Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani (Dum Ka Biryani):





Ingredients:
Basmati Rice (I prefer Dawat or Deep) – 5 cups (Washed and soaked for 30 mins or more)
Chicken – 2 lbs or Whole chicken cut in pieces
Oil – 10 tsps or 1 small cup
Onion – 1 Big (Chopped)
Green Chilies – 2 (Sliced)
Ginger Garlic Paste – 6 spoons
Cinnamon – 1 medium Stick (cut into Small pieces)
Cloves – 6 to 8
Cardamom – 2
Black Cardamom – 2
Bay Leaves – 4
Fresh Ground Black Pepper – 1 tsps
Fresh Ground Shajeera (KalaJeera) – 2 tsps
Coriander Powder – 5 spoons
Red Chilli Powder – 1 Spoon
Garam Masala Powder – 1 spoon
Mint leaves – 1 small bunch (Separate the leaves and chopped)
Coriander Leaves – 1 Small Bunch (Separate the leaves and chopped)
Tomatoes – 1 Big (Cut into small pieces)
Yogurt – 2 spoon
Lime Juice – 2 Spoon
Salt – 3 tsps (Adjust to taste)
I Big Onion – Thin Sliced for garnishing.
Orange or Saffron Color - a pinch. (Optional)
Milk – 1 tsps (to mix orange color)
Baking Tray – 1
Aluminum Foil – to cover the baking tray

Preparation:
Take chicken, apply salt and turmeric into chicken pieces, and wash with water. Mix Ginger garlic paste, salt, turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder, lime juice, 1 spoon of oil, curd together. Apply the paste to chicken pieces and marinate for minimum one hour. Take a big pan and heat the oil. Add the chopped onions and sliced green chilies and fry till it gets golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste, and fry for two mins. Add Chopped Mint leaves, coriander leaves and fry for two to three minutes. Add tomato and fry for two mins till it gets cooked. Add marinated chicken into oil, mix well, close the lid and let it cook for 20-30 mins. Generally chicken cooks with in its own juices. Add little water if required. Remove heat once chicken is cooked.
For Damka: PreHeat the Conventional Oven before 15 mins at 350 degrees.
Onions for garnishing: Take a separate pan, heat the oil, fry the thin sliced onions till it comes to golden brown color. Keep it aside.
For Saffron color: Mix color in milk
Take another vessel with water which is double the rice and bring it to boil. For ex: if you use 5 glasses of rice, use 10 or 12 glasses of water. After water boils, add soaked rice, cinnamon sticks, cardamom (Black & Green), Cloves, Bay Leaves and bring it boil. Remove the heat after the rice is half cooked and drain the rice. Keep it aside.
Take a baking tray, apply butter or ghee or oil. Spread rice in the tray, layer with chicken and top spread the remaining rice. Add golden Fried onions on top of the rice, sprinkle the saffron mixed milk, spread the moist cloth on top of the rice. Cover and seal with aluminum foil. Keep it in conventional oven for 30-40 mins. Take out & Serve with Raitha.