Oven Cooked Brown Basmati Chicken Biryani

 

A one-pot dish made with brown basmati rice, chicken, fresh spices and herbs that is cooked in the oven so no fussing required. Original recipe link below is for an instant pot. I did mine in an enamel cast iron dutch oven, from start to finish.

Prep Time 40 mins

Cook Time 80 mins total for BROWN RICE

Servings: 8

Calories: 503 kcal

Author: Archana Mundhe (Adapted from Ministry of Curry Website.)

Ingredients

Marinade

    ▢ 2 teaspoons garam masala Add 3 teaspoon for spicier Biryani

    ▢ 1 tablespoon ginger grated

    ▢ 1 tablespoon garlic minced

    ▢ 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder

    ▢ ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

    ▢ ¼ cup mint leaves

    ▢ ¼ cup cilantro chopped

    ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice

    ▢ ¾ cup plain yogurt

    ▢ 2 teaspoons kosher salt

    ▢ 2 pounds boneless chicken skinless cut into 2 inch pieces

 

Other Ingredients

    ▢ 4 tablespoons ghee divided (I used mix of butter and EVOO)

    ▢ 2 large yellow onions thinly sliced

    ▢ 2 bay leaves

    ▢ 3 cups brown Basmati rice

    ▢ 2 teaspoon kosher salt

    ▢ 3.5 cups water

    ▢ 1 teaspoon saffron mixed in 1 tablespoon warm milk

    ▢ 6 eggs hard boiled and shelled, optional

    ▢ 1 jalapeno sliced into 8 wedges optional for extra spicy **

 

Raita

    ▢ 2 cups plain yogurt

    ▢ 1 medium yellow onion finely diced

    ▢ 2 tomatoes diced

    ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt

    ▢ 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped

 

Instructions

    Make Marinade by mixing garam masala, ginger, garlic, red chili powder, turmeric, mint leaves, half of the chopped cilantro, lemon juice, yogurt, and salt. Add chicken and coat evenly with the marinade. Keep in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

    While the chicken is marinating, preheat oven to 350. Wash and soak the basmati rice in water. Keep aside for 20 minutes.

    Heat up enameled cast iron dutch oven. Add half of the ghee and add thinly sliced onions. Cook stirring frequently for 10 minutes (LOL – onions do not brown in 10 minutes!) or until the onions are golden brown and caramelized. Take out half of the onion and keep aside for garnishing the biryani. Note: I used extra onion because, why not?

    Add the remaining ghee to the Instant Pot with half of the caramelized onions already in the pot. For extra spicy Biryani add sliced jalapeno. Add bay leaves and the marinated chicken and the liquid from the marinade. Turn down the heat to medium, deglazing the pot with a spatula to take out all the browning of the pot from sautéing the onions. Once all the browning on the pot is completely removed, cook for about 5 minutes.

I added some vegetables while sautéing the chicken – sliced mushrooms and peas to make it a one pot meal, but this is entirely optional.

    Drain the rice and gently pour it over the chicken. Add salt and saffron-milk mixture. Add water and gently push all the rice under the liquids. Do not stir. Bring all to boil and then turn off heat.

Cover pot with tin foil and then place lid on firmly. Place in oven and set timer for 50 minutes. Check rice at the end of the timer. It should be cooked through and ready to eat.

   

    Garnish with the remaining caramelized onions. Serve with Raita, hard-boiled egg, and lemon wedges.

 

Raita

To make the raita, whisk the yogurt in a medium bowl. Add onions, tomatoes, salt, and mix well. Garnish with cilantro. 

Notes

Original recipe calls for adding the milk saffron mixture as a garnish. I added it with rice. I could see doing both, but not adding it only as a garnish.

Nutrition

Calories: 503kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 1249mg | Potassium: 328mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 520IU | Vitamin C: 5.7mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 1.6mg

Easy Brown Rice Risotto with Mushrooms and Fresh Oregano

Adapted from: Cookie and Kate

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil and butter, some combination to taste
• 2 large shallots, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 16 ounces sliced Cremini (baby portobello) mushrooms, sliced or coarsely chopped
• ½ cup dry white wine, optional
• 5 cups (40 ounces) vegetable broth, divided (I use Better than Boullion's "No Chicken" vegetable base to make 5 cups
• 1 ½ cups brown arborio or short-grain brown rice
• 4 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves removed from stems and larger leaves torn into small pieces
• Chopped fresh parsley to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Make sure your oven rack is in the middle position. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Heat 1-2 tablespoon olive oil/butter in a medium Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add shallots and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, for ten minutes, then add the minced garlic. Cook for another 2 to 4 minutes, until the shallots are well browned.
3. Add white wine and cook until evaporated.
4. Add rice and maybe a little more oil. Stir until all rice is coated with oil.
5. Add 5 cups broth, oregano, parsley, and cover, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. 
6. Cover the pot and bake until rice is tender and cooked through, but still "poridgey." I set my timer for 50 minutes, took the lid off and then checked it every ten minutes. At 70 minutes, rice was al dente and poridgey.
7. Remove the pot from the oven. Add the Parmesan, and Gruyere, and pepper to taste.
8. Stir until the rice is thick and creamy and cheese is all melted.

Notes

Cookie and Kate say: Recipe adapted from my version of America’s Test Kitchen’s baked rice (recipe here) and Ina Garten, via Food Network.

To make arancini (risotto balls)

I made this to make arancini, so I very finely chopped the mushrooms and shallots in the food processor. After cooking the rice, I chilled in in the fridge until cool.

Then make balls, football shaped and set on wax paper. Roll in Panko, seasoned if you have it (Aldi's had whole wheat panko - whoda thunk?)

Place on parchment paper on cookie sheet and convection bake at 450, 15- 20 minutes. For a less healthy version, pan fry or deep fry.

Coconut Rice (Indian)

1 cup brown basmati rice
1 - 2 cups chopped onion*
1- 3 cloves minced garlic*
1/2 to 1 tsp crushed ginger*
2 - 3 tablespoons Oil, preferably coconut
2 - 3 tablespoons curry paste (madras or other)
1/4 to 1/2 cup (or more) shredded or desiccated coconut (unsweetened)
2 cups water (or broth) (!.5 cups in pressure cooker)
Salt to taste

Heat oil in pan, add onion and saute until soft or carmelizing.
Add garlic and ginger, saute another minute.
Add curry paste and rice and saute 1-2 minutes.

Add liquid and coconut and cook by preferred method (rice cooker, microwave or in loaf pan in oven)

For Instant pot, 20 minutes on high and release for about ten minutes should do it.

The onion, garlic and ginger area all optional, but really make it taste much better.

Vegetable Pilaf

Recipe taking from little recipe booklet for Ashoka curry pastes.

2 teaspoons Biryani paste
500 g diced assorted vegetables: cauliflower, carrots, beans, peas, potatoes, whatever.
150 g chopped onion
300 g less money race
200 g sugar
10 g fresh mint
10 g fresh coriander
50 mL oil

Boil the rice and set aside. Heat oil in saucepan, add onions, biryani paste and sauté. Add vegetables and stir fry for two minutes. Add beaten natural yogurt and 50 mL water and bring to boil.

Simmer until vegetables are cooked and the sauce is fairly thick. Sprinkle with the mint and coriander leaves.

Add the boiled rice and gently mix together.

Thai Basil Fried Rice with Chicken

Ingredients

1/2 cup peanut oil for frying 

3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon dark or light soy sauce (optional)  
1 teaspoon white sugar

6 large cloves garlic clove, crushed

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger  

3 - 6 dried chili peppers (optional)  

2 serrano peppers, crushed (I've been using poblanos instead of these and the bell pepper) 

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips

1 onion, thinly sliced

3 stalks celery, diced (optional)

3 - 6 scallions, chopped (optional)

1 red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

4 cups cooked jasmine rice, chilled

2 cups sweet Thai basil

1 cucumber, sliced (optional)
1/2 cup cilantro sprigs (optional)

Directions

You can always do this without the chicken.

Whisk together the oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar in a bowl.

Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat until the oil begins to smoke. Add the garlic, ginger and dried chili peppers (or serrano peppers, if using), stirring quickly. Stir in the chicken and cook for about 10 minutes, trying to get some browning on the chicken before adding the bell pepper, onion, (poblanos, celery and scallions) and oyster sauce mixture; cook until the chicken is no longer pink. Raise heat to high and stir in the chilled rice; stir quickly until the sauce is blended with the rice. Use the back of a spoon to break up any rice sticking together.

Remove from heat and mix in the basil leaves. Garnish with sliced cucumber and cilantro as desired.

Risoto, Basic, Mushroom, or Spinach

Arborio rice
Twice as much chicken broth as rice, boiling, in separate sauce pan.

Onions or shallots, finely chopped
Pine nuts (optional)
Olive Oil or butter or combination
Fresh Mushrooms, any kind, sliced.
Spinach, fresh is better, but frozen and drained OK.
Parmesan or shredded gruyere or both

Saute onions/shallots in oil/butter in large pan/saucier until soft or carmelized even. Add pine nuts if you wish.

Add dry rice and stir until all coated with oil.

Start adding broth about a cup at a time, stirring to keep from sticking to pan.

When nearly all broth incorporated and rice nearly cooked (should be slightly al dente), add mushrooms or spinach and continue adding broth until all cooked.

Add parmesan and/or gruyere.

SERVE IMMEDIATELY OR SOONER!

Prudhomme's Jambalaya

Ingredients

Seasoning Mix
4 small bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground red pepper (preferably cayenne)
1 teaspoon gumbo file (file powder) (optional)
1/2 1 teaspoon ground cumin*
1/2 1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves*
*I think cumin and thyme add the most flavor, so consider increasing both.

Jambalaya
4 tablespoons margarine butter or ghee
6 - 10 ounces tasso (about 1 1/2 cups) or other smoked ham, diced
6 - 10 ounces smoked andouille sausages (about 1 heaping cup) or kielbasa, diced
12 -24 ounces chicken (breasts, tenders, thighs) cut into pieces (optional) (I used Costco rotisserie last time, worked great!)
1 1/2  3 cups onions, chopped (All veg can be doubled, but cut back on stock if you do.)
1 1/2  3 cups celery, chopped
1 2 - 3 cups bell pepper, chopped - you can use poblanos for part of these to kick it up a bit!
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 cups uncooked rice (preferably brown)
4  3 cups chicken stock (if not salt-free, adjust salt)

Directions

1 Seasoning Mix: Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
2 Jambalaya: Use a large, heavy skillet, enamel cast iron is best as it can go in the oven; over high heat melt margarine; add tasso and andouille, or ham and sausage, (and chicken, if adding) and cook 5 - 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3 Add onions, celery, bell pepper, seasoning mix and garlic; stir and cook 10-12 minutes until well browned, scraping the bottom of the pan well.
4 Stir in rice and cook 5 minutes, again scraping the pan bottom often; add stock.
5 Bring mixture to boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, about 20 minutes, until rice is tender but still a bit crunchy; stir a bit towards the end of the cooking time; remove bay leaves and serve.

If using brown rice, consider doing the "simmer" in the oven with lid on, at 350 for about 70 minutes or more until rice done. You may need to add a bit more stock/water if it gets too dry.

To do this quickly in the pressure cooker, use brown rice and only 3 cups liquid instead of 4. Cook on high for 15 minutes then slow release for 10.

Basic cooked Rice

2 cup uncooked brown rice
2 1/2 cup basic stock or water

In a 5x9x2-1/2-inch loaf pan.
Seal pan snuggly with aluminum foil.
Bake at 350F until rice is tender, about 1 hour, 10 minutes.
Serve immediately.
However, you can count on the rice staying hot for 45 minutes and warm for 2 hours.
To reheat leftover rice, either use a double boiler or warm the rice in a skillet with unsalted butter