Among our small group of friends, Steph and I are known as that couple that foolishly spends every penny on travels just to eat, so we always get asked for restaurant recommendations on any random city someone is visiting, even if there’s no way we’ve ever been there or plan on ever going there. For London, we’re actually able to answer, and we always have a laundry list of restaurants we give. Usually we’ll get a response back that goes along the lines of “are you crazy? I’m only there for 2 days” and then we’ll reluctantly pull out our A-list of top 3 restaurants you have to visit when you come to London: Harwood Arms, The Bar at Clove Club, and Dishoom.

Dishoom’s Chicken Biryani Recipe, Simplified | www.iamafoodblog.com

Dishoom’s Chicken Biryani Recipe, Simplified | www.iamafoodblog.com

Dishoom’s Chicken Biryani Recipe, Simplified | www.iamafoodblog.com

If you know Indian food, or you know London, you’re probably thinking “Two of these restaurants are fantastic and well regarded, but one is rubbish, why is it on this list?” It’s true, Dishoom is not the greatest Indian restaurant in London. It’s got fake lineups, its food is watered down, and there are probably hundreds of hole-in-the-walls that are better than Dishoom for less money. But Dishoom is an experience – look at that menu, there’s Chicken Tikka Rolls and Gunpowder Potatoes. They’ve got drinks, interesting food, and a great story. If there is one thing (food-wise) London does incredibly well, it’s their well-run fantastically designed tiny chains like Hawksmoor for steaks or Ottolenghi for Middle Eastern. These tiny chains carve out a niche and fill it incredibly well in a way that everyone feels welcome. Dishoom is Ottolenghi for Indian food, and it’s wonderful.

One of my favorite things on Dishoom’s menu is their Biryani. Like all great dishes of great cuisines, Biryani has multitudes of regional variations and recipes, and there is really no correct method. This version is like if chicken and rice decided to get together and try to make a lasagna. It’s got layers of rice and soft perfectly cooked chicken. It’s got bits of crispy rice/soccarat where the rice was slightly scorched from touching the cast iron dutch oven. It’s spicy if you like spiciness, and it’s just generally the greatest thing. If you’re excited, click here to skip to the recipe, otherwise, read on for some food geekiness.

Dishoom’s Chicken Biryani Recipe, Simplified | www.iamafoodblog.com

Dishoom’s Chicken Biryani Recipe, Simplified | www.iamafoodblog.com

Dishoom’s Chicken Biryani Recipe, Simplified | www.iamafoodblog.com

Dishoom’s Chicken Biryani Recipe, Simplified | www.iamafoodblog.com

Dishoom’s Chicken Biryani Recipe, Simplified | www.iamafoodblog.com

Dishoom is releasing a cookbook next year, and you can be sure Steph and I will be cooking from it, but meanwhile, I found this recipe online and heavily edited it. I’ve made it twice now, once for an Indian food party and again just because it was so good (and I’m going to make it a third time after this post goes up, because writing it made me want more). Unlike the original version, this one only has 10 ingredients and is really simple to make. I’ve made the original as well, I’m pretty sure that besides being easier and much much faster, most people will agree this version tastes better. Some notes:

  • Sometimes the commercial product is better than homemade, and fried onions and shallots are one of those things. Very few home cooks can match the quality of commercially fried onions. They’re available everywhere (we actually got ours from Ikea of all places), but if you can’t find them, replace with onions or shallots fried until crispy and golden brown.
  • The yogurt we used was Greek yogurt. Indians would use dahi, which is basically a yogurt by another name, and Greek yogurt gives the best consistency for this marinade.
  • Properly, cumin should be toasted in a dry pan and crushed with a mortar and pestle. If you have time for that, you should do so, but I made this once that way and once with ground cumin, and there was not that much difference.
  • Flat Leaf Parsley vs Cilantro: I made this with both because some people hate cilantro and I wanted to know if it made much of a difference if you sub. The answer is, no, both versions were delicious and you should use the one you like.
  • I did it once with boneless, skinless chicken thighs and once with bone-in, skin-on. The bone-in skin-on version was way better (surprise) but the boneless skinless version was much easier to eat. If you go bone-in skin-on, you should cut the thighs into thirds, or something resembling bite sized pieces.
  • The saffron is only for color and isn’t necessary. We always have saffron in our house, but saffron is expensive and it’s not totally necessary. If you skip it, but have turmeric sitting around, I’d add a 1/4 teaspoon turmeric to the cream.
  • The 1/4 cup of diced onions are definitely an optional ingredient. The second time around, I had the onions sitting around from something I made earlier that day and added it so it wouldn’t take up room in our tiny fridge. It was amazing and added a lot, so it’s here, but I don’t think anyone should go out and buy an onion. It’s not in Dishoom’s version. It’s just really good.
  • Finally, the red pepper and jalepeno. The first time, I skipped both and it tasted ok. The second time, I used two teapsoons of something called Red Chili Powder Extra Hot from an Indian spice company and a fresh jalepeno and it was amazing. To be completely honest, it was also really spicy for both of us (and we eat spicy foods) until the next day when it somehow mellowed out, but both are optional ingredients for a reason.

This recipe calls for a blender, but if you don’t have a blender or a food processor, just roughly chop the parsley or cilantro and slice the rest. I cooked this in a dutch oven and truly, it’s the best cooking vessel to use. You get this amazing soccarat on the sides, and the heavy lid keeps the steam inside. I probably should have also tested a conventional stainless steel pan, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. If you follow the recipe without scaling, you’ll need something that can hold at least 2.5 quarts.

Dishoom’s Chicken Biryani Recipe, Simplified | www.iamafoodblog.com

Dishoom’s Chicken Biryani Recipe, Simplified | www.iamafoodblog.com

Being December, I can honestly say this is one of the best things I’ve made this year, and I really hope you try this and bring a little taste of London and inauthentic Indian food home for the holidays (and the rest of the year too).

-Mike

Chicken Biryani Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

Chicken Biryani

Dishoom's famous chicken biryani made easier
Serves 4
4.75 from 4 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Marinating Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp fried onions
  • 1 cup greek yogurt
  • 6 cloves garlic peeled
  • 1 inch ginger peeled and sliced
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro
  • 2 lbs bone in skin on chicken thighs
  • 2 cups basmati rice
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1-2 tsp Indian red chili powder
  • 1/4 cup onions diced
  • 1 jalapeño optional, if you are ok with spice
  • 1 pinch saffron optional, for color mostly, you can also sub turmeric

Instructions

  • Optional: If you’re using saffron (or turmeric), combine with the cream and set aside. Preheat your oven to 400ºF.
    saffron cream for chicken biryani | www.iamafoodblog.com
  • In a blender, make a marinade by adding the fried onions, yogurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, cilantro, chili powder (and jalapeño if using) and 2 teaspoons of salt. Puree until smooth, then combine with the chicken and marinate for at least 30 minutes (longer is better).
    Dishoom’s Chicken Biryani Recipe, Simplified | www.iamafoodblog.com
  • In a large oven-proof pot with a tight fitting lid (I used a 2.5qt dutch oven), bring 4 cups of water and a good pinch of salt to a boil. When the water is boiling, add the basmati rice and cook for 5 minutes, then drain into a fine mesh sieve. If you don’t have a sieve, try to carefully drain as well as you can and transfer to a bowl.
    Dishoom’s Chicken Biryani Recipe, Simplified | www.iamafoodblog.com
  • In your now empty dutch oven, put down 1 layer of chicken, then cover with half the rice, then half the cream, and half the onions. Repeat again with the remaining chicken, rice, cream, and onions.
    Dishoom’s Chicken Biryani Recipe, Simplified | www.iamafoodblog.com
  • Cover and bake for 1 hour, then remove from the oven and allow to steam an extra 15 minutes before opening the lid. Mix well and serve with extra fried onions, yogurt, and chopped flat leaf parsley or cilantro.
    Chicken Biryani Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

Estimated Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Chicken Biryani
Amount Per Serving
Calories 850 Calories from Fat 199
% Daily Value*
Fat 22.1g34%
Saturated Fat 7.4g46%
Cholesterol 213mg71%
Sodium 232mg10%
Potassium 811mg23%
Carbohydrates 80.8g27%
Fiber 2.1g9%
Sugar 1.6g2%
Protein 75.8g152%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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22 Comments

  1. Gal says:

    Sounds so yummy. Would it work well with chicken breasts? Thanks

  2. Stephanie says:

    make it again!!!!!
    xoxo steph

  3. mfw says:

    Looks delicious. Do you use whole bone in, skin on chicken thighs? Thanks in advance!

    1. Mike says:

      I used both whole bone-in skin on chicken thighs as well as boneless. the bone-in were way better.

  4. Avani says:

    looks yum! mentally trying to think if I can put this in my instant pot

    1. Mike says:

      you totally can, and you can probably skip parboiling the rice too

  5. Bob says:

    Do you cook the rice with lid on or off?

    1. Mike says:

      The first 5 minute parboil, lid off. Before it goes in the oven, lid on.

  6. Allison says:

    How would you reheat this for the next day?

  7. Dilip says:

    I

    What type of biryani is this…i think this will come out as dry fried rice…i never heard biryani baked …

  8. Preeti Mahishkar says:

    Can this recipe be prepared in Crock-Pot.

  9. Jade says:

    What size Dutch oven do you recommend for this recipe? I think my 8qt is too big…

    1. Stephanie says:

      hi jade,
      a 2 or 3 quart would be the best size! if you don’t have one of the smaller ones, you can use any oven safe pot with a lid that has a heavy base.

  10. Alicia says:

    I’d love to make this but your ad is covering ingredients in the ingredients list, which is a total bummer. :(

    1. Mike says:

      Hi Alicia, sorry about that, it was an old layout, should be fixed now!

  11. Kristen says:

    I hope I am just missing it but I don’t see what temperature you bake for a hour at. Making this recipe for the first time tonight have no idea what temperature to cook it at.

    1. Mike says:

      Hi Kristen, sorry – it’s 400ºF

  12. Naila says:

    Tried this one today and was YUMMMA YUMMMMMAA!!!! Never has my biryani been so delectable! Also have tried other recipes too which turned equally great!

  13. Andi Malone says:

    5 stars
    This was ridiculously great! Served with steamed green beans. I added just a 1/2 t of ground coriander-because I like that flavor, and I upped the salt on the chicken by 1/2 t. (I may be having a salt thing, I usually don’t use much at all). The rice was fluffy and amazing, the chicken just delicious. It’s a keeper!

  14. Angie says:

    Should the extra chicken marinade be added to the pot as well?

    1. Stephanie says:

      hi angie, it gets layered in when you layer the chicken, try to keep as much marinade on the chicken when transferring and if there’s any extra, you can just scrape it in to the pot.

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Thanks for reading as always!
-Steph & Mike