Pakistani Chicken Pilau | Chicken Pulao
This is a classic Pakistani dish that is often served at dinner parties. It is a delicious meal which uses no chilli, making this a great dish to serve at dinners where you aren't sure of how much spice your guests can take! The lack of chilli also makes it a good option to serve kids. People will just keep coming back for more with this delectable recipe!
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr
- Yield
- 5 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2.2 lb chicken, bone in
- 4 tsp salt ((please adjust to taste, see notes below))
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 tbsp black pepper corns
- 2 bay leaf
- 1 medium stick cinnamon
- 2 black cardamoms
- 5 green cardamoms
- 10 cloves
- 1 star anise
- 1 onions
- 8 garlic cloves
- 4 tbsp ghee
- 2 onions, sliced finely
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 4 cups/1l broth (reserved from Part 1) ((IMPORTANT: please read notes at the bottom if you are changing the serving size))
- 3 cups basmati rice ((washed and soaked in water for at least 30 minutes before using))
Instructions
- 1
First, we make the broth (yakhni). In a pot, add the chicken, coriander seeds, black pepper corns, garlic cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves, star anise, salt and 1 onion (it doesn't have to be chopped). Cover with enough water to submerge the chicken.
- 2
Bring to a boil, then cover and allow to simmer on medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
- 3
Strain the broth using a colander. Discard the whole spices and reserve the liquid and chicken (keep both separate) until needed. You can squash the softened cloves of garlic into the liquid. Refer to the images in the blog post if needed.
- 4
Now, in a wide pot, heat the ghee on medium heat. Once hot, add the sliced onions. Sauté till they are golden, stirring often to ensure they don't burn - about 8-12 minutes. The darker the onions are, the darker the colour of the rice will be. Add the cumin seeds once the onions turn transparent and limp.
- 5
Once the onions turn golden, add the chicken you reserved from earlier. Fry everything till the chicken turns golden - about 3-4 minutes.
- 6
Now, add the basmati rice and the broth you reserved from earlier. If you do not have enough broth, you can make up the shortfall with water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low till the water dries up and the rice is soft, about 10 minutes (give or take).
- 7
Turn the heat down very low and allow the rice to steam with the lid on (ideally lined with a cloth/towel) for 15-20 minutes.
- 8
Your Chicken Pilau is ready! Fluff up well once the steam time is over, otherwise the rice may clump up.