Shahi Chicken Moti Biryani

Shahi Chicken Moti Biryani in white mild spicy gravy with roasted potatoes and boiled egg. Then we make chicken moti (pearls) balls with chicken mince and cook them in white mild spicy gravy with potatoes roasted in ghee. Moti means pearl in Hindi so as these chicken balls look like pearls we have given them the name Moti.

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Biryani originated during Nawabi and Mughal rule in India. It is believed that Biryani made its way to India with the Persians.

I also adore biryani, and always try new recipes, and this one worked really well for me. You could adjust and change the recipe according to your preferences.

If you’re trying to find a new biryani recipe, try this one. I have optimized it a little bit and developed a different one so you can try it out with some improvements and changes.

For a Bengali, biryani is not complete without potatoes and eggs. I have added potatoes and eggs to this biryani.

I heard about this Shahi Chicken Moti Biryani recently and couldn’t resist trying it because it sounded too good to me.

You may also like some other chicken recipes on my blog – Chicken Malai Seekh Kebab Biryani, Bengali Bhuna Chicken Masala, Homemade Chicken Popcorn (Secret Recipe of Spice Mix), Orange Chicken Recipe (Panda Express Copycat), Chicken Hakka Noodles. 

What Is Biryani?

Biryani is a basmati rice dish cooked with meat on low heat. There are many ways of preparing it, each with its own uniqueness and significance depending on what part of the world it is prepared.

There are many kinds of Biryani available in India including Hyderabadi Style Biryani, Lucknowi Biryani, Malabar Biryani and Kolkata Biryani to name but a few. Each region has its own variation and they all taste great.

In fact, whatever form chicken and rice take, they’re always good. From biryani, pulao, risotto, fried rice, and so on from all over the globe.

Check out the Shahi Chicken Moti Biryani Recipe Video :

About Shahi Chicken Moti Biryani Recipe

The Shahi Chicken Moti biryani is the result of the creative wit and foresight of the Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, who was the fifth ruler of Oudh. Moti means pearls in Hindi.

The original Moti biryani was decorated with edible pearls made of eggs and gold and silver foils. They looked like gold and silver balls stuffed inside the chicken, which was grilled and cooked with rice. Although this lost recipe has been around for a long time, later versions of the chicken dishes were made with meat koftas and rice.

Today I’m sharing my version with you, and it’s healthier. The Chicken Keema is made with chicken mince and shaped into a Kebab. Basically, the chicken kebab is cooked in white sauce and served with biryani. 

It is recommended that the meat is marinated for at least a couple of hours in spices and yogurt for the perfect biryani recipe. This helps infuse the flavors with a perfect blend.

Later, the herbs and spices are added to the creamier white sauces such that they almost melt in the mouth. For this dish, I have lightly fried the moti kebabs and then added them to the creamier white sauces so you get to really enjoy it.

This biryani consists essentially of a mixture of rice and chicken keema with a selection of spices prepared as moti small balls shaped kebab, which is shaped with hands itself and then cooked over low heat in an oven for 20 minutes.

Spices, ghee, fried onions, and mint enhance the taste of rice and chicken when they are cooked this way. So don’t skip the step of frying or caramelizing onions.

To make moti biryani, use good quality rice and chicken mince, and cook them in a heavy pan. If the pan isn’t heavy, the food will burn so make sure that you use a heavy bottom pan.

Moreover, in the following, I will demonstrate how to make biryani on the stovetop. I will also be showing you step-by-step instructions.

This Shahi Chicken Moti Biryani is,

• Flavourful and aromatic
• Delicious and lip-smacking
• Loaded with juicy moti kebabs
• Perfect for special party occasions
• Great for your weekend lunch and dinners
• A delectable dish for Pot Lucks too

Ingredients

Chicken mince – For this recipe, I used fresh chicken mince, which was the best for seekh kebab biryani.

For the marinade: Combine ginger paste, garlic paste, coriander powder, roasted cumin powder, salt to taste, lemon juice, fresh cream, garam masala powder, and let it stand for a few minutes.

Rice and whole spices – For best results, use long-grain Basmati rice. Otherwise, you need to wash and soak the rice for 30 minutes. 

We will season the rice with black cardamom, green cardamom, javitri, cloves, cumin seeds, black peppercorn, star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaf. The mild flavor from these spices will contribute to the delicious taste.

Other ingredients –  that go with the above ingredients include cumin seeds, ginger garlic paste, green chili, kewra essence, lemon juice, fresh cream, yogurt, rose water.

Potatoes – I use boiled potatoes lightly marinated with salt, ghee, and biryani masala and then lightly fried to enhance the flavor of the curry. 

Egg – In this recipe, I have added boiled eggs.

How to make Chicken Malai Seekh Kebab biryani step by step with photo:

1. Add water, potatoes, salt, ghee, and biryani masala in a pressure cooker. Mix well. Give 2 whistles. Just half cook the potatoes and do not overboil them.
   
   
2. After all the steam has evaporated, carefully open the lid and take out the potatoes and place them aside.
3. In a heavy pan, boil water and add spices such as shahi jeera, black cardamon, javitri/mace, salt to taste, bay leaf, and mix. Cook until 90% of the rice is cooked (If fully cooked, it could break at the time of assembling).
   
4. Turn the gas off and drain the water. Remove the rice from the pan and let it cool. Keep it aside for later.
   
5. Heat oil in a pan and fry the potatoes until they are golden brown. Remove and keep aside.
   
   
6. In the same pan, fry thin slices of onion to make some Barista. Stir constantly to get evenly fried golden Barista.
   
   
7. Remove and keep aside. If possible spread on a plate for best results.
   
8. Put 4 tbsp oil in another pan. Add onion slices. Saute for 3 minutes over medium heat.
    
   
   
9. You can add the cashews to it and saute for 2 minutes on medium heat.
   
10. Cook over medium flame for more than three minutes with poppy seeds.
    
11. Turn off-gas when onion becomes translucent, not brown. Let it cool, then blend.
    
12. Now, place the coriander, mint, and 10 green chilies into a blender and grind into a coarse paste. Set aside.
    
13. Blend the cooked onion, cashew, and poppy seed mixture in a blender. You don’t need to add the green chilies but you can if you want it spicy. Keep it aside.
    
    
14. Now combine minced chicken in a large bowl with coriander, mint leaves, ginger paste, garlic paste, coriander powder, roasted cumin powder, salt to taste, lemon juice, garam masala powder, and fresh cream. Mix well with dampened hands and serve.
    
    
15. Keep it covered in the fridge overnight for best results. (Note – You can add two tablespoons of cornflour and mix in a hurry, then cover and let sit for two hours)
16. Heat three large spoonfuls of oil in a pan and then add cloves, cardamom, shahi Jeera, and bay leaves. Sauté for one minute on medium heat.
    
17. Make the onion paste now. Saute it for 2 minutes. Pour water into the blender and blend everything together. I am not wasting anything. Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat.
    
    
    
18. Mix well. Cook for 5 minutes on medium flame. Add plain yogurt.
    
19. Mix well with black pepper powder and salt. Cook until oil separates from the masala. Once done, gravy for biryani is ready. Keep aside.
    
    
20. Now grease your hands with oil and scoop a handful of the chicken mixture, and then shape it into a round shape like a moti kebab shape. Continue to prepare all the moti kebabs this way.
21. Add 4 tbsp oil to a medium pan and place it on a medium flame until it smokes and adds few moti kebabs at a time. Cook until they are golden brown and evenly cooked from all sides.
22. Moti kebabs should be fried evenly on all sides before taking them out onto a plate. 
23. Put a medium-heat heavy-bottom pan on the stove and add gravy masala. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add fresh cream and simmer for 1 minute.
    
    
24. Add water and mix well. Cook all the fried moti kebabs for five minutes. This helps the moti kebabs to absorb the masalas. Take them out and keep them aside. They can remain in the pan from earlier cooking.
25. First spread the rice, then the moti kebab gravy masala, the barista, and repeat the process again and add the potatoes, egg, and then the remaining fried potatoes and eggs. 
    
26. Sprinkle biryani masala over the rice. Then Sprinkle rose water and kewda water, chopped coriander, mint leaves, and drizzle 1 tbsp ghee.
27. Cook on lowest heat under a cover for 20 minutes.
28. Open the lid after 20 minutes and take out the biryani bowl.
29. Take out in a bowl and apply silver or gold leaf if you have but it’s optional.
30. Serve hot along with raita and salad.

Important Suggestions To Keep In Mind

• You will get nice fluffy, flavorful biryani when you use aged long grain rice.
• To get the best flavor, I recommend marinating the chicken mince overnight in the fridge.
• You should use a heavy-bottom pot, and make sure that its lid is tightly secured, because a light-bottomed pot may burn the biryani. A dutch oven works well for biryani.
• To make sure that the rice doesn’t break while it is cooking, don’t stir it too much. Doing so will result in a bad-looking biryani.
• To guarantee that the rice is cooked perfectly, do not stir the grains of rice too much while they are cooking. If you do, the biryani will not look good.
• I suggest marinating the chicken mince in spices for at least 2 hours or overnight. This makes the meat tender, tasty, and juicy.
• If you’re pressed for time, stir in 2- 3 tablespoons of cornflour to the chicken mince mixture, and let it sit at room temperature for two hours so the chicken mince kebabs hold their shape.
• Greasing your hands before shaping the moti kebabs with oil will prevent them from getting sticky and keep their shape.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of rice is best for preparing a biryani?

Biryani must have great taste as well as a handsome appearance. The taste of this recipe is taken care of, but the visual appeal is only achieved through the careful choice of the rice grains. The longer the grains of rice, the more enhanced the flavor of this dish.

The extra-long grains have a distinct appearance and are ideal for making this Biryani. To make this one, I have used Fortune Biryani Special Rice.

It is important to use rice that has been fermented for at least one year. The older the rice, the healthier it is.

Can we use mince mutton instead of chicken in this recipe?

As an alternative to making moti Biryani, you can make Mutton moti Kebab Biryani. You can also use raw papaya paste to tenderize mutton.

Because Mutton cooks longer than Chicken, Mutton Seek Kebab Biryani may require a bit of extra time to prepare.

How long should chickens be marinated?

I recommend letting the meat soak in the flavors overnight or for about 10 hours, so it can absorb the flavors thoroughly. On the other hand, if you are making moti Kebab right away, add just a little cornflour, about 2 tbsp, and marinate it for at least two hours in a fridge so that it holds its shape.

Would you mind explaining how to prepare it in the instant pot?

When rice and water are cooked together, water and spices mix and the biryani no longer is a biryani. Biryani has layers, each one representing an important characteristic.

In the Instant Pot, you can’t make biryani, so that’s not the best way to make it. No, that’s not a biryani, it’s a pulao, regardless of how tasty it is.

Is Shahi Chicken moti Biryani served with potatoes?

Adding potatoes to a vegetarian Biryani is certainly possible, but not the same as adding potatoes to a non-vegetarian Hyderabadi Biryani. And of course, I am a Bengali so I am a big fan of eggs and potatoes in a Biryani.

If you want to ignore them, you can.

I have leftover biryani, what should I do?

Fresh and leftover biryani can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Can it be prepared using a rice cooker?

Rice cooker instructions are the same as those for preparing Biryani in a pan.

Storage Suggestions

If you wish, you can store the chicken biryani in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Heat it properly just before you serve it. If you have a lot of it, heat just the amount you intend to serve.

Serving Suggestions

Chicken Biryani tastes great with any raita of your choice like boondi raita. If possible, top your chicken biryani with some browned onion (Barista ) before serving.

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