Some dinners fill the kitchen before they even reach the table. This Indian chicken tikka biryani does just that, with warm spices, roasted chicken, soft onions, and fluffy basmati rice layered into one pan.
The chicken is marinated first, then roasted, and finally steamed with the rice. That gives you tender chicken, separate grains of rice, and big flavor in every spoonful.
I've cooked almost every day for nearly 30 years, and this is the kind of recipe I love: clear steps, real flavor, and a pan that smells incredible by the end.
Why you'll love this recipe
This biryani gives you deep flavor without a long list of hard-to-find ingredients. Yogurt, lemon, ginger, garlic, and spices do most of the work in the marinade. Onion, tomato paste, and fresh coriander bring the rice layer to life.
It is a great dinner when you want something more exciting than plain chicken and rice, but still want a recipe you can follow step by step. Marinate the chicken, roast it, parboil the rice, layer everything, and let the pan finish the rest.
What You Need
- Chicken breast: cooks quickly and takes on the marinade well. Cut it into even pieces so everything cooks at the same pace.
- Tandoori masala: gives the chicken its bold tikka-style flavor and warm color.
- Turmeric: adds an earthy note and that beautiful golden color.
- Curry powder: rounds out the spice mix and connects the chicken with the rice.
- Garam masala: brings warmth, depth, and a little sweetness.
- Ground cumin: adds a nutty, savory flavor that makes the rice taste fuller.
- Ground coriander: keeps the spices bright and works beautifully with lemon and fresh herbs.
- Yogurt: tenderizes the chicken and helps the spices cling to every piece.
- Lemon juice: adds freshness and keeps the marinade lively.
- Fresh ginger: gives clean heat and a fresh bite.
- Garlic: builds the savory base of the dish.
- Salt: seasons the chicken, onion mixture, and rice. It matters here because the rice carries so much flavor.
- Ghee: adds richness and a buttery taste, without burning.
- Vegetable oil: helps cook the onions without making the dish too heavy.
- Basmati rice: cooks up light.. Soak it first for the best texture.
- Onions: soften into the spice base and add sweetness.
- Tomato paste: gives the onion layer color, depth, and a little richness.
- Fresh coriander: lifts the whole pan at the end with freshness and color. If you really don't like it use parsley.
How to Make It
- Mix the yogurt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, salt, and spices.
- Coat the chicken and chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight if you have time.
- Put the chicken in a casserole dish.
- Roast the marinated chicken.
- Then cook the onions with the remaining ginger, garlic, tomato paste, and spices until soft and fragrant.
- Add the chicken to the spice mix.
- Boil the soaked basmati rice until it is half cooked. The outside should soften, but the center should still have a little bite. Drain well. Layer the rice and chicken in a large pan.
- Starting and ending with rice. Cover and cook over very low heat until the rice is tender and the flavors come together.
Top Tips
- Do not fully cook the rice before layering. Half-cooked rice finishes in the pan and keeps the grains light.
- Let the chicken marinate as long as you can. One hour helps, but overnight gives the spices more time to settle into the meat.
- Use very low heat for the final steaming step. This is where patience pays off. Too much heat can catch the bottom before the top is ready.
Serve with
This biryani is full enough to serve on its own, but something fresh or soft on the side makes the plate even better.
- Add Herbed Garlic Butter Naan if you want something warm to scoop up the spiced onions and chicken. For freshness, serve it with Spicy Cucumber Salad. The cucumber keeps the meal light next to the warm spices. If you want an extra vegetable side, these Indian Spiced Honey Roasted Carrots fit nicely with the rice and spices.
📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
Chicken tikka biryani with marinated chicken, basmati rice, warm spices, onions, and fresh coriander.
Recipe Help
Two easy tools to make cooking even easier. Cooking mode keeps the screen on. The easy-step recipe displays the recipe step by step, including the ingredients needed. And you can adjust servings easily
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons tandoori marsala, ground
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, ground
- ½ teaspoon curry powder, ground
- ¾ teaspoon garam masala
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin, ground
- ¾ teaspoon ground coriander, ground
- 3 tablespoon yogurt
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1.1 pound chicken breast, chopped
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 onions , chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- fresh coriander, chopped
- 1¼ cups basmati rice, soaked for 30 minutes and drained
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
- Mix a tablespoon tandoori masala, ½ teaspoon turmeric, curry powder, ½ teaspoon garam masala, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon coriander, yogurt, lemon juice, half the ginger, half the garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt.½ teaspoon ground turmeric, ½ teaspoon curry powder, ½ teaspoon garam masala, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, 3 tablespoon yogurt, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 1 inches fresh ginger, 4 cloves garlic, ½ teaspoons salt, 3 teaspoons tandoori marsala
- Coat the chicken with the marinade. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight.1.1 pound chicken breast
- Preheat the oven to 450 °F. Roast the chicken for 15 minutes.
- Heat the ghee and vegetable oil in a large pan.1 tablespoon ghee, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Add the onions and the remaining ginger and garlic. Cook over high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often.1 inches fresh ginger, 2 onions , 4 cloves garlic
- Stir in the tomato paste, 1 teaspoon tandoori masala, ½ teaspoon turmeric, ¼ teaspoon garam masala, ¼ teaspoon coriander, ¼ teaspoon cumin, and 1½ teaspoons salt.1 teaspoons tandoori marsala, ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, ¼ teaspoon garam masala, ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon ground coriander, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring now and then.
- Add the roasted chicken and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the fresh coriander and take the pan off the heat.fresh coriander
- Boil the soaked rice in 6 cups (1500 ml) water for about 5 minutes, until half cooked. The grains should be softer outside but still firm in the center. Drain well.1¼ cups basmati rice
- Layer the rice and chicken mixture in a large saucepan, starting and ending with rice.
- Cover and cook over very low heat for 10 to 13 minutes, until the rice is tender.
Notes
1. Can I marinate the chicken overnight? Yes. Overnight marinating gives the yogurt, spices, garlic, and ginger more time to flavor the chicken.
2. Can I skip roasting the chicken first? I would not. Roasting adds flavor and keeps the chicken from tasting flat in the finished biryani.
3. What does half-cooked rice mean? The outside of the grain should be softening, but the center should still have a little bite. The rice finishes cooking during the final steam.
4. What if the rice is still too firm at the end? Add 2 to 3 tablespoons water, cover again, and steam for a few more minutes over very low heat.
5. Can I use Greek yogurt? Yes. If it is very thick, loosen it with a small splash of water so it coats the chicken evenly.
6. Storage
- Refrigerator: Cool leftovers quickly and store covered in the fridge for up to 1 day.
- Reheat thoroughly in a pan or microwave until piping hot.
- Freezing is possible, but the rice texture is best when eaten fresh.
Nutrition
Calories: 339kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 22gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 915mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 87IUVitamin C: 7mgIron: 1mg
Aisha says
It looks and sounds very yummy 🙂
Cher Rockwell says
This one took my family outside of their comfort level, but I was surprised at how much they ended up liking it.
Yours looks great!
shelley c. says
Your chicken tika biryani looks delicious! My kids still aren't real Indian food fans, either, but I am certainly becoming one! Great job.
Claudia says
I try to push my limits with food too, and sometimes it does work, other times, well at least we like the meal 🙂
4pure says
Thank you all for your comments! I love to read you are going to the Same with your families! One day when they are adults (hopefully that takes another while) they might like it and are thankfull we gave them such à variation of Food to taste :-).
yummychunklet says
Looks like it was a successful dish!