Chicken dishes are a weeknight favorite in our house, and this quick indian dinner recipe is a lifesaver on busy evenings. Chicken pulao is satisfying and simple to make. Growing up, my mom mostly cooked mutton yakhni pulao. Chicken pulao was rare. I got back to making chicken pulao regularly when my kids came along and evenings became a race against the clock. That’s when I discovered the magic of one-pot wonders. Toss some chicken, long-grain basmati rice, and a blend of Indian spices into a large pot, and dinner’s ready in a flash! From egg pulao to keema pulao, these pulao put smiles on all our faces and happy sighs in everyone’s bellies. If you love vegetarian pulao, I got you covered with a quite a few recipes such as soya pulao, methi pulao and mushroom pulao!
What’s Chicken Pulao
Before we delve into my recipe, let me introduce pulao to you. Pilau or pulao is a fragrant one-pot rice dish popular in South Asian cuisine. Unlike biryani, a rice dish which features layers of pre-cooked meat or chicken, long grain rice, and fried onions (birista), pulao is a simpler affair. It’s perfect for busy weeknights because it’s quick, easy to put together, and incredibly flavorful. Chicken pulao is an indian recipe with chicken thighs & drumsticks cooked alongside fluffy basmati rice, all infused with a mild tang of yogurt or tomatoes and warming blend of spices. You could use boneless chicken or add potatoes if you wish, or a few vegetables of your choice to make the pulao colorful and hearty.
My Recipe
Here are a few highlights of my chicken pulao recipe -
As with most of my pulao recipes, I primarily use whole spices to infuse flavor. The heat comes from dried red chilies (or red chili flakes) and green chilies. The only ground spice I add is a bit of coriander powder, which I find enhances the taste of the chicken during the frying process. If you like a yellowish tinge to your pulao, you could use bit of turmeric powder. This is a non-yakhni pulao recipe, so you won’t need multiple steps or utensils to make chicken yakhni first. However, there’s no compromise on flavor. We’ll prepare a flavorful spiced chicken masala, then add water and rice to cook it all together. Similar to my egg pulao recipe, I incorporate tomatoes in this recipe. Chicken, compared to meat chunks or minced meat (keema), can be quite bland on its own, and I feel it benefits from the added tanginess of tomatoes. I’m not a fan of pressure cooking chicken because we don’t like the texture it produces. Therefore, I cook mine on the stovetop. However, you can very well use an instant pot or pressure cooker to make chicken pulao, which will save you 10-12 minutes.
Rice Texture
One of the key elements in making pulao is achieving the perfect texture of the rice. While personal preference plays a significant role, we have a particular fondness for different rice textures in biryani and pulao. For chicken biryani, we prefer rice that remains firm, whereas in pulao, we love a softer yet fluffy consistency. It’s important to note that “soft” doesn’t mean mushy rice. So, how do you achieve this ideal texture in pulao? The secret lies in adjusting the quantity of water you add during cooking. To achieve softer rice in your pulao, simply add an extra ¼ cup to ⅓ cup of water more than the usual amount needed for your rice. This slight increase in water will result in rice that is tender and perfectly cooked, without becoming mushy.
Ingredients
Chicken - Use bone-in chicken for maximum flavor (chicken thighs work for boneless lovers). I use whole chicken cut up into pieces, however you could use just (or a mix of ) drumsticks or thighs. To get the right flavor of chicken pulao, bone in chicken is a must, but if you don’t prefer it, use boneless chicken with 1-3 chicken drumsticks thrown in. Skin on chicken is uncommon in indian chicken curries as well as in rice dishes, so please stick to using skinless chicken. Aged Long Grain Basmati rice - The hero ingredient! Aged, long grain white basmati rice cooks to fluffy and has a lovely aroma. I love to use this brand (non affiliate link) of extra long basmati rice thats grown in India. It beautifully absorbs the flavor of spices as well as the chicken juices released while cooking. Whole Spices - Cumin seeds, bay leaves, black peppercorn, cloves and black cardamom and cinnamon stick. Skip any spices you do not have or don’t prefer. You could use green cardamom if you don’t have black cardamom. Onion- I use red onions. Yellow onions will work too. I recommend slicing the onions versus chopping them. After browning, sliced onions contribute to the texture of the pulao. Be careful of not adding lot of onions since they could turn your pulao sweetish. Tomatoes - I use roma tomatoes and slice them thinly. We don’t want a lot of tomatoes though because it interferes with taste of pulao. Yogurt - I like using full-fat plain greek yogurt in my cooking. If you have 2 percent or skimmed yogurt at home, go for it. Fresh ginger - Ginger paste could taste very strong with rice. So, I use julinned fresh ginger and then add it for mild flavor. Other Ingredients - Cooking oil, garlic paste, green chillies, lime juice, coriander powder and salt
Instructions
Soak The Rice
Make Chicken Masala
Make Chicken Pulao
Serving and Storing
Serve chicken pulao with a tangy side such as cucumber raita, and kachumber salad for a homestyle meal. For parties, you could serve it with different kinds of tikka and kebab or curries such as lamb curry, punjabi egg curry and goat curry. 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 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.
Chicken Pulao in an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
For Instant Pot
Use a 1:1.25 soaked basmati rice to water ratio. Pressure cook on high for 4 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release for 8-10 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure. Open the lid and gently fluff the rice.
For Pressure Cooker:
Use a 1:1.5 soaked rice to water ratio. Cook on low-medium heat for 7-8 minutes (or until you hear 2-3 whistles). Allow the pressure release naturally.
Recipe Tips
