One-Pot Chicken Pulao
A hearty one-pot indian style rice pilaf made with tender chicken, long grain basmati rice, aromatic indian spices and a touch of tomatoes.Perfect for weeknights!
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain aged basmati rice
- ½ cup oil mustard oil (If not using mustard oil, use ⅓ cup cooking oil + 2 tablespoon ghee)
- 1 large (195g) onion I use red onion, thinly sliced
- 500 g skinless, bone-in chicken use 400-450g boneless chicken thighs instead
- ½ tablespoon garlic paste
- 1 inch ginger julinned or chopped, divided
- 1 (80g) tomato I use roma tomato, halved lengthwise and sliced
- ¾ teaspoon coriander powder
- 2-3 indian green chilies (hot), I add whole chilies but you could slit them for extra kick, adjust quantity to taste
- 1.5 teaspoon salt adjust quantity to taste, divided
- 1.5 cup warm water You might need to adjust slightly depending on how much water you see in the pot after bhunai of chicken and yogurt. Use 1.75 cup water for softer pulao.
Whole Spices
- 2-3 whole dried red kashmiri chillies or 1 teaspoon red chili flakes. Adjust quantity to taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 black cardamom or use 3-4 green cardamom if you do not have black cardamom
- ½ inch cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- 1 large bay leaf
- 8-10 black peppercorns
Instructions
Wash and Soak Basmati Rice
- Measure the rice and add it to a large bowl. Cover with tap water and gently rub the grains between your fingers. The water will look cloudy at firs. Drain and repeat until, by the third or fourth rinse, the water runs mostly clear. Soak the rice in plenty of fresh water for 20–30 minutes. You can start working on the recipe while the rice soaks.
Make The Chicken Masala base
- Heat mustard oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed pot (a 12-inch or large cooking pot works well) over medium-high heat until it just begins to smoke.
- Carefully add the whole spices and dried chillies to the hot oil. Fry for 5–10 seconds, stirring gently and watching closely, as spices like cloves and black pepper can pop. Remove the pot from the heat briefly if needed to prevent burning.
- Add the sliced onions and cook for 7–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they turn a light golden brown. Avoid over-stirring so the onions don’t break down, and don’t let them get too dark. We want warm tint on pulao rice and the flavors to stay mild and fragrant. This step takes a bit of time and patience but it is a key step since the color of onion contributes to the color of your pulao. Avoid very dark brown or blackish onions else their smell & taste becomes too strong.
- Splash in a little water(¼ cup), then place the chicken pieces over the onions. Add ½ teaspoon salt, garlic paste, chopped ginger, coriander powder, green chillies, and sliced tomatoes
- Now we are going to do bhuno (frying on constant heat) the chicken on medium-high heat. Cook the chicken on steady heat, stirring occasionally. This bhunai step helps the chicken sear lightly so its juices release slowly as it cooks, rather than turning watery.Continue until the chicken is no longer pink and the tomatoes have softened and broken down into the masala.
- Add the soaked, drained rice to the pot. Pour in warm water along with lime juice (or lemon juice). Add the remaining salt. Gently stir once or twice to combine. Make sure that all the rice grains are in water (they tend to sit on top of chicken pieces). Taste the cooking liquid and adjust salt if needed. This is the time to season your pulao perfectly! The cooking liquid should taste slightly sharp at this stage to ensure the rice cooks up flavorful.
- Bring the water to a gentle boil over low-medium heat. Once you see steady bubbling, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, and cook for 10–15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed.
- Turn off the heat and let the pulao rest, undisturbed, for 15–20 minutes. This allows the rice to set and firm up. Fluffing too early can make it mushy.
- Gently fluff the rice using a soft spatula or a small saucer, scooping the pulao from the side of the pot.Garnish the chicken pulao with chopped coriander leaves. Serve it sides(see notes).
Notes
Serving and Storing
Serve chicken pulao with simple sides such as cucumber raita, and kachumber salad. For parties, you could serve it with different kinds of tikka and kebab or curries.
Store leftover pulao for 1-2 days refrigerated. Reheat in the microwave or in a pan(you will need to add a splash of water for stovetop. I often get asked this but I don't recommend freezing rice dishes. In my opinion, the rice gets mushy due to ice formation and subsequent reheating. The taste is quite bland too after de frosting.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Using Boneless Chicken - You could easily use bone less chicken thighs in this recipe. I avoid chicken breast since it tends to get stringy and dries up by the time pulao finishes cooking. Cut chicken thighs into 2 -2.5 inch pieces and adjust cooking time.
- Always Soak the Rice: - Soaking softens the rice, ensuring even cooking. The soluble starches in rice are removed , which reduces stickiness and results in fluffier rice. Additionally, soaked rice cooks faster and has a softer texture.
- Don't Skimp on Oil: An optimum quantity of oil is essential for a non sticky, fluffy pulao, as oil prevents the grains from sticking together. Using less oil steals the flavor and might make your pulao taste like steamed rice.
- Use a Wide and Heavy Pot: I cannot stress this enough. A wide (12 inch or larger works excellent for stovetop cooking. A heavy pot retains heat well, prevents scorching, and ensures even, consistent cooking. As the pulao cooks, the rice grains swell, if your pot is wide, there is space for the grains to remain fluffy without sticking to each other. Also, a wider pot helps in fluffing the pulao post cooking without breaking the rice grain.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!