Chicken Pulao is a easy , finger-licking main course dish made with spice marinated chicken , coconut milk and aromatic basmati rice. This dish is perfect for a quick meal as it is a one pan dish and gets ready within 30 minutes .
I make this easy chicken pulao in a pressure cooker on a stove top . You can make this in your one pot also.
Here are some of the other Pulao Recipes that I often make for my weekday meal or to pack lunch box . Few of my favourite includes Chana Pulao , Chettinad Mushroom Pulao , Palak Paneer Pulao and Vegetable Bath
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About this recipe
Chicken Pulao is also called Chicken Tahri , it is a rice meal made using rice and is mildly flavored with Indian spices . You can also similarize this recipe with your favourite chicken biryani but with lighter version and lesser calories.
If you are short of time and crave to eat Chicken Biryani then this recipe is really for you. From start to end , I make this chicken pulao in just 30 minutes ! Ofcourse with proper planning and multitasking , if you want to know how I do it in such a lesser time, read the full post completely.
Like Biryani this has no layers instead in this Pulao I have mixed everything in a pressure cooker and cooked together . You can use one-pot also to make this chicken pulao at home easily inder 30 minutes.
This chicken biryani is ,
- Delicious
- Mildly Spiced
- Cooks in 30 minutes
- Easy to adapt
Ingredients
Chicken Pulao requires very basic ingredients and few whole spices which are easily available in most of Indian Pantry. Incase if any of the listed whole spicies is not available in your kitchen then skip and go ahead , still this dish tastes delicious.
For marination
Chicken – Try to use bone-in chicken to make this pulao. As bone releases a lot of juices and everything is cooked in these juices , it makes the pulao tastes delicious. If bone-in chicken is not available, you can use boneless chicken as well.
Spice Powders - Turmeric powder , red chilli powder and garam masala are used here.
Others – You will also need basic ingredients like ginger paste, garlic paste, salt, lemon juice and oil for marination.
For making the Pulao:
Rice – Use the premium quality basmati rice to make this pulao as it tastes great . If not available , you can make this with any less starch variety of rice too. But just be sure to use the correct liquid ratio to to make rice.
Ghee and Oil – I have cooked this pulao in vegetable oil and ghee. You can also cook it in any flavourless oil or clarified butter completely.
Liquid – I have used coconut milk and water to cook this pulao . But you can also replace water with chicken stock to cook this pulao. Adding coconut milk will enhance the flavour of this pulao.
Spices – You will need regular whole spices like bay leaf , cloves, cinnamon, black cardamom, green cardamom , black peppercorn , star anise and fennel seeds. If any of the mentioned ingredient is not available then feel free to skip .
Fresh Produce – You will need fresh ingredients like onion, tomatoes, green chilli, ginger paste, garlic paste, lime juice, mint, and coriander leaves.
Coconut Milk - Adding coconut milk into this pulao add subtle flavours and sligthly creamy texture to the pulao.
Spice Powders - You need to add basic spice powders like red chilli powder and coriander powder . Depending on your taste you can either increasse or decressse the amount used in the recipe.
Nothing can taste without Salt , add it as per your taste.
Variations
Yogurt - You can replace coconut milk with ½ cup of thick curds to make this pulao.
Saffron -You can also add saffron soaked milk while cooking the rice.
Chicken Stock - You can also cook rice with chicken stock for more intense and flavourful biryani.
Grain - You can use either brown rice , millets or quinoa to make this chicken pulao recipe.
Tips
Make sure to rinse rice 3-4 times, untill water runs out clear. And then soak the rice for minimum 15 minutes upto 30 minutes before cooking, as it will result in fluffy and separate rice.
You can also marinate the chicken as long as you want but minimum 15 minutes is must for chicken pieces to be flavourful.
Use long grain Basmati Rice for the best results, as they turn out be more aromatic.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Chicken Pulav pair well with raita's like Onion Raita , Cucumber Raita and Pudina Raita or with any of your favourite salan.
Wlile serving , you can garnish pulao with crispy Birista, fried cashews, lime wedges, fresh mint and coriander leaves.
Recipe Notes
If using coconut milk , then don’t use yogurt and vice versa.
Rice to Liquid ratio in this recipe is 1: 1.5 , that is for every 1 cup of rice 1.5 cups of liquid is used. As I have taken 2 cups rice , I have used 1 cup coconut milk and 2 cups water. If you are using ½ cup yogurt instead of 1 cup coconut milk , then use 2.5 cups of water to make this recipe in cooker.
Adjust the spice levels as per your taste
Watch the Video
How to make Chicken Pulao Recipe
Marination
Into a mixing bowl add chicken, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, salt, , ginger paste, garlic paste, lemon juice and oil .
Mix well everything and set aside for 15-20 minutes.
Preparations
Whilst start your preparations, rinse rice 3-4 times and soak in water 15 minutes.
Make other preparations like chopping onions, tomatoes, green chillies, coriander and mint leaves.
If extracting fresh coconut milk then you can use 1.5 cups of grated fresh coconut and process along with water to get 1 cup of coconut milk. Alternatively, you can use store bought coconut milk too.
To make Chicken Pulao
Heat ghee and oil in a pressure cooker or on any heavy bottom pan.
Once the ghee is hot, add bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, black cardamom, black peppercorns , star anise , mace few strands and fennel seeds ; fry for a few seconds.
Now add green chillies , ginger , garlic paste and sliced onions, fry for 2-3 minutes until raw smell goes off.
Add the chicken with marinade and cook for 5-6 minutes on medium heat
Cook until chicken colour changes from pink to white completely.
Now add in chopped tomatoes , chopped coriander and mint leaves mix well and cook until tomatoes turns mushy.
By now chicken would have cooked 50%. Now add coconut milk and mix well everything.
Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, salt and mix well.
Now add soaked rice
and mix well everything, let it cook for 1-2 minutes before adding water.
Add 2 cups of hot water and give a stir .
Cover lid and pressure cook on medium heat for 1 whistle. When pressure settles down on its own , remove the lid and fluff the pulao with a fork.
Drizzle some ghee , add lime juice and garnish with coriander leaves.
Mix well and serve with raita or any of your favourite salan.
Recipe Card
Chicken Pulao Recipe
Ingredients
For Marination
- 750 g Chicken - Curry Cut
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ginger paste
- ½ teaspoon garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon cooking oil
To make Pulao
- 2 cups Basmati Rice
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon clarified butter/ ghee
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Paste
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Paste
- 1 cup Onion - Sliced
- 2 Green Chilli - Slit into half
- ½ cup Tomato - Chopped
- ¼ cup Mint leaves - Chopped
- ¼ cup Coriander leaves - Chopped
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
- 1 tablespoon Coriander Powder
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 2.5-3 teaspoon salt or as required
- 2 cups hot water
Whole Spices
- 3-4 Cloves
- 2 inch Cinnamon Stick
- 2 Black Cardamom
- 4 Green Cardamom
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1-2 Star anise
Instructions
Marination
- Into a mixing bowl add chicken, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, salt, , ginger paste, garlic paste, lemon juice and oil .
- Mix well everything and set aside for 15-20 minutes.
Preparations
- Whilst start your preparations, rinse rice 3-4 times and soak in water 15 minutes.
- Make other preparations like chopping onions, tomatoes, green chillies, coriander and mint leaves.
- If extracting fresh coconut milk then you can use 1.5 cups of grated fresh coconut and process along with water to get 1 cup of coconut milk. Alternatively, you can use store bought coconut milk too.
To make Chicken Pulao
- Heat ghee and oil in a pressure cooker or on any heavy bottom pan.
- Once the ghee is hot, add bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, black cardamom, black peppercorns , star anise , mace few strands and fennel seeds ; fry for a few seconds.
- Now add green chillies , ginger , garlic paste and sliced onions, fry for 2-3 minutes until raw smell goes off.
- Add the chicken with marinade and cook for 5-6 minutes on medium heat until chicken colour changes from pink to white completely.
- Now add in chopped tomatoes , chopped coriander and mint leaves mix well and cook until tomatoes turns mushy.
- By now chicken would have cooked 50%. Now add coconut milk and mix well everything.
- Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, salt and mix well.
- Now add soaked rice and mix well everything.
- Add 2 cups of hot water give a stir , cover lid and pressure cook on medium heat for 1 whistle.
- When pressure settles down on its own , remove the lid and fluff the pulao with a fork.
- Drizzle some ghee , add lime juice and garnish with coriander leaves.
- Mix well and serve with raita or any of your favourite salan.
Video
Notes
- If using coconut milk , then don’t use Yogurt and vice versa.
- Rice to Liquid ratio in this recipe is 1: 1.5 , that is for every 1 cup of rice 1.5 cups of liquid is used. As I have taken 2 cups rice , I have used 1 cup coconut milk and 2 cups water. If you are using ½ cup yogurt instead of 1 cup coconut milk , then use 2.5 cups of water to make this recipe in cooker.
- Adjust the spice levels as per your taste
FAQ's
Difference between Chicken Pulao and Chicken Biryani
Chicken Pulao is a one-pot meal, which gets ready in just 30 minutes, whereas Chicken Biryani has a lengthy and time-consuming process.
In Chicken Biryani, there are minimum three layers - Chicken Masala, flavoured Rice, Fried Onions , greens, etc . Chicken Masala and Rice is cooked separately ; assembled into layers and then again cooked together on dum. But in Chicken Pulao, you just put everything together, cook, and your Chicken Pulao is ready.
Can we use Mutton to make this Pulao?
Yes, you can use Mutton instead of Chicken to make the Pulao, but the cooking time will differ. Mutton takes longer than Chicken to cook.
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