Skinnymixer’s Chicken Biryani Bake features in the Takeaway section of the cookbook SkinnyAsia 2.
We LOVE a dinner that’s big on flavour without requiring you to stand over the stove.
Our Chicken Biryani Bake combines yoghurt-marinated chicken with fragrant basmati rice, onion, cinnamon, cardamom, raisins and almonds, all cooked together in one big baking dish.
While it’s in the oven, make the raita and dinner is sorted!
What You Will Need
For the complete quantities, see the recipe in SkinnyAsia 2.
For the chicken:
- Chicken drumsticks or bone-in chicken thighs
- Greek yoghurt of choice
- Garlic
- Fresh ginger
- Fresh lemon
- Olive oil
- Garam masala
- Ground coriander
- Ground cumin
- Smoked and sweet paprika
- Turmeric
- Cayenne pepper
For the rice:
- Basmati rice
- Brown onion
- Butter
- Tomato paste
- Ground cumin
- Ground coriander
- Turmeric
- Chicken Stock Concentrate
- Raisins or sultanas
- Slivered almonds
- Cinnamon stick
- Dried bay leaves
- Green cardamom pods
To serve:
- Fresh coriander
- Palak Raita OR Quick Mint & Cucumber Raita
Use the Right Baking Dish
We tested this recipe in a large 32 x 23 x 6 cm or 12.6 x 9.1 x 2.4 inch metal or enamel baking dish.
The size of your dish matters.
If it’s much smaller and deeper, the rice and chicken will be crowded and may take longer to cook. If it’s considerably larger and shallower, the liquid can evaporate more quickly.
Quick Mint & Cucumber Raita
Don’t have the Palak Raita ready?
Make this quick version while your biryani cooks.
Combine:
- 1 small handful fresh mint, chopped
- 1 small cucumber, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 cup Greek yoghurt
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ heaped tsp salt
After chopping the cucumber, squeeze out the excess liquid before adding it to the yoghurt. This stops your raita becoming watery.
Keep refrigerated until you’re ready to serve.
Why Add Raisins and Almonds?
The raisins or sultanas add little bursts of sweetness throughout the savoury, spiced rice, while the slivered almonds add texture.
Not a fan of fruit in savoury dishes? You can leave the raisins out if preferred.
For Nut Free, simply omit the almonds.
Dietary & Recipe Variations
NUT FREE
Omit the slivered almonds.
DAIRY FREE
Use dairy-free yoghurt and butter.
LOW CARB / PALEO
Replace the basmati with cauliflower rice and follow the separate cooking instructions in SkinnyAsia 2.
SUPER SKINNY
Replace the drumsticks with flattened chicken breast and add the chicken for the final 30 minutes of cooking.
VEGETARIAN
Replace the chicken with chunks of sweet potato and potato and use Vegetable Stock Concentrate.
LOW FODMAP
Use garlic-infused olive oil, lactose-free yoghurt and compliant Stock Concentrate. Omit the sultanas and use leek greens instead of brown onion as specified in the book.
HALVED / DOUBLED
For a half batch, use a smaller baking dish. For a double batch, divide between two baking dishes rather than overcrowding one.
What to Serve with Chicken Biryani Bake
This is already a complete meal, so you don’t need much.
Our favourites are:
- Palak Raita
- Quick Mint & Cucumber Raita
- Fresh coriander
- Kachumber Salad if you want something fresh and crunchy alongside
Get the Recipe
The complete Chicken Biryani Bake, including Thermo cooker and conventional preparation methods and all dietary variations, is available in SkinnyAsia 2.
From the Testing Team
- Bron P. – So yummy and super easy. I made the marinade in 5 minutes before running out the door, home 2 hours later to do the rest. Only had 500g thigh cutlets so used 500g sweet potato too. Definitely will make again.
- Tanya H. – Cooked this when I got home from work. Used 1kg thigh cutlets. This has incredible flavours and super easy to make. Everything cooked perfectly in the specified times.
- Alisha D. – A delicious plate of food! Easy preparation and great flavours
cooked perfectly in my hexclad pan in the oven! - Krisha G. – This is beautiful
Its delicious!! Couldn’t manage more even though I wanted to inhale it!! - Deb D. – This was so nice. Chicken was juicy and the rice was lovely. The extra lemon and a dob of yoghurt really made it. Served with mini naans. Easy dish to set and go and do something else.
- Amanda E. – This was yum!!! I did just over 1500gms of chicken, so there were 2 drums each. You could easily go up to 2kgs with the amount of rice (I have at least 2 serves left over)
- Angie G. – This tasted absolutely delicious
Easy to prepare and cook. I marinated the chicken drummies for 4 hrs. The chicken and rice were perfectly cooked within recipe time. The chicken meat was juicy and the rice was light, fluffy, flavoursome and yummy Served with a dollop of Greek yoghurt as didn’t have baby spinach on hand to made Raita. - Kaz M. – This makes ALOT of food!!
- Krisha G. – I reheated this last night and tonight, reheats beautifully It makes a lot, so its a perfect big meal or meal prep for the week.
Some other Thermomix Chicken Drumstick recipes you might love:
Want to know more about SkinnyAsia 2 cookbook?
SkinnyAsia 2 is a collection of Thermomix & Conventional cooking recipes. All of our cookbooks have a strong focus on Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free, Egg Free, Low Carb, Paleo, Vegetarian and Low FODMAP.
Instructions
- This recipe is exclusive to the SkinnyAsia 2 cookbook.
FAQs
Why is my biryani rice still firm?
First check that you’ve used the correct rice-to-water ratio and covered the baking dish tightly during the first stage of cooking. Different rice brands and baking dishes can behave slightly differently. If the rice is still firm, add a small splash of hot water if it looks dry, cover tightly again and return it to the oven until tender.
Can I prepare Chicken Biryani Bake ahead?
You can marinate the chicken for up to 6 hours, making this an easy recipe to start earlier in the day. The Quick Mint & Cucumber Raita can also be prepared ahead and kept refrigerated until serving.