Chicken Biryani

No Count Recipe

Full choice 7½ pts per serving

Serves 4

Marinade:

4 tsp garam masala

1 green chilli, deseeded

1 onion chopped

4 cloves garlic

25g fresh coriander

25g fresh root ginger, peeled & sliced

250ml natural yogurt.

500g skinless chicken fillets cut into bite sized pieces

Rice:

frylight

1 small onion, sliced

350g basmati rice, washed & drained

600ml chicken stock

1½ tsp turmeric

Put marinade ingredients into food processor and blend until smooth.  Pour into non-metallic bowl.  Add chicken and marinate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to Gas 3/160ºC/325ºF  Heat a frying pan and spray with frylight.  Cook onion until golden.  Stir in the rice and cook over low heat for 3 mins.  Add 450ml stock, and turmeric.  Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 10 mins.

Heat another pan and spray with frylight.  Cook the chicken with the marinade for 2 mins.  Pour in the rest of the stock and bring to the boil.

Put 1/3rd rice into an ovenproof dish, spoon over half the chicken mixture, then another 1/3rd rice then the rest of the chicken and finish with the remaining rice.

Cover and bake for 25-30 mins.

Top with the sliced onion, which you have fried in frylight, gently until golden brown.

Also nice with quartered hard boiled eggs (free on nc  1½ pts per medium egg full choice)

Chicken Biryani

Biryanis are served on feast days in India and special family occasions. This is delicious with grilled poppadums.
Serves 4
Full Choice 8 pts per serving
No Count:  Count points for oil (2½pts) and sultanas (2pts)  or use frylight & count sultanas (2pts)
1 medium onion(s), chopped roughly
2 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon grated ginger root, 2 cm piece, chopped
1 portion fresh green or red chilli(s), (green) deseeded and chopped
1 tablespoon sunflower oil  (2½pts)
6 medium skinless chicken thigh portion (75g uncooked), boneless, cubed
2 tablespoon curry powder, mild
2 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small portion natural low-fat yogurt, 150 ml, 1/4 pint, plain
1/2 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground, black
200 g dried rice, basmati or long-grain
2 heaped tablespoon sultana(s) (2pts)
2 medium egg(s), hard boiled, quartered
1 tablespoon fresh coriander, a few sprigs or parsley

1. Make a fresh spicy taste by puréeing the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli in a food processor. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and then brown the chicken thighs all over. Remove from the pan.
2. Stir the fresh spice paste into the pan juices and cook for a minute. Then mix in the curry powder and ½ teaspoon salt and cook for 30 seconds.
3. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and stir in the yogurt plus 5 tablespoons of water and some freshly ground pepper. Bring to the boil and then transfer everything to a heavy-based medium-size saucepan with a well-fitting lid. Return to the boil, cover, and simmer very gently for 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, put a large pan of water on to boil and add 2 teaspoons of salt. When the water boils, stir in the rice and then return to the boil. Cook on a medium heat for 8 minutes, then drain in a sieve and rinse in hot water.
5. Uncover and stir around the chicken pieces. Spoon the par-cooked rice on top of the stew. Cover tightly and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, without lifting the lid and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Then gently fork the rice and chicken together.
6. Spoon on to a serving plate in a mound and scatter over the sultanas and egg quarters. Garnish with herb sprigs and serve.

Chicken Biryani

Serves 4

600g chopped chicken 
2 large onions, chopped into small pieces 
1 tsp “very lazy” garlic
1 tsp “very lazy” ginger
1 tsp “very lazy” chillies
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp curry powder
½ ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. sweetener
Pinch of grated nutmeg
8oz basmati rice (rinsed) (ff)
1 Cinnamon stick
1 tin chopped tomato 
1 Knorr chicken stock pot 
1 400ml of hot water
½ cup frozen peas 
2 bay leaves
*Fresh coriander

*1/2 cup raisins (if used then Syn)

Wash the rice several times until the water runs clear then place the rice in a saucepan of boiling salted water with a cinnamon stick , cook with a lid on for 10-12 mins then remove the cinnamon stick, pour the rice through a sieve and then return to the saucepan, replace the lid and allow to steam.

In a frying pan sprayed with Fry Light cook onions, bay leaves, ginger, chillies & ginger until golden. Add the cumin, turmeric, coriander, cinnamon, sweetener & nutmeg, (raisins if required) cook for a further 5 mins.

Add chicken and brown it, cook for 10mins then add the tomatoes, stock, peas and cook until the chicken is cooked. Remove bay leaves.

(At this point you could place the curry in a slow cooker and leave on low for several hours and make the rice when you require the meal.)

Add the chicken to the rice and allow the flavours to infuse with the lid on for 5 mins, mix together and plate up, sprinkle with fresh coriander if required.