Grilled spiced chicken meets India’s most popular rice dish in this fusion of two Asian favorites. Say hello to Chicken Tikka Biriyani, a delicious mixture of spices and succulent meat with rice, in a single pot. It’s easy to make and pleases almost everyone. Let’s find out more.
What is Chicken Tikka?
Chicken tikka is a popular South Asian dish of boneless chicken pieces, marinated in spices and yogurt and grilled over high heat, ideally over charcoal. The chicken is typically cooked on skewers until charred and blackened in places. When mixed with a spicy tomato sauce, the dish is known as chicken tikka masala – a fusion dish from the South Asian diaspora, thought to originate in an Indian or Bangladeshi restaurant in Scotland in the 1960s.
How to Make Chicken Tikka
Start off by marinating the chicken. You want boneless pieces, ideally cut from the leg. You can use breast meat if you prefer, but you do run the risk of it drying out. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and marinate with garlic, ginger, yogurt and Indian spices of your choice. I used chili powder and garam masala, but you can select your own preferred spice blend, or use curry powder if you want.
Simply mix all the ingredients together and dredge the chicken pieces through it. Leave to marinate for at least half an hour, and even longer if possible. Overnight would be ideal, if you have the time.
How to Make Masala Sauce
Masala sauce is simply a spiced tomato sauce, enriched with yogurt. I find it’s a lot better when I use a substantial amount of fresh ginger and garlic – this is definitely a dish for which more is more! And just like the marinade, you can vary the spices according to your own personal taste, using curry powder, ground ginger, etc. if you prefer.
Simply soften and color the onions before adding the ginger, garlic and spices. Fry for a few moments to bloom the spices before adding the tomatoes and yogurt. After just 10-15 minutes simmering, the tomatoes will have collapsed and the oil separated out to the top. This is your sign that the sauce is ready.
How to Make Chicken Tikka Masala
We’re now going to grill our marinated chicken and add it to the sauce. I used my ridged griddle pan, because it is the best way I have in my kitchen to get a good char on grilled meats. But you could also use an overhead grill, or best of all, if you have a barbeque running, grill the meat on that. You may find it helpful to thread the chicken pieces onto skewers, but it’s not necessary. Once grilled, simply add the chicken to the prepared sauce and stir through.
If you’ve been reading all this and thinking to yourself: “but can’t I just use leftover chicken tikka masala?” then you are absolutely right! This is an ideal dish to make with leftovers. You can even use leftover rice as well. When there’s a stack of leftovers from your Indian takeout in the fridge, a biriyani is the perfect dish to use them in.
What is Biriyani?
Biriyani is a dish in which rice is layered with other ingredients and the whole thing cooked in a single pot. Covered tightly, the rice steams in the juices and yields a succulent and fragrant result. Nevertheless, to get the best biriyani, using part-cooked rice is the way forward, otherwise you risk not getting it cooked all the way through to tender. To part-cook basmati rice, wash and soak the rice as usual, then cook for just 5-6 minutes before pausing the process.
Alternatively, you can use leftover rice from the day before. If you do this, use less water in the base of the pan to compensate, otherwise your biriyani may be soggy.
To assemble the biriyani, start with a little water and melted butter in the base of the pan. Then add layers of rice, fried onions, cilantro, and of course the chicken tikka masala. I usually make two or three layers. Finish with a layer of rice before pouring over the saffron and water. Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook on high heat for a couple of minutes before turning down low. After cooking, leave the biriyani to settle for at least ten minutes, without removing the lid.
And More…
Looking for more delicious Indian-inspired recipes? Try one of these…
- Indian Yellow Lentil Soup
- Gobi Manchurian
- Khichdi
- Creamy Chickpea Spinach Curry
- Pumpkin, Red Lentil & Coconut Curry
Conclusion
Whether you’re making it from leftovers or starting from scratch, my Chicken Tikka Biriyani is a real crowd pleaser that will have everyone coming back for second helpings. Once you’ve got the sauce and chicken ready to go, it’s a real breeze to make. You can even assemble it in advance and simply cook it at the last moment, making it ideal for parties or large gatherings. Let me know in the comments how you get on with it!
Chicken Tikka Biriyani
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 2 chicken thighs cut into chunks
- 2 tbsp plain yogurt
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp Kashmiri chili powder or cayenne pepper
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1 tbsp ginger peeled and minced
- salt and pepper
For the masala sauce
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 onion peeled and sliced
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 3 tbsp ginger peeled and minced
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 2 tomatoes chopped
- 1/4 cup yogurt
- salt and pepper
For the biriyani
- 3 cups par-cooked basmati rice
- 1 tsp butter
- 1/4 cup fried onions
- 1 bunch cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 pinch saffron bloomed in 2 tbsp hot water
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients for the chicken together and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Heat a ridged griddle pan over high heat. Add the marinated chicken and grill for about 3 minutes each side until slightly charred on the outside and cooked through.
- In the meantime, make the masala sauce. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and fry for about 6 minutes until softened and colored.
- Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, chili powder and garam masala. Cook for 2 minutes more.
- Add the tomatoes and yogurt. Cook for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes have collapsed and the oil has slightly separated from the sauce. Season to taste, then stir in the chicken.
- To assemble the biriyani for cooking, melt the butter in the base of a heavy pan, with 2 tbsp water.
- Layer the rice with the chicken tikka in masala, scattering over the fried onions and chopped cilantro as you go. Finish with a layer of rice, then pour over the saffron and water.
- Cover the pan tightly and cook over high heat for 2 minutes, then turn right down low and cook for 10 minutes more. Turn off the heat and leave to rest for 10 minutes before uncovering and serving.
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