February 19, 2018

Chicken | Entree | IndianChicken | Weeknights

Quick and Lighter Chicken Biryani

Name: Quick and Lighter Chicken Biryani
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1/8 Tsp Black Pepper Powder; 1 Tbsp Coriander Powder; 1 Tbsp Cumin Powder; 1 Tbsp Garam Masala; 1/2 Tsp Turmeric - optional; 1 Tsp Red Chili Powder - optional; 1/8 Tsp Crushed Saffron - optional; Salt - as per taste; 10 Fresh Mint Leaves; 1/3 Cup Mazola® Corn Oil; 1/2 lb Chicken - cleaned and cut into bite-size pieces; 1 Cup Onion - thinly sliced; 1 Tbsp Ginger Paste; 1 Tbsp Garlic Paste; 1 Cup Plain Yogurt; ‘1/2 Cup Water; 2 Cups Brown Rice - you may use any other rice too; 4 Cups Water - to make the rice; Pinch of Turmeric; Few Strands of Saffron; 3 Tbsp Milk - to soak the saffron; 4 Cloves

Jump to Recipe

Quick and Lighter Chicken Biryani: aromatic, flavorful and extremely easy chicken biryani recipe that’s made using oil, brown rice, and yogurt. A perfect ‘Guiltfree’ version of your traditional biryani recipe.

‘Quick and Lighter Chicken Biryani’ is one of our all-time favorite recipes!

Friends, family, neighbors, you name it and everyone loves it but there’s just one catch, we don’t get to devour it as frequently because:

First of all, it takes really long to make it.

Secondly, it’s too heavy to eat on a regular basis (all that ghee, rice, and cream).

A clinical study showed reduces cholesterol 2x more than extra virgin olive oil. To learn more about this claim, see Mazola.com.

That exactly what I started using and turned the traditional biryani into a Quick and Lighter Chicken Biryani a.k.a ‘ “Better-For-You” version – which also means a more frequent appearance in weekly meals.

Ingredients for Lighter Chicken Biryani:

Now, here are the 3 Ingredients we swapped in our Lighter Chicken Biryani from the Traditional Biryani –

Mazola® Corn Oil instead of ghee.
Yogurt instead of cream+butter.
Brown Rice instead of regular rice

Once we made that switch to Mazola® Corn Oil, we have not looked back and I’ve been using it in my everyday cooking.

It also has a smoke point (450°F) higher than most cooking oils and hence can be used for multiple types of cooking like stir-frying, sautéing, grilling or even baking.

Also, one very important factor for me using Mazola® Corn Oil is that it has a neutral taste and doesn’t impact the taste of any other ingredients used together.

Hence I get the best flavors out of every recipe and it can be used in both sweet or savory recipes which is such a relief.

How to Make Lighter Chicken Biryani

The pictorial below from the start to finish

Process to make lighter chicken biryani

Now, coming back to our Quick & Lighter Chicken Biryani, it’s extremely easy to make and tastes so flavorful, that you won’t miss swapping the brown rice.

Biryani can be made in many different ways and here I’m discussing two very simple methods, however, the ‘Chicken Mix/Curry’ part remains the same in both.

So once the Chicken curry/spice mix is read, then you follow either of the methods:

Chicken Biryani Method 1: – Layering –

This is pretty simple, you take the cooked chicken mix and add a layer of it in a deep pan.
Then you layer some cooked rice over this chicken mix and sprinkle some nuts too (optional).
Then you layer the chicken again and then layer the rice again till you reach the top.
Finally, sprinkle some nuts, sautéed onions, fresh mint leaves and keep it covered for 10 minutes.

Serve & Enjoy.

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Chicken Biryani Method 2: – Sauteeing –

This is the easiest of the two and all you have to do is take a large pan and add the cooked chicken.
Then, add the cooked rice, nuts, sautéed onions, mint leaves and saute everything until its mixed evenly.
You NEED to remember that this has to be done very lightly as you don’t want to break the rice or the chicken.
Saute everything for 5-6 minutes and then turn off the heat.

Serve & Enjoy.

Serving the Chicken Biryani: (Optional)

As Biryani is a complete meal, you don’t want any heavy sides with it, but any of these would do:

Light Salad

Indian Raita (Yogurt Dip)

Mint / Coriander Chutney

Papad / Poppadoms

Pickles

No matter which method you pick or choose, the results are going to be Fingerlicking Good every time!

So go ahead, make this Quick and Lighter Chicken Biryani using the Mazola Corn Oil, which is a 100% pure oil with no additives.

I’d also recommend using it for your day to day cooking as it brings out the great flavors of your food.

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Tried Our Recipe – AWESOME!!!

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– You May also Try –

Quick Kathal Biryani Recipe – Jackfruit Biryani (Pressure Cooker)

How To Make Quick Restaurant Style Vegetable Biryani

Indian Lamb Biryani – How to Make Lamb Biryani Recipe

Yield: 4 Cups