Jump to the Hyderabadi Chicken Pulao Recipe
Have I ever talked about Bajias Cooking from YouTube here? Hers is one of two Pakistani food channels that I actually follow on YouTube. I say follow, but I mean watch their videos like most people watch sitcoms. Wait - do people still watch sitcoms? Let's make that "watch like people binge watch Netflix". I love the little things about her videos and that she occasionally uses phrases my nani did. I also love that while tastebuds can differ by and large I really enjoy her recipes. This recipe for Hyderabadi Chicken Pulao is adapted from her YouTube channel.
I've made it a few times, with the original amounts of ingredients and have since edited it to suit our tastes. It is different than it's milder counterpart i.e. my Kid Friendly Chicken Pulao since it is resplendent with whole spices which give it more depth. It also has two kinds of chillies, my addition of mace and nutmeg, which are optional but have a heady loveliness.
How do I get my pulao to the right colour?
The one comment I hear often about pulaos is that people will say they struggle with getting the colour right. Folks, it is all about the onions - the darker the onions, the darker the pulao. Here I go for a rich amber to get this beautiful brown rice, sometimes I will go a smidge darker. IMHO the onions are the star of the pulao in terms of their singular contribution so although getting them to the right colour is a little finicky please do watch your pot carefully once the edges start to darken.
This is not a yakhni pulao where you make a broth first, if you are looking for one then I use my Instant Pot to make a heady Beef Yakhni Pulao right here.
Hyderabadi Chicken Pulao
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups Basmati Rice, washed and soaked.
Pulao Masala
- 1.5-2 lb chicken (bone in, mixed pieces, see notes)
- 3 onions diced
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 1.5 tbsp ginger paste
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp whole black pepper
- ½ tbsp cumin seeds
- 1-inch piece cinnamon
- 3 black cardamoms
- 5-6 whole red chillies
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 piece of nutmeg, break/chop into a rough quarters (optional)
- 2 pieces javetri/mace (optional)
- 4-5 whole green chillies
Instructions
- Heat a very generous lug of oil in a pot big enough to cook your pulao in
- Add the onions and cook on medium heat till amber
- Now add the chicken and saute until the pieces are all white
- Add all the remaining pulao masala ingredients except the green chillies
- Mix well, saute on medium high heat for two minutes
- Let the masala come to a boil, then simmer on low until the chicken is done. The chicken releases it's own liquid so you shouldn't need to add any unless the masala seems like it will stick/burn.
- When the masala is ready the oil will have risen to the top and the chicken will be tender. This can take anywhere between 25-35 minutes depending on your chicken.
- Once the chicken is done add the rice, green chillies, and 3.5 cups of water to the pot along with 1.5 tsp salt
- Mix well and taste, it should be just a little salty.
- Bring the pulao to a boil and cook partially covered until almost all the water has evaporated then close the lid completely for 5-8 minutes until the remaining moisture has absorbed and the rice is done.
- Gently fluff the rice from the sides and serve with your chutney/raita/achar of choice
Notes
- mace and nutmeg are entirely optional, but I do love the rich notes they add. If you don't have them handy don't worry. If you only have nutmeg powder add a level half tsp when the masala is done
- There is a total of 3.5 tsp of salt in this recipe. I use table salt and in Canada it is far less salty than that in other parts of the world. Please start with less and adjust according to your tastebuds!
If you make this recipe do take a few seconds to rate it! I would love to see your recreations so tag me on instagram @flourandspiceblog !
When do we add the green chilies?
Hi Sanam! With the rice - so sorry that was my bad, have corrected the recipe. Thank you so much for pointing that out. Do let me know what you think!
Just made this recipe yesterday and had leftovers today...so I HAD to come back here and add my two cents of how wonderful this recipe turned out! My late nano made it like this, her secret to the chicken always turning our juicy.
Sarah, would u think if I kept all the dry masala in a cloth/strainer it'd taste the same? Or maybe I should increase their quantity to get the same taste and aroma?
Thankyou for this wonderful share! Guess who'll be trying more of ur recipes soon 🙂
Ohmigod thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts here - means SO much! My husband always talks to me about putting the masala in a strainer and I think it's doable to some extent. The cumin seeds just taste better when they're 'cooked' but the rest of it can go in a potli, I'd just increase it all by 25%!
For the browning effect - The one trick this wonderful afghan lady, Nooria Ali, taught on her YouTube channel is to:
1. Fry the onions till they are brown. 2 taken them out of the pot. 3 Mash’m/ roughly grind them. Finally, add them back in after you’ve cooked the chicken a bit. So, in your recipe, I would add them back in step 5.
Thanks Len! We typically do that for Korma and layered rice dishes like Biryani never thought to try it for a pulao!
Thank you, this is the best recipe I have ever come across. God bless:)
wow! thank you!!!!
Yummy food.... love to see my Pakistani sisters working so well on internet!!
Thumbs up!!
Thanks SO SO much!
Salaam Sarah,
I was wondering, do you add boiled water in the pan or just water at room temperature ? ( Step 8 )
Thanks
Great question! Hot water always speeds up the process so that's best!
I am a very bad cook but Covid has got me cooking. I am a Pakistani living in London and I want to always make Pakistani dishes so that I can stay in my tradition. I tried this Pilau and it came out so good. The way you have written the recipe and the way you have made the steps so clear has helped me so much! I cannot believe I can make Pilau now without having to buy a packet and actually cook from Scratch!, My husband was so impressed with his dish. Been married for 10 years and been eating out so much and talking food from Mums house. Finally I can be a cook- Thanks to your recipes
Mrs Abdul!!! I am SO SO SO thrilled to hear that!!! Thank you so very much for trying the recipe and for sharing your feedback!
Sarah, this recipe is not scrumptious, its a killer! I absolutely loved the flavors the warm spices like nutmeg, mace etc brought to the rice. I added a little fennel just for the yakhni’s sake, I can’t make pulao without it lol. I couldn’t stop eating (hot!)spoonfuls of it after it came off of dum, it was so flavourful! Thankyou so much for sharing this delight with us! And for the other desi recipes, <3
Zainab I saw your comment and then instantly added the Pulao to this weeks meal plan because this saunf idea is genius and I want to try it too! SO SO glad you enjoyed it!!!
Hi Sarah! I'm not one to normally comment underneath things online but I just had to thank you for this amazing recipe!!
Growing up in a western country, I often struggle to stay strongly connected to my Pakistani heritage, so I've really been focused on attempting to learn the cuisine. This was the very first time I've made pulao, and it was so good my mother was impressed (especially with how tender the chicken turned out).
To anyone trying to decide on a recipe to make pulao, don't bother looking past this one- its perfect!
WOAH! Thank you so so much Aisha for taking the time and for your kind words! It is much appreciated!
Loveeee this recipe. I had a fear of cooking rice before lol because I can never get the "cooking" part right. Whether it be the amount of water or the time for the rice to cook. It's basically always a mess. I really enjoy making this recipe though, thank you 🙌🏼
I am so so glad to hear it! Also I know that stress so well! I am from a family of roti eaters and when I got married and my husband wanted rice alllll the time I was perpetually stressed out!
This is a wonderful recipe, just made today for my family's get together lunch!!
Everyone loved it!
Thank you SO much! Am glad to hear your family enjoyed it!
Steps 6-7 are on low flame the entire time for chicken to be completely cooked ?
Yes! If you’re cooking chicken on high heat it’ll get rubbery!
Do I keep the flame on low for all of step 6-7 (the entire 25-35 minutes?)
Because the peppers are whole, do you still find it not kid friendly?
My kids love the flavour here so they're happy to pick them out, but if you want you can actually put all the whole spices in a tea infuser ball and cook the meat with that inside!
Turned out perfect !!!wouldn’t change a thing!
That's great to hear! Thank you Zenab!
I came to look up a pulao recipe and was surprised when I saw my own comment lol. I'm sure it was great and that's why I keep trying your recipes. Thanks for your hard work!
Sanam Soomro you are the best!
Love this recipe. Sooo tasty! Just can't get the rice nice and fluffy..
Hi Saeeda!!! Thank you so so much! In terms of getting the rice fluffier your brand of rice may need just a little more water - try that and let me know!
Hi Sarah, thanks for this amazing recipe. I have two questions. Firstly, in step 6, when you say simmer chicken on low- is that covered or uncovered? Secondly, in step 10, whe you say bring to boil then cook partially covered- is it on the same boil flame?
I’m not really an intuitive cook so need specific directions! Apologies if it’s obvious!
I made this and it’s delicous but did stick a bit to the bottom so wanted to figure out the smaller details. Thanks!
great questions! simmer on low covered for the chicken and partially covered on low-medium heat! Its's not always obvious at all! I am SO So sorry for not including that. Also if it did stick then you need to just reduce the flame, cook times do vary by rice though
Everyone loved it. Keep it up
I am SO glad! This is one of my alllll time favourites!
Are the red chilis dried red chilies?
Yes!
This recipe is fantastic, my grandma makes this dish frequently and I've always wanted to learn how to do it. This has been the closest one I've managed to find, although I think my grandmother puts 'less' seasoning in. I think the additional ingredients for the Pilau Masala part are definitely worth it though! Other versions I saw essentially used a broth to cook the rice and chicken into which wasn't the method I was familiar with.
I've wanted to learn some more pakistani dishes, and this one has always been one of my favourites. One issue I had with the dish was the rice at the end. It still seemed fairly moist even though the liquid had mostly evaporated at this point. I tried what my grandma does and put the pan in the oven on a low heat for about 20 minutes (I think my grandma does it for even longer). It dries out the rice slightly and makes the grains more 'individual' if that makes sense?
Overall, I am so glad I found this recipe, it'll be sure to impress visitors, especially since it's a nice flavourful dish that isn't spicy (if you exclude the peppers), as many other Pakistani dishes have a heat that guests aren't well accustomed to haha!
Hi Jack! I am so glad this recipe was able to help you recreate some of that taste that you were looking for. It is definitely heavier on the spices than a yakhni pulao (broth based). Re: the rice, cook times tend to vary by brands so if you want you can just crank up the heat a little the next time to dry it out more. Hear you loud and clear on wanting separate rice grains!
Hi, I tried a modified version of your recipe. Did it without chicken. The final product is very moist and perfumed , it is a delight for the senses. I added grilled almonds to the rice before serving. The comments I got from my wife is so positive that I will try it again with chicken next time.
Thank you so much for this very authentic recipe.
Francois
The almonds sound like a brilliant addition! Thank you so so much for sharing this!
Love the recipe. Was so easy to put together and it tasted fantastic!
Yay!so happy to hear that!
Do you put red chilli paste or chopped or whole?
Whole dried!