high heat until it boils, then lower the flame and cook until the rice cooks.
5. Serve the rice, top with chicken (and the lovely gravy), and garnish with coriander.

Authentic Pakistani Chicken Biryani Recipe

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds of chicken breast
• 0.5 cups of Basmati rice, washed
• 2 large onions, sliced 
• 1 whole garlic, peeled, minced
• 1 large (4 inches) ginger, peeled and minced.
• 1 cup of yogurt
• 10 cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 cardamoms
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 10 black peppercorns
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 5 dried prunes
• Oil as needed 
• Salt to taste

These are our favorite seedless dried prunes. They give a lovely sweet taste to the gravy.

Preparation

1. Set aside a pinch of cloves and cumin seeds and grind the rest of the cloves, cumin seeds, cinnamon, cardamoms, and peppercorns.
2. In a large pan, add oil and the onions until golden.
3. Add the chicken with the onions and move until golden all around.
4. Add the garlic and the ginger to the chicken and onions, a pinch of salt, chili powder, and grounded spices. Incorporate well. Simmer until fully cooked.
5. Add the yogurt and the dried prunes to the chicken and mix. Keep in the fire for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve.
6. In a pot, add water and the rice. Add three fingers of salt and the remaining cloves and cumin seeds. Bring to a boil and bring the flame down. Cook for 10 more minutes or until the rice is cooked.
7. Serve a layer of rice and top with the chicken. 

Professional Pakistani Chicken Biryani Recipe

Ingredients 

• 1 pound of chicken
• 1 cup of basmati rice soaked for 30 minutes
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, cut in cubes
• 2 cups of yogurt
• The juice of half a lemon
• 1/4 cup of chopped coriander
• 1/4 cup chopped mint
• 5 dried prunes
• 2 green chili peppers
• 5 whole cardamom
• 5 cloves
• 3 cinnamon sticks 
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 small piece (2 in) ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• Salt to taste
• Canola oil as needed
• Get an aromatic, organic turmeric powder here.

Preparation 

1. Reserve 1 bay leaf, 2 cinnamon sticks, 2 cloves, and 2 cardamoms (we’ll use them in the rice.)
2. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onions with the remaining cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, and bay leaf. Remove once the onions turn golden.
3. Add the garlic, ginger, tomatoes, garam masala, turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, and cumin powder. Cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add the yogurt, the chicken, and prunes — Cook over medium heat. Add a pinch of salt if necessary.
5. In a pot, add the rice, water with the remaining spices and let it boil, then lower the flame and cook for 10 to 20 minutes until fully cooked.
6. In a separate pot, layer the rice, then the chicken mixture and top with more rice. Top everything with chopped mint and coriander leaves. Cover and cook in low heat for ten minutes.

Which one is your favorite?

These are our favorite Pakistani Biryani Recipes, but as you can imagine, there are tons more! Which one is your favorite? Try them all out and become an expert in this street food classic.

You might have to travel to Pakistan to try the real deal and to see if you got close, but that’s a great idea because this rice specialty is only one of many fabulous dishes in the country.

Enjoy your new favorite dish with friends and family and share these recipes, because food like this deserves to be enjoyed by everyone.