🍛 Gulf-style chicken biryani

Name: Gulf-style chicken biryani
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Gulf states · Arabian Peninsula
Ingredients: 800 g chicken pieces, skinless; 400 g basmati rice; 200 g plain yogurt; 3 onions, thinly sliced; 2 tbsp biryani spice mix; 3 garlic cloves and 2 cm ginger, grated; 2 tomatoes, chopped; A pinch of saffron in 3 tbsp warm water; A handful of mint leaves; 3 tbsp vegetable oil, salt

Origin: Gulf states · Arabian Peninsula

744kcal

per serving · 400 g

186kcal

per 100 g

44 gProtein11 g / 100 g

24 gFat6 g / 100 g

88 gCarbs22 g / 100 g

Gulf chicken biryani layers long-grain basmati rice with chicken marinated in yogurt, fried onions and a warm biryani spice mix, then steams it so the rice absorbs the juices. Saffron streaks the top grains gold and fresh mint lifts the aroma. It is milder and more fragrant than many South Asian biryanis and is served on a large platter, often with daqqus tomato sauce and salad.

Diets

✓

No porkfor halal, the meat must be halal-slaughtered

✓

Gluten-freeno wheat, barley or rye in a typical recipe

Not vegetarianbecause of: chicken

Not veganbecause of: chicken, yogurt

Contains dairybecause of: yogurt

Not keto22 g carbs per 100 g

Allergens

Contains (in a typical recipe):

⚠ Milk

What it is made of

basmati ricechickenyogurtonionsaffronbiryani spice mixmint

Recipe

4 servings90 min

Ingredients

800 g chicken pieces, skinless
400 g basmati rice
200 g plain yogurt
3 onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp biryani spice mix
3 garlic cloves and 2 cm ginger, grated
2 tomatoes, chopped
A pinch of saffron in 3 tbsp warm water
A handful of mint leaves
3 tbsp vegetable oil, salt

Method

Marinate the chicken with the yogurt, garlic, ginger, half the spice mix and salt for at least 30 minutes.
Rinse the rice and soak it for 20 minutes. Fry the onions in the oil until deep golden and set half aside.
Add the tomatoes and remaining spices to the onions in the pot, then the chicken with its marinade; cover and cook for 25 minutes.
Boil the rice in salted water for 6–7 minutes until three-quarters cooked and drain.
Spread the rice over the chicken, scatter the reserved onions and mint, and drizzle with saffron water.
Cover tightly and steam on very low heat for 20 minutes, then gently mix and serve.

How to make it lighter

Rice is the biggest share of calories: ask for a half portion of rice with extra chicken and salad.
Fry the onions in 1–2 tablespoons of oil instead of deep-frying them — 1 tbsp oil ≈ 120 kcal.
Use skinless chicken and low-fat yogurt for the marinade.

History

Biryani comes from the Indian subcontinent and reached the Gulf through centuries of trade and migration across the Arabian Sea. Gulf cooks adapted it to local taste, usually with less chilli and more saffron and whole spices. Today it is a staple of restaurants and family gatherings in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.

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Similar dishes

Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →