Chicken pulao recipe, Chicken pulao with coconut milk

Chicken pulao is a flavorful and quick to make one pot dish prepared with basmati rice, meat and whole spices. Pulav/Pilaf is usually white/ slightly yellow in color and uses mint and cilantro for flavoring and sometimes coconut milk as well for that mild sweetness and taste. This chicken pulao can be easily prepared in pressure cooker/ open stove method/ Instant pot and the same recipe can be used to make veg pulao as well just like this recipe Vegetable pulao with coconut milk. I have also used coconut milk and water in the recipe which gives the pulao a different taste and flavor, but if you don’t like/ have coconut milk at home you can add water and cook it. My mom always used to add coconut milk/ ground coconut poppy seeds paste in biryani/ pulao to get excellent flavors just like this Veg brinji. Also always use freshly ground ginger garlic paste in biryani/ pulao for excellent flavor. I have added 6 green chili in this recipe as it is the only source of spiciness in the recipe but you can increase or decrease according to your taste. You can try the same recipe with boneless chicken as well, in which cook time will be less.

Pulao/ Biryani both uses a very popular and flavorful rice variety called Basmati Rice. Many people/beginner in cooking find trouble to get rice and meat cooked perfectly. Pulao/ biryani requires rice to be individual grains and to make that happen we need to use correct amount of water. Let’s learn that.
chicken pulao

Basmati rice requires 1 :1 ratio meaning rice: water. This happens when the rice is soaked for about 30 minutes or so, but if the rice is soaked for 5 to 10 minutes only then water ratio changes to 1 1/2. Also water quantity depends on the amount of water the mixture has left behind like for this puloa when cooking chicken if the gravy is left is about 1 cup then you need to calculate accordingly. Also when the rice is getting cooked in pressure cooker too much water will make the pulao mushy, like 1:1 ratio should be ok, but if you are cooking in open stove method 1: 11/2 ratio will be okay as the cooking time varies and we can always open the pan and take a look. Hope it is understandable.

Many readers have asked about chicken not intaking masala or flavors when cooked in pressure cooker method for them I have this simple trick that I follow and have showed it in this chicken pulao recipe as well. Marinating chicken in buttermilk/ curd with salt for 1 hour prior cooking will help chicken cook soft, juicy and be loaded with masala flavors. Finally serve this with spicy brinjal curry. So let’s get to the making!
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Chicken pulao recipe, Chicken pulao with coconut milk

2020-05-15 00:12:59

Serves 3

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

35 min

Total Time

50 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

35 min

Total Time

50 min

Ingredients

1. Chicken – ½ kg
2. Basmati Rice – 2 cups
3. Mint – ½ cup
4. Cilantro- ½ cup
5. Onion- 1 (medium sized)
6. Green chili- 6 to 8
7. Ginger garlic paste- 1 tbsp
8. Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
9. Garam masala powder- ½ tsp
10. Coconut milk – 2 cups
11. Curd- 4 tbsp (for marination)
12. Oil – 2 tbsp
13. Salt – to taste

Whole spices

1. Bay leaf- 1
2. Star anise- 1
3. Clove – 2
4. Cinnamon stick – ½
5. Cardamom – 2
6. Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp
7. Fennel seeds – ¼ tsp

Note

* 1 cup = 235 ml

Instructions

In a blender add grated 1 cup coconut and 2 cups of water. Grind it. Then extract coconut milk using strainer. Keep it aside.
Wash chicken and to it add curd and salt. Mix it well and marinate it for 2 hours. Wash and soak basmati rice for 20 – 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan/ pressure cooker to it add whole spices when aromatic add onions and green chili, chopped mint and cilantro. Saute well until onions turn translucent.
Now add ginger garlic paste to it and saute till the raw flavor goes.
Now add marinated chicken pieces draining the extra curd, turmeric powder, salt and garam masala powder. Saute well and let the chicken get roasted/ well coated in masala/ cooked in the mixture without adding water. After 5 minutes when the chicken looks roasted add ½ cup water and cook chicken till is ½ done.
When the chicken ½ done add coconut milk and water. I used 2 cups of coconut milk snd 1 cup water as the mixture had very less water. Here the rice was soaked for 30 minutes and the extra 1 cup is for both chicken and rice to cook well. Mix everything well. Check for salt.
When the mixture is boiling add soaked rice. Mix well. When the mixture has started to boil close it and pressure cook for 2 whistles in medium flame. When the pressure has subsided allow it to rest for 5 more minutes. Now open the cooker.
When the rice looks done take it from the sides using spatula and fluff it gently. Serve it hot with raita!
(As shown in the picture I dint put the whistle so what I did was kept the flame in high for 4 to 5 minutes then put the flame to low for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes I switched off the flame snd allowed the rice to rest for 5 more minutes. So after 20 minutes open the pressure cooker when the rice looks done fluff gently from sides and serve it hot with raita.)

By Sandhya Riyaz

Sandhya's recipes https://www.sandyathome.com/

How to make Chicken pulao with step by step images

In a blender add grated 1 cup coconut and 2 cups of water. Grind it. Then extract coconut milk using strainer. Keep it aside.
Wash chicken and to it add curd and salt. Mix it well and marinate it for 2 hours.
Wash and soak rice in water for 20 to 30 minutes. Slice onions thin, slice green chili, chop mint and cilantro finely. Keep it aside.
Heat oil in a pan/ pressure cooker to it add whole spices when aromatic add onions and green chili, chopped mint and cilantro. Saute well until onions turn translucent.
Now add ginger garlic paste to it and saute till the raw flavor goes.
Now add marinated chicken pieces draining the extra curd, turmeric powder, salt and garam masala powder. Saute well and let the chicken get roasted/ well coated in masala/ cooked in the mixture without adding water. After 5 minutes when the chicken looks roasted add ½ cup water and cook chicken till is ½ done.
When the chicken ½ done add coconut milk and water. I used 2 cups of coconut milk snd 1 cup water as the mixture had very less water. Here the rice was soaked for 30 minutes and the extra 1 cup is for both chicken and rice to cook well. Mix everything well. Check for salt.
When the mixture is boiling add soaked rice. Mix well. When the mixture has started to boil close it and pressure cook for 2 whistles in medium flame.
When the pressure has subsided allow it to rest for 5 more minutes. Now open the cooker. When the rice looks done take it from the sides using spatula and fluff it gently. Serve it hot with raita. (As shown in the picture I dint put the whistle so what I did was kept the flame in high for 4 to 5 minutes then put the flame to low for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes I switched off the flame snd allowed the rice to rest for 5 more minutes. So after 20 minutes open the pressure cooker when the rice looks done fluff gently from sides and serve it hot with raita.)