Name: Chicken Biryani in Air Fryer
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 27 min
Total time: 37 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 300g (10.5oz) skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite sized pieces; 1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste; 3 green finger chillies, finely chopped; ½ tsp salt; 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp garam masala; Juice of one lemon; 5 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped; 20 mint leaves, finely chopped; 210g (1 cup) plain natural yoghurt, whisked; 100g chopped tomatoes; 2 cups hot par-cooked rice (See the intro to this recipe); 1 cup fried onions, shop bought is fine; 2 tbsp melted ghee; A pinch of saffron

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You won’t be able to taste the difference between this chicken biryani in air fryer and more traditional methods.

I used up quite a lot of rice and chicken developing this chicken biryani in air fryer recipe. All of my first attempts were good but this version was the best.

If you want to make an authentic tasting dum biryani in a fraction of the time of more traditional methods, this recipe will get you a chicken biryani that ticks all the boxes!

About this recipe.

The idea behind this chicken biryani in air fryer to was make a dum biryani that tastes just like those cooked with more traditional methods. It took some experimentation but I got there.

You could think of this chicken biryani in air fryer as an upside down biryani. Traditionally, the meat is fried first before adding the rice and other layers of flavours. When air frying, however it is important to add the chicken last and give it a good char right at the end.

Doing this, the rice and other ingredients cook and their flavours develop before turning up the heat to give the chicken that char. I did try air frying the meat first and adding it cooked to the biryani but it became overcooked and a bit dry. With this method, you get a biryani that taste just like it should.

In fact, it’s a whole lot better than biryanis I have tried at many curry houses.

How do you prepare the rice?

There are a couple of ways you can prepare your rice for this air fryer chicken biryani. They both include washing and soaking the rice. Wash the rice in several changes of water to remove any starch and then soak it in clean water for 30 minutes before straining.

In my opinion, the best way to prepare the rice is on the stove. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the 1 cup (185g) rice and cook it for about 7 minutes or until it is about 80% cooked through. Strain and set aside.

You could also use my air fryer rice recipe but that recipe is more of a convenience for people who need to air fry. It takes a bit longer. If using that method, stop cooking the rice after about 30 minutes. There will still be some water in the pan so strain it. Your rice will be about 70 – 80% cooked which is good for this air fryer chicken biryani recipe.

How do you air fry crispy onions?

You can use shop bought crispy fried onions for this recipe if more convenient. If you would like to air fry your onions as I did, try the following…

Thinly slice two white onions and toss them with 1/2 tsp salt and a tablespoon of rapeseed (canola) oil. If on a reduced calorie diet, you could simply coat them with oil spray.

Set your air fryer to 200°C/400°F. Spray the basket and pour the sliced onions in it to air fry for 14 minutes, stirring halfway through the cook.

After 14 minutes, reduce the cooking temperature to 150°C/300°f and continue cooking for another 8 to 10 minutes, stirring every three minutes or until your onions are golden brown and crispy.

How long can you store leftovers in the fridge?

You can keep your air fryer chicken biryani, covered tightly in the fridge for up to three days.

Reheat either in your air fryer or in the microwave. I find the microwave more convenient for reheating biryanis. Make sure the rice is steaming hot before serving.

Can you freeze this biryani?

Yes and it will freeze well for up to three months. Be sure to wrap it in an air tight freezer bag, removing any pockets of air before freezing.

Then just place it in your microwave for about 3 minutes or until hot.

Pro Tips:

Wash the rice well: This is the most important part of making a good biryani. You need to wash the rice in several changes of water to remove any excess starch before soaking it in fresh water for 30 minutes.
Marinate: Although marinating the meat for 24 hours is optional, it will add flavour! So you can and should work ahead. Get your meat marinating and then take it all out of the fridge to finish off the biryani.
Crisp the chicken right up: It is so important to air fry the chicken at the end of cooking as in the recipe. It really adds delicious flavour.
Stir gently: Don’t just go at your biryani with a spoon and stir it up. You want to poke at it with a fork or chopstick to separate the grains.
Seasoning: Rice is bland in flavour. The marinade isn’t but be sure to try the biryani before serving to check if it needs a bit more salt. Just add it to taste.

Step by step photographs.

Get all your ingredients together before starting. I was still cooking my rice at this stage so it’s not in the photo.

The chicken marinating in the first marinade.

Rub all of the ingredients up to and including the lemon juice into the chicken. Let it marinate for 30 minutes or go straight to the next step.

Pour the yoghurt over the chicken and rub it right in. Marinate for 24 hours or go straight to cooking. The longer it marinates, the better.

The chicken can marinate just like this, covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours. This is optional though.

Transfer the chicken to a plate, scraping off any excess marinade. Be sure to retain the marinade.

Adding the chopped tomatoes to the remaining marinade.

Add the chopped tomatoes to the remaining marinade and whisk them in until smooth.

Adding half of the rice, fried onions, coriander and mint to the pan.

Add half of the rice to the pan and cover with half of the fried onions, coriander (cilantro) and mint.

Covering the first layer of the biryani with half of the marinade and melted saffron infused ghee.

Spread half of the marinade over this layer and drizzle with melted ghee.

Repeat by adding the remaining rice, coriander, mint, fried onions and marinade along with some of the saffron infused ghee.

Adding the chicken to the biryani. Layering it on top of the first two layers.

Cover the top of the biryani with the chicken pieces and top with a little coriander if you like.

Covering the pan tightly with foil to begin cooking.

Cover the pan tightly with foil and place in the air fryer to cook at 200°C/400°F for 5 minutes and then 150°C/300°F for 12 minutes.

Removing the foil from the pan for the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Remove the foil and increase the temperature to 200°C/400°F to cook and brown the chicken for 8 to 10 minutes.

The browned chicken on top of the biryani.

You just want to cook the chicken through and char it some so do not overcook!

The lightly stirred biryani ready to serve.

Lightly stir the biryani with a fork or chopstick. Do not stir to harshly or the rice grains will split and become mushy.

Transferring the chicken biryani in air fryer to a serving plate. Garnished with chilli raita and fried onions.

Serve from the pan or transfer the chicken biryani to a serving plate. Serve immediately.

If you like this chicken biryani in air fryer recipe, you might like to try some of these air fryer recipes too.

Have you tried this chicken biryani in air fryer recipe?

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Yield: 2