Dishoom’s chicken berry Britannia (biryani)
- Published: 16 Oct 19
- Updated: 18 Mar 24
Find the recipe for Indian restaurant Dishoom‘s chicken berry Britannia: a biryani-style dish that sees marinated chicken cooked with fluffy rice and topped with butter and cream. It’s really special and makes a fantastic weekend feast.
- Serves 4-6
- Hands-on time 30 min, oven time 30-35 min, plus soaking and standing
Ingredients
For the rice
- 300g white basmati rice
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- Juice ½ lime
For the base
- 500g skinless, boneless free-range chicken thighs, each cut into 3 pieces
- 20g ginger paste
- 25g garlic paste
- 1½ tsp deggi mirch (see Know-how)
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1½ tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 100g full-fat greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 green chillies, each cut into 4 long strips
- 3cm fresh root ginger, cut into fine matchsticks
- 100g crispy fried onions (widely available)
- 6 large fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 5g fresh coriander leaves, chopped
For the topping
- 20g unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp double cream
- Large pinch saffron, toasted in a dry pan, then mixed with 2 tbsp boiling water
- 35g dried cranberries
- Raita to serve (optional)
You’ll also need…
-
Biryani pot or flameproof casserole – with a lid
Method
- First, soak the rice – put it in a large bowl and cover generously with water. Using your fingers, gently move the rice around in the water to remove the starch, being careful not to break up the grains. Allow the rice to settle, then pour off the water. Repeat twice with fresh water, then cover with fresh water and soak for 45 minutes.
- For the base, put the chicken in a bowl. Mix all the remaining ingredients together, add to the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and put in the fridge to marinate.
- Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Pour 2 litres boiling water into a large pan and add the salt and lime juice.
- Transfer the chicken and marinade to your biryani cooking pot or casserole and warm through over a low heat while you cook the rice.
- Drain the soaked rice, then tip into the boiling water and stir well. Boil for 4-5 minutes until three-quarters cooked. You can tell when it’s reached this stage by taking a grain between your forefinger and thumb and pressing down on it with your nail; it should still be slightly firm and break into 5 or 6 pieces. Drain the rice; you don’t need to shake it dry as a little extra moisture helps during cooking. Put it in the biryani pot/casserole on top of the chicken.
- In a small pan, warm the butter and cream for the topping until the butter melts. Mix together, then trickle it evenly over the rice, followed by the saffron mix. Scatter the cranberries over the top.
- Cover the biryani pot/casserole tightly with 2 layers of foil. Set over a high heat for 2-3 minutes until the foil puffs up and you see a little steam start to escape. Put the lid on, transfer to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. Let the biryani stand, still covered, for 10 minutes before serving with raita, if you like.
This recipe has been taken from Dishoom’s new cookery book, Dishoom: From Bombay with Love. Order yourself a copy here.
- Recipe from September 2019 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 517kcals
- Fat
- 21.8g (9.5g saturated)
- Protein
- 25.7g
- Carbohydrates
- 53.1g (5.9g sugars)
- Fibre
- 2.6g
- Salt
- 2.5g
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A go to dinner party favourite. Tastes absolutely amazing with very little effort due to the crispy onions.