Can I use chicken instead of lamb?
Yes. Chicken (bone-in thighs and drumsticks) works well. Reduce the marinating time to 2 hours minimum and the sealed dum cooking time to 35 minutes, since chicken cooks faster than lamb.
Indian · dinner
Hyderabadi Biryani: Kacchi Technique, Layered and Sealed
#indian#hyderabadi#biryani#lamb#dinner
120m
Total time
6
Servings
680
kcal
hard
Difficulty
May 18, 2026
INGREDIENTS.
6
Meat
- 1000 g bone-in lamb shoulder, cut into 5 cm pieces
Dairy
- 200 g full-fat yogurt
- 60 ml warm milk
- 40 g ghee
Produce
- 3 large onions, thinly sliced and fried until crisp (birista)
- 8 garlic cloves, grated
- 30 g fresh ginger, grated
- 30 g fresh mint leaves
- 30 g fresh coriander, chopped
Pantry
- 100 ml neutral oil (for frying onions + marinating)
- 2 tsp salt
Spice
- 2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 0.5 tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp mixed whole spices: bay leaves, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon stick, star anise
- 0.3 tsp saffron strands
Grain
- 500 g basmati rice, washed and soaked 45 min
- 150 g atta (whole-wheat flour) for sealing, mixed with water to stiff dough
THE METHOD.
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FAQ · Things people ask
About this recipe.
What if I don't have saffron?
Dissolve ¼ tsp turmeric in the warm milk as a substitute for color. The flavor won't be the same, but the visual layering will be preserved.
How do I know when the dum is done without opening it?
Place a thin flat pan (tawa) under the biryani pot for the last 20 minutes — this diffuses the direct heat and prevents the bottom layer from burning. Listen for a faint sizzle. After 45 minutes of sealed cooking, open and check the rice at the top layer: it should be fully cooked with separate, non-sticky grains.
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