Delicious and flavorful white chicken biryani is the perfect dish for all Biryani lovers – tender chicken, fragrant Basmati rice, and a delicious mix of spices you love in a classic Biryani dish!
In this Post:
- Ingredients you need
- How to make Chicken White Biryani?
- Tips for Recipe
- What to serve with Chicken White Biryani?
White Biryani is deceptively delicious biryani. Compared to a regular chicken biryani, it’s definitely light in color, but it is still BIG in flavor!
Biryanis of all sorts are beloved by Pakistanis, and this White Biryani is just another dish to add to your repertoire.
Don’t let the look of this Biryani fool you. You’ll love the combination of fragrant basmati rice layered with tender chicken masala with a delicious yet familiar blend of spices.
Recipes you’ll love
If you’re looking for more Biryani and Pulao recipes, here are some of our favorites:
- Gosht Biryani / Mutton Biryani
- Pakistani Chicken Biryani Recipe
- Keema Masoor Pulao – Ground Beef and Lentil Pilaf
- Beef Pilau (Pulao)
Ingredients & Notes
- Chicken – Half chicken bone in – we recommend using bone-in chicken for this recipe for a more flavorful dish.
- Yogurt – any plain yogurt will work for this dish. Just make sure it is at room temperature before adding it to the hot masala to prevent it from curdling.
- Ginger – Garlic Paste – This is a popular addition to lots of Pakistani and Indian dishes. It is made with equal parts of crushed ginger and crushed garlic. If you opt to make your own, you can make a big batch ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for about two weeks.
- Basmati Rice – We typically use long-grain-aged Basmati rice for our rice recipes. We love using Royal Basmati Rice.
- Whole Spices – we use whole spices in the recipe’s biryani masala and the rice portion of the recipe.
- Ground spices – Coriander powder, black pepper, Garam Masala powder: these spices complement the biryani masala.
- Herbs – Green chili, Mint, and Cilantro – these herbs add a fresh flavor to the biryani. The green chilis are the source of heat in this recipe, you can adjust the amount to your preference.
How to make White Biryani with Chicken?
There are three parts to making this biryani:
- The Biryani Masala – a flavorful chicken and potato curry
- The Biryani Rice
- Layering the two components for the final biryani!
White Chicken Biryani Masala
In a large pot, add oil and the whole spices till fragrant. Add in the sliced onion and cook till soft and pink. Add the ginger and garlic paste and cook till well incorporated.
Add the chicken, add salt, and cook till no longer pink. Add the coriander, garam masala, black pepper powder, and the aniseed mix. Add in room-temperature yogurt.
Add the chopped green chili (if using) and mix well.
At this stage, you can taste if you want to add any spices or green chili, depending on your heat level /spiciness.
Add in the cubed potato and mix well. Cook covered for 20-30 minutes. Add a little water if needed.
Using a knife, check if the potatoes and chicken are fully cooked.
Rice for White Chicken Biryani
In a bowl, add Basmati rice, wash, and soak for at least 20 – 30 minutes.
In a pot, add water, whole spices, green chili, and salt. You can omit the green chili if you like, but it adds flavor to the rice.
Once the water comes to a boil, add the soaked rice and cook till it’s al dente.
Once cooked, transfer the rice on a tray with a strainer or slotted spoon. It helps to keep the rice grains separated so the rice does not become mushy.
Let the rice cool slightly in the tray.
Layer the white chicken biryani
Once you’re ready to assemble the biryani, add half the rice to the bottom of the pot. Top with the chicken biryani masala, and sprinkle cilantro and mint. Next, layer on the rest of the rice and cover.
Cook on low flame for 30 minutes to an hour. The moisture from it will cook the rest of the rice. If needed, add half a cup of milk.
Recipe Tips
- For the biryani masala, ensure that the yogurt is at room temperature. Adding cold yogurt to the hot masala will curdle the yogurt.
What to serve with White Chicken Biryani?
This chicken biryani is an impressive main dish for any occasion! It is a great dish on its own, or served alongside a simple side dish:
- simple kachumber salad or a kachumber with raita (yogurt)
- creamy mint raita
- glass of chaas (a savory lassi) that pairs perfectly with spicy foods
- refreshing mango lassi
Recipes you’ll love
If you’re looking for appetizers to serve alongside the white chicken biryani, here are delicious appetizers you’ll love:
- Keema Samosa – Beef Samosa
- Potato chops: Indian Style Meat and Potato Croquettes
- Shami Kabab: Pakistani Ground beef and Chickpea Kabab
- Batata Vada
If you give this recipe a try, we’d love to see it! Tag us on Instagram @thespicemess
Chicken White Biryani
Ingredients
White Biryani Masala
- Half chicken bone in approx 700 gms
- 1 cup Yogurt room temperature, see notes
- 1 tablespoon garlic-ginger paste
- 2 medium onions
- 2 potatoes cubed
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 5 cloves
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala
- 1 teaspoon aniseed optional
- 10 black peppercorn
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 black big cardamom
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin
- 1 star aniseed flower
- ½- ¾ cup canola oil or other neutral oil
- 2-3 green chili chopped
- 10 -15 mint leaves fresh or dried
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- Salt as per taste
Biryani rice
- 2 cups rice
- 10 black peppercorn
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 3 cloves
- 2-3 green chili slitted
Instructions
White Chicken Biryani Masala
- In a large pot, add oil and the whole spices till fragrant. Add in the sliced onion and cook till soft and pink. Add the ginger and garlic paste and cook till well incorporated.
- Add the chicken, add salt, and cook till no longer pink. Add the coriander,garam masala, black pepper powder, and the aniseed mix. Add in room-temperature yogurt.
- Add the chopped green chili (if using) and mix well.
- At this stage, you can taste if you want to add any spices or green chili, depending on your heat level /spiciness.
- Add in the cubed potato and mix well. Cook covered for 20-30 minutes. Add a little water if needed.
- Using a knife, check if the potatoes and chicken are fully cooked.
Rice for White Chicken Biryani
- In a bowl, add Basmati rice, wash, and soak for 20 – 30 minutes, depending on the rice.
- In a pot, add water, whole spices, green chili and salt. You can omit the green chili if you like, but it adds flavor to the rice.
- Once the water comes to a boil, add the soaked rice and cook till it's al dente.
- Once cooked, use a strainer or slotted spoon to transfer the cooked rice to a tray. It helps to keep the rice grains separated so the rice does not become mushy.
- Let the rice cool slightly in the tray.
Layer the white chicken biryani
- Once you're ready to assemble the biryani, add half the rice to the bottom of the pot. Top with the chicken biryani masala, and sprinkle cilantro and mint. Next, layer on the rest of the rice and cover.
- Cook on low flame for 30 minutes to an hour. The moisture from it will cook the rest of the rice. If needed, add half a cup of milk.
- Serve hot with kachumber or raita and the masala chaas or mango lassi.