Tandoori Chicken Biryani

Marinating tandoori chicken

• Marinate the chicken with curd, Everest Kashmirilal Powder, Everest Turmeric Powder, Everest Tandoori Masala and other ingredients. Leave the chicken to marinate for about 4 hrs to overnight.

Cooking tandoori chicken

• Tandoori chicken in oven method:-
• Preheat the oven to 220°C. Cover the oven tray with aluminium foil and place the marinated chicken on the tray. Cook each side for about 10 mins or according to your oven and its temperature. Cook until the chicken is done.
• If you need a good grill effect, you can grill it on a grill pan. Drizzle some oil on the grill pan and grill the chicken on both sides. It will not take much time as the chicken is already cooked
• Tandoori chicken in grill pan method:-
• Place the chicken in a vessel and cook until all the moisture is absorbed. Cook the chicken without closing the lid.
• When the chicken is cooked and all the moisture is absorbed, place the cooked chicken on a preheated grill pan with a few tsp of oil. Turn the chicken after a couple of mins. Cook on a medium flame.
• Drizzle a little oil half way through the cooking. Cook well on both sides until you get that glaze, shine and char grilled effect on the chicken.

Making the gravy

• Take a big utensil, add oil or ghee. When it gets hot, add onions and fry until it is soft and brown.
• It will take about 10 – 12 mins. You can close the lid and cook.
• When the onions are cooked well, take 1/4 cup onions and keep it aside.
• Now in the same vessel, add bay leaf and all the whole spices and stir for 1 min. Add ginger and garlic paste, tomatoes and stir well. Cook until the tomatoes are soft.
• Add Everest Everest Kashmirilal Powder and other remaining dry spices and stir for about 2 mins.
• Add curd and mix well for 2 mins. Also add the remaining left over marinate and also some gravy, which is left from the tandoori chicken cooking.
• Cook for a few mins with the lid closed and until it gets to a gravy consistency and oil starts to leave on top.
• Add mint, coriander leaves, salt and simmer for about 5 mins.

Cooking rice

• Add the other ingredients with rice, water and salt and boil. When it is 3/4th cooked, strain and keep it aside. Do not stir the stir too much while boiling, otherwise the grains can break.
• Cook the rice to 70 to 80 percent only.

Mixing rice and gravy

• Make sure there is enough rice to use with the gravy.
• Put half the rice on the gravy. Spread it properly. Place tandoori chicken pieces. Put rice again and spread. Add fried onions, mint, coriander leaves, mace and javithri powder, Everest Saffron or colour, lemon juice and then all the tandoori chicken pieces.
• Close the lid tightly and cook it on simmer for 20 to 25 mins or until the rice is fully cooked.
• You will get a nice aroma from the biryani after it has cooked.
• If the bottom of your vessel is thick, the rice will not burn. If your vessel has a thin bottom, you can avoid the burn by keeping a thick pan or tawa below the vessel. After you switch the flame off, let it rest for some time, say 10 to 15 mins or can serve immediately.
• Serve it with raitha, brinjal curry or any curry you like.