Butter chicken biryani (with photos + video)

Butter chicken biryani is made with aromatic long grain rice, layered with creamy butter chicken gravy, and herbs. Make this restaurant-style dish easily at home. Here's the step-by-step process to make it.

If you are bored having the regular chicken biryani then try this butter chicken biryani recipe. The preparation time is a little longer but it tastes awesome.

Butter chicken biryani is mildly spicy and rich, with lots of buttery flavors. If you like butter chicken then definitely this biryani is just for you.

About this recipe

In this recipe post, I am sharing how to make butter chicken biryani at home. It is made with basmati rice, chicken, aromatic Indian spices, herbs & butter.

The process looks a bit lengthy but it is mainly divided into 4 easy steps:

1. Cooking the biryani rice
2. Pan-fry the tandoori chicken
3. Make the butter chicken gravy
4. Assembling, layering & dum cooking the biryani

You may also like these other popular biryani recipes from this website:

• Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani
• Chicken Tikka Biryani
• Mutton Biryani
• Prawns Biryani
• Egg Biryani
• Chicken Biryani in Pressure Cooker

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Chicken - You can use boneless chicken or chicken with bone.
• Garlic & Ginger - Enhances the flavor.
• Tomato - Use juicy ripe tomatoes for making the butter chicken gravy.
• Onion - The use of onion is optional while making the gravy. Traditional butter chicken gravy does not have onions in it.
• Curd/yogurt - Always use thick curd or yogurt while marinating the chicken. Actually, hung curd is used. To make hung curd, tie some curd in a muslin cloth and hang it for at least 2 hours or until all the water drains out.
• Spice powders & flavoring - Turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, green chili & salt. You can skip green chili if you prefer less spicy.
• Tandoori chicken masala - Butter chicken is made with tandoori chicken. Tandoori chicken masala will give it an authentic flavor. You can also substitute it with normal chicken masala powder.
• Kashmiri red chili powder - Tandoori chicken is bright red in color & you can achieve that color with it. This chili powder is not too spicy. Restaurants add red food color while marinating the chicken. Food color is not good for health. If Kashmiri red chili powder is not available then skip it.
• Mustard oil - Authentic butter chicken gravy has the flavor of mustard oil in it. Mustard oil has its own strong aroma. If you like it, then only add it. You can substitute it with regular cooking oil.
• Whole spices - bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, green cardamoms, black cardamom, star anise, mace & nutmeg. Mace & nutmeg gives butter chicken its authentic flavor. If you do not have the entire list of whole spices then add a few that are available in your kitchen pantry.
• Cashews - It makes the chicken gravy thick.
• Butter - It is an important ingredient to make butter chicken biryani. Do not skip it. However, you can reduce the quantity but then definitely it will affect the flavors.
• Basmati rice - Use long-grain-aged basmati rice. Basmati rice has its own flavors & when cooked its long grains look beautiful in the dish.
• Fresh cream - Use fresh cream. No need to add heavy cream. You can use less fat cream too.
• Fried onions or birista - You can easily make it at home. Just deep fry the onions slices in hot oil until crisp. Or use store-bought birista.
• Herbs - Coriander leaves, Mint leaves & Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves).
• Biryani masala powder - Biryani masala powder balances the flavors & aroma. You can skip the whole spices & use only biryani masala powder. It has all the essential spices that flavor the biryani.
• Saffron milk - It is optional. It is made with a pinch of saffron soaked in 3 tablespoon warm milk. You can substitute it with 3 tablespoon milk or 3 tablespoon water in its place.
• Ghee/clarified butter - Ghee makes the biryani rice moist & aromatic.

For the detailed list of ingredients & their measurements, please check out the recipe card below.

Step by step instructions with photos

Preparations

• Marinate the chicken - Marinate the chicken with the ingredients mentioned in the ingredient list. Set it aside for 30 minutes. (image 1)
• Rinse the rice - Rinse & soak basmati rice in water for 30 minutes. Drain the water & set it aside. (image 2)
• Making birista - Fry onion slices in hot oil until golden & crisp. Remove & spread it on an absorbent paper. If using store-bought fried onions (birista) then you can skip this step. (image 3)
• Crush cardamom, mace & nutmeg to a fine powder. Set it aside. (image 4)

  

  Table of Contents

  Toggle

Making the gravy base

• Boil 1 cup of water on high heat. Add garlic, ginger, onion, whole spices, tomatoes & butter. Cover & cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat & let it cool down completely. (image 5 & 6)
• Transfer the ingredients to the mixer/grinder jar. Do not add water & grind it to a fine paste. The gravy paste is ready. Set it aside. (image 7 & 8)

  

Cooking Rice

• Boil 6 cups of water on high heat. Add salt, whole spices & basmati rice. Cook until water comes to a boil again. It will take around 5 minutes. Drain off the water & keep it aside. (image 9 to 12)

  

Pan-frying Tandoori Chicken

• Heat 3 tablespoon of oil over high heat. Add the marinated chicken & fry on both sides until crisp. Then lower the heat & cook it on low heat for 5 minutes. (image 13 & 14)
• Create some space in the middle (refer to the image). Place a bowl with hot charcoal in the middle. Pour some ghee/clarified butter. Cover & set it aside. It will give a smoky flavor to the tandoori chicken. (image 15 & 16)

  

Making Butter Chicken Biryani

• Heat 1 teaspoon oil & 1 teaspoon butter over low to medium heat. Add Kashmiri red chili powder. Fry it for a minute. Immediately add the prepared gravy paste & cook until it comes to a boil. (image 17 to 20)

  

• Add tandoori chicken to the gravy. Cook until it comes to a boil again. Taste & adjust the salt. Reduce the excess gravy on low heat. There should not be too much gravy before you start to layer the biryani. Otherwise, the biryani will become soggy. (image 21 & 22)

  

• Lower the heat & add cream, fried onions, green chilies, kasuri methi & prepared cardamom, mace & nutmeg powder, coriander & mint leaves. Layer the rice. Over it layer fried onion, mint leaves, coriander leaves, biryani masala powder, saffron milk & ghee/clarified butter. (image 23, 24 & 25)
• Create some space for the steam to escape with the ladle. If you are not creating the space the biryani will not cook properly. Compared to other biryani, this biryani needs this additional step. (image 26) . You can watch the video to understand the process better.

  

• Close with the lid. Cook for 15 minutes on low flame. Butter chicken biryani is ready to serve. It tastes best when served with Raita & Salad. (image 27 & 28)

Tips to make the Best Butter Chicken Biryani

• For pan-frying the chicken, make sure the pan is very hot. It will seal the outer edges of the chicken. The chicken will be crisp outside & nice & moist inside.
• Use long-grain-aged basmati rice to make biryani.
• Before you start layering the biryani, make sure, there should not be too much gravy left at the base of the pan. You can heat it on low heat & reduce the gravy.
• Once you finished assembling & layering the biryani then make some space with the ladle for the heat to escape. Only after that close with the lid & dum cook the biryani. This process is shown in the step-by-step process below & the video.
• Always use a heavy bottom utensil/pan to make biryani.

Storage Suggestions

1. Store the leftovers within 2 hours of cooking.
2. Leftover chicken biryani can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Let the biryani come to room temperature before storing it. Stays good for 2 days. Reheat and serve.
3. Freezing suggestions - Store the leftover biryani in an airtight container in the freezer. Stays good for a month. Thaw it for 30 minutes on the kitchen counter. Take it out in a microwave-safe bowl/plate. Sprinkle some water over it & reheat it in the microwave.
4. Always store biryani in small portions & take out the quantity that you are ready to consume. Reheat only that portion. Do not reheat the biryani once thawed. Biryani will lose its flavors, texture & aroma.

If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and a starred review below.

And, consider following me on social media so we can stay connected. I’m on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube!