How to make Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani at home

Hyderabadi chicken dum biryani stands as “The heart of Nizam cuisine”. 

This recipe will unlock the secrets to a perfect plate of Hyderabadi chicken dum biryani richly filled with masalas, aromatics, and spices.

When we talk about recipes there are a lot of versions one can cook and there is nothing right or wrong. Just do whichever recipe you and your tastebuds love !

Preparation of Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani

1. Lets start by preparing crispy fried onions, also known as Birista or Beresta. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan or kadhai and start frying 5 to 6 sliced onions until golden brown and crisp. Keep sauteing uniformly without over frying the onions. We will use half of it to marinade and other half for layering it on the Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani.

2. Marinating the chicken 

Once we are done with the Birista, it is now time for us to marinade the most important ingredient – chicken. 

Ingredients needed :

Chicken (bone-in) – 1 kg

Thick curd/Yogurt – 1 cup

Ginger-garlic paste – 2 tbsp

Red chilli powder – 1½ tsp

Coriander powder – 1½ tsp

Turmeric – ½ tsp

Biryani masala – 2 tbsp 

Garam masala – 1 tsp

Lemon juice – 2 tbsp (optional

Salt – as per your taste

Fried onions (birista) – half 

Mint leaves 

Coriander leaves

Green chillies – 3–4 (slit)

Mix all the ingredients together and taste it. Add salt if required. Marinade it for 4 hours (ideal time). But in case you’re in a hurry, minimum time required for marination is 1 hour which is sufficient to get some flavour. 

3. Cooking the rice

For the next step in preparing Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani, we will need Basmati rice (any brand) of your choice. Take 3 cups of rice, wash and soak it in water for around 20-30 minutes. Then add the spices mentioned below in boiling water and start to cook the rice until it is 75% cooked. 

Bay leaves (tej patta)  – 2

Green cardamom – 5

Cloves – 6

Cinnamon – 1 large stick

Shahi jeera – 1 tsp

4. Make sure to add salt (should taste slightly salty) and ghee/oil to the boiling rice. This roughly takes 10-12 minutes and you are good to go. Once the rice is 75% cooked, remove the excess water using a colander and set it aside. 

5. Chicken masala

Now comes the exciting part of preparing the Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani which is preparation of chicken masala. In a heavy bottom pan or kadhai, add ghee and heat it. Add the marinated chicken to the pan as a base layer and sprinkle the fried onions on it. Add toppings like coriander leaves and mint leaves. Then drizzle saffron soaked milk and ghee. 

6. Authentic Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani involves layering raw, marinated chicken with partially cooked rice without pre-cooking the chicken. The magic is in ‘Dum’ which means slow steaming or slow cooking ensuring all the flavours blend in properly. 

7. Dum Cooking 

This is done by sealing the pan tightly with a lid and covering the edges of the pan using chapati dough. So, basically we are trying to create an airtight seal. Now cook on low flame for about 45 – 50 minutes. 

8. Switch off the stove and let the biryani sit for at least 20 minutes before serving.

And that’s it – Your Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani is now ready waiting to be served. Serve it hot with raita, share it with people you love, and enjoy every bite of it. 

Tips worth knowing 

1. Storing fried onions (birista) in the freezer makes it much easier to prepare biryani next time.      
2. Try to marinate chicken overnight for best results in flavours.
3. If you’re marinating the chicken for a shorter time, keep the pieces small to medium.
4. Choose aged basmati rice as it has lower moisture content which allows the grains to stay separate after cooking.
5. After cooking the rice, you can remove the spices (cardamom, cloves etc)  to avoid biting into them while eating.

Here’s What People Ask

Is Hyderabadi Dum Biryani the same as Hyderabadi Biryani ?

Hyderabadi Biryanis are also called ‘Hyderabadi Dum Biryani’. While Hyderabadi

Biryani stands as a commonly used name for the famous dish, Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani involves ‘Dum’ cooking (slow-cooking).

What is the secret of Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani ?

The real secret of Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani is the ‘Dum’ which means slow cooking to ensure all the flavours are absorbed and everything is cooked gently. This is what makes the biryani most aromatic, moist and deeply flavourable. 

What are common mistakes while making Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani ?

Few common mistakes while making Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani are : overcooking the rice, neglecting proper marination of chicken, skipping soaking of rice, over frying the onions (birista), cooking on high flame, unbalanced proportion of spices, and improper dum sealing.

What spices are used in Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani ?

Here is a breakdown on spices used for preparation of Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani : Bay leaves (tej patta), cardamom, cloves, cinnamon sticks, shahi jeera, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala and biryani masala.

Which is the tastiest biryani in India ?

Speaking frankly there is no “best” biryani as tastiest biryani depends on what kind of flavours you love ! But speaking of widely accepted or popular choices of biryani, Hyderabadi biryani is easily everyone’s favorite pick.

Ever wondered about the origin of Hyderabadi chicken biryani?

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani originated from the kitchens of Nizams of Hyderabad which involves blending Persian, Mughlai, and local Deccan flavours together.