Arabic Biryani
Authentic Arabic Biryani comes together with fragrant yellow rice, spiced chicken, peas, potatoes, sweet raisins and crunchy almonds. A true celebration of Iraqi cuisine - it's a must try dish!
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr 3 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 Whole chicken
- Whole spices: 4 cardamom pods (3 cinnamon sticks, 10 cloves, 10 peppercorns)
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 3.5 cups Basmati rice
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2.5 tsp salt
- 5 tbsp oil
- chicken broth
- 5 potatoes
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2.5 cups frozen green peas
- 2 cups raisins
- 2 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1.5 cups slivered almonds
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 2 tsp allspice
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp nutmeg
- 4 tsp Biryani spice mixture
Instructions
- 1
Start by preheating the oven to 450F
- 2
Wash the whole chicken well using water, and place in a large pot. Cover with water
- 3
Add the whole spices and salt, and bring to a boil. When chicken starts to boil, scoop out any foam that forms at the surface
- 4
Boil the chicken until fully cooked, about 45 minutes to 1 hour
- 5
Meanwhile, peel, wash and chop the potatoes into cubes. Mix with salt and vegetable oil, and bake on a lined baking sheet for 30-40 mins until golden
- 6
When chicken is fully cooked, remove and cool, then shred into bite size pieces
- 7
Remove the whole spices from the broth by straining, then add the turmeric, salt, oil and rice to the pot
- 8
Ensure the broth covers the rice by 1 inch. Bring to a rapid boil, then cover and turn heat to low and cook for 20 mins untouched. After 20 mins, turn heat off and leave covered
- 9
Place peas in a pot and cover with water. Boil for 20 minutes until soft. Drain and set aside
- 10
Toast the almonds in a pan with 1 tbsp oil until golden, stirring continuously
- 11
In another large pan, add 2 tbsp oil, shredded chicken, peas, raisins, and the spices under "other ingredients" which are 2 tsp allspice and 1 tsp salt. Saute until everything is combined and hot (this step is to draw out the moisture from the mixture and heat everything)
- 12
When all components are ready, in a large tray, add the rice, then top with the chicken, raisins and peas mixture, then the potatoes and the almonds (save a bit of almonds for the topping)
- 13
Then add all the spices under the "spices section" on top and mix everything very well until combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding more salt/heat as required
- 14
Serve immediately with a side of salad and yogurt