Simple and Healthy Biryani Chicken
Ah biryani, biryani. Words can’t do justice to describe how much I love the flavors of biryani. This truly is one of my favorite foods, and one that I guarantee will become one of your favorite foods! The challenge for me was to come up with a recipe that allowed me to enjoy these wonderful flavors and aromas while still following the goals of The Laila Approach. The following recipe is a culmination of a lot of effort to bring out the best in biryani flavor while focusing on nutrition! So, enjoy it!
Biryani is usually served with long basmati white rice, fried white potatoes, and onions. I substitute out the white rice with organic quinoa, riced cauliflower, or wild rice for this recipe. For the vegetables, I used carrots and peas to add more nutrition, fiber, and flavor to this dish. Whether you serve this biryani chicken with quinoa, wild rice, or riced cauliflower, it still tastes fantastic and flavorful. You still enjoy all the flavors that this dish offers while keeping it healthy and nutritious.
Don’t forget the check out the YouTube video on how to make this recipe.
Ingredients:
One and a half pounds of chicken thighs or chicken breast cleaned and trimmed of all the fat
Three medium tomatoes, diced
One cup of frozen green peas, you can use fresh peas if available
A half-pound of carrots, cut in small strips
Two red medium onions, sliced
Four tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt or any plain yogurt
Spices group # 1:
One tablespoon of extra Virgin olive oil
One tablespoon of fresh garlic, chopped
One tablespoon of fresh ginger, chopped
Two dry bay leaves
Ten cloves
Few small sticks of cinnamon
Ten whole cardamom pods
Half teaspoon of black peppercorn
Half teaspoon of coriander seeds
Two stars (pieces) of anise
One teaspoon of cumin seeds
Spices group # 2:
One teaspoon of salt
One teaspoon of paprika
One teaspoon of turmeric
Two teaspoons of ground coriander
The spices to cook the wild rice or the quinoa:
Spices group # 3:
One star (piece) of anise
Five, or so, pods of cardamom
Ten cloves
A few sticks of cinnamon
A half teaspoon of black peppercorn
A quarter to a half teaspoon of salt
Directions:
1st Step:
Clean the chicken, trim all the fat, and cut it into small pieces. Set aside. Next, slice the two onions into thin strips. Set these aside. Then dice the tomatoes and set aside. Peel the carrots and cut into small strips. Set aside. Finally, get all your spice groups prepared and set aside.
If you are using quinoa, rinse it, and set aside.
Do the same if you are using wild rice.
If you are using cauliflower, rinse, cut in small pieces, and shred using a food processor to make riced cauliflower. Set aside.
2nd step: cooking the chicken and biryani sauce:
**Pay attention to the order of adding spices in this dish. This is very important!!!!
To a pot or pan over medium heat, add one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Then add the spices group # 1, except the bay leaves! The bay leaves will be added when the oil heats up. Let the spices heat up in the oil to release their flavors.
This should only take 30 or so seconds.
After the oil is heated up, add the pieces of chicken and the spices # 2. Also, add the two bay leaves from spices group #1. Stir to mix the spices with the chicken. You may need to add a tablespoon of water if you need to get the chicken to mix with the spices. Cover and let the chicken cook for about 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, add the diced tomatoes. Let the tomato and the chicken cook for about 20 minutes give and take. Stir often. Keep an eye on the timer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients below, as you will need to add the yogurt to the chicken at the 15-minute mark. (Yogurt instructions below).
While the chicken is cooking, it is time to cook the peas and the carrots.
To a pan over medium heat, add the carrots and a ¼ cup of water. Let them cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, then add the frozen peas. Let these two cook until they are about halfway tender. Turn off the heat and drain the water.
Place the pot with peas and carrots back on the stove. Put the heat back to medium. Add one tablespoon of extra virgin olive and pinch of salt to the carrots and peas. Sauté them until tender. Avoid overcooking them. You want them to still keep their bright color and slight crunch. When done, remove from the heat and set aside. (See instruction in the video above).
To cook the red onions: Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook until soft and half caramelized but still holding its shape ( see video above). Set aside.
At the 15-minute mark, check the chicken. If it is almost tender, add the four tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt. Always make sure your chicken is fully cooked! Let the mixture cook until the sauce thickens and turn off the heat.
If you decide to use quinoa:
Bring three cups of water to boil, add the two cups of rinsed quinoa with spices group # 3. Lower the heat to low and simmer until the quinoa is tender (when it becomes somewhat transparent).
You can cook the quinoa in a rice cooker as well.
If you decide to use wild rice:
Boil three cups of water in a pot. Add two cups of rinsed wild rice and spices group # 3. Lower the heat, cover then cook for 35 to 40 minutes until tender. You may need to add more water until the wild rice is tender. You would cook it the same way you would cook brown rice.
If using a rice cooker, you would add the rice and spices group #3. You would cook it for 35 to 40 minutes until tender.
If you are using a pressure cooker, add two cups of wild rice, spices group #3, and 3 cups of water. Close and set to high pressure. Cook for 20 minutes. If these directions differ from those that came with your pressure cooker, you should always follow your pressure cooker’s instructions on how to cook wild rice.
If you decide to use riced cauliflower:
Rinse one head of cauliflower and cut into small pieces. Place into the food processor and pulse a few times to get the cauliflower chopped into small pieces.
To cook the riced cauliflower: Add one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to a large nonstick pan. Then add the riced cauliflower and let cook while stirring until tender, about 5 minutes or so. (see the video above)
*****When you have reached this point, you should have finished cooking all the items needed for this dish!!!!
To prepare the finished dish:
You will be adding layers of the ingredients directly into the pot containing your cooked chicken and tomato. SEE THE VIDEO OF THIS STEP TO AVOID ANY CONFUSION! First, add a thin layer of the grain of your choice, or riced cauliflower, whichever you choose. (A THIN LAYER. Save some for the other layer). Then a layer of the carrots and peas over the grain. Then another layer of the grain over the carrots and peas. Then a layer of caramelized onion.
Turn the heat on to low and let simmer for a few minutes 3 to 5 to warm all the layers and get the flavor going. Turn off the heat and garnish with cilantro! Enjoy
You can freeze the leftover in small individual plastic bags to save for those busy days to have for lunch or dinner. It still tastes fantastic when reheated.