Fill your belly and your home with the soothing aroma of this authentic chicken yakhni pulao! The essence of the meal is the silky and smooth yakhni the rice cooks in. Layer the fragrant basmati rice with tender pieces of chicken, crispy fried onions, and aromatic spices. Like our mutton yakhni pulao, chicken pulao is perfect for family gatherings and dawats.
What is Chicken Yakhni Pulao?
Chicken yakhni pulao is a rice-based dish originating from the Indian subcontinent and is popular in many South Asian and Middle Eastern countries. Prepare it by cooking rice with chicken, aromatic spices, and herbs for a fragrant one-pot meal. The chicken can be cooked separately and added to the rice or cooked together with the rice, depending on the recipe. Serve it with traditional pairings like yogurt or raita.
What You Need to Make this Recipe
- Whole Spices: Impart flavor to the Yakhni with black cardamom, green cardamom, black cloves, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, star anise, a cinnamon stick, and bay leaves.
- Ghee: Fry the onions, garlic, and chilies in ghee to develop a deep, nutty base for the dish.
- Onion: Onions enrich the broth and serve as a garnish for the pulao; bites with crispy onions are the best ones, in my opinion.
- Garlic and Ginger: Deepen the flavor of the yakhni and the pulao using fresh garlic and ginger.
- Green Chilis: For heat that doesn’t overwhelm, subtly add warmth using slit green chilis.
- Chicken: I use a whole chicken to make chicken yakhni pulao, but feel free to use bone-in legs and thighs. Yakhni is often made with goat and lamb as well.
- Salt: Use salt as a lever to perfectly season the rice.
- Basmati Rice: The key to making good rice begins with soaking it in water beforehand; the longer, the better! Soaking results in the long, distinct grains of basmati rice you expect from a good pulao.
How to Make Chicken Yakhni Pulao
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
For the Chicken Yakhni:
Step 1: Warm ghee in an Instant Pot on saute mode. Add onion and cook until the onions become soft and translucent.
Step 2: While onions are cooking, add the whole spices to a spice ball and set it aside. Add garlic, ginger, green chilies, and a cinnamon stick to the Instant Pot. Cook for another minute.
Step 3: Next, rinse the chicken, and add it to the pot. Saute on saute mode for 1 minute. Then, add water and salt; stir to combine.
Step 4: Lastly, add the water and spice ball to the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and cook on manual high pressure for 20 minutes with a 10-minute natural release.
For the Chicken Yakhni Pulao:
Step 5: Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot and cut it into legs, thighs, and breasts; set it aside.
Step 6: Then, drain the broth in a colander over a large mixing bowl to preserve the broth. Reserve 2½ cups of the broth and store the rest.
Step 7: Warm ghee in a Dutch oven over low-medium heat and add the onions. Cook until they are golden brown and crispy, for about 20-25 minutes.
Step 8: While the onions cook, wash the basmati rice until the water runs clear. Then, add the rice to a bowl and cover it with water to soak it for at least 30 minutes.
Step 9: Remove the onions from the pan with a slotted spoon, and set them aside to drain. In the same pot, saute cumin seeds and green chilies until they begin sputtering.
Stir in the ginger and garlic, and cook for 1-2 minutes until the raw smell fades.
Step 10: Add a layer of chicken and rice to a serving dish and top with the crispy onion. Layer the rice over the top, followed by more onion.
Repeat until the ingredients are gone, and garnish with cilantro or mint to serve.
Expert Tips
- Start with fresh, whole spices; this makes all the difference since spices will lose their flavor over time.
- Bone-in chicken is necessary to make chicken yakhni soup. You can use store-bought bone broth if you’re in a pinch, but I don’t recommend it since they use different spices and vegetables than the homemade broth.
- Once the rice start cooking, let it be. Stirring the rice will disturb the grain and cause it to become mushy, and no one wants that.
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Serving Suggestions
- Raita, Chutney, Serrano Crema
- Kachumber Salad, Avocado Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Onion Slices, Lemon Wedges
- Beef Kaleji, Chicken Kaleji
- Kabob (Shami, Bihari, Boti)
- Baked Tandoori Chicken
- Aloo Keema, Aloo Gosht
What to Do With the Leftovers
- Refrigerate – Store leftovers in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
- Freeze – Let the dish cool. Then, transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag. Pulao freezes for up to two months.
- Thaw – Defrost the rice dish in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat – Warm a single serving in the microwave, or add it all to a saute pan for a quick and easy meal the whole family will enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between yakhni pulao and other pulaos?
Yakhni pulao starts by preparing a flavorful homemade broth that comes together by simmering meat (chicken in this recipe), whole spices, and aromatics for an extended period; this sets yakhni pulao apart from other pulao dishes. Cooking the rice in yakhni or homemade broth gives it a unique taste and aroma.
Outside of pulao made with yakhni, pulao is a one-pot meal made by cooking rice in water and adding the meat and spices separately.
What is the difference between yakhni pulao and biryani?
Yakhni and biryani have a lot in common. They are both South Asian dishes that feature meat and rice cooked together. The difference between the two is flavor and cooking methods.
What sets recipes like our simple chicken yakhni pulao is the rich, meaty broth the rice cooks in, giving it an aromatic but subtle flavor. Biryani, however, layers cooked rice and heavily seasoned meat or vegetables with aromatic spices and herbs.
What’s the best rice for pulao?
Long-grain basmati rice is the ideal choice for chicken yakhni pulao due to its distinct aroma, delicately nutty flavor, and separate fluffy grains after cooking. The long grains help to ensure that each grain of rice is flavorful and separate, perfect for pulao.
What is the rice to broth ratio?
By understanding the ideal ratio of rice to liquid, you can effortlessly adjust the recipe to serve a smaller or larger group. My personal recommendation is to use one cup of rice for every 1 1/2 cups of yakhni for the best results.
How can I use the leftover yakhni?
Eat it as a soup as is or use the bone broth to flavor soup and stew.
Chicken Yakhni Pulao
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
- 6 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
- 2 – inch ginger, sliced
- 2-3 green chilies, slit lengthwise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 whole chicken, washed, or 2-3 pounds chicken legs and thighs
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 4 black cardamom
- 2 green cardamom
- 6 black cloves
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1½ teaspoons coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 star anise
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cups water
- ¼ cup ghee
- 2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 2 green chiles, slit lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
- 2 cups basmati rice, washed and soaked
- 2½ cups yakhni, reserved from the Chicken Yakhni
- cilantro, chopped
- mint, chopped
For the Chicken Yakhni:
- Warm ghee in an Instant Pot on saute mode. Add onion and cook until the onions become soft and translucent.
- While onions are cooking, add the whole spices to a spice ball and set it aside. Add garlic, ginger, green chiles, and a cinnamon stick to the Instant Pot. Cook for another minute.
- Next, rinse the chicken, and add it to the pot. Saute on saute mode for 1 minute. Then, add water and salt; stir to combine.
- Lastly, add the water and spice ball to the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and cook on manual high pressure for 20 minutes with a 10-minute natural release.
For the Chicken Yakhni Pulao:
- Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot and cut it into legs, thighs, and breasts; set it aside. Then, drain the broth in a colander over a large mixing bowl to preserve the broth. Reserve 2½ cups of the broth and store the rest.
- Warm ghee in a Dutch Oven over low-medium heat and add the onions. Cook until they are golden brown and crispy, for about 20-25 minutes.
- While the onions cook, wash the basmati rice until the water runs clear. Then, add the rice to a bowl and cover it with water to soak it for at least 30 minutes.
- Remove the onions from the pan with a slotted spoon, and set them aside to drain. In the same pot, saute cumin seeds and green chilies until they begin sputtering.
- Stir in the ginger and garlic, and cook for 1-2 minutes until the raw smell fades.
- Drain the soaking water and add the rice to the Dutch oven with the reserved Chicken Yakhni.
- Bring the pot to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat, cover, and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the rice from the heat and add the reserved chicken pieces. Stir to combine. Cover with the lid and set it aside to steam for 10 minutes.
- Add a layer of chicken and rice to a serving dish and top with the crispy onion. Layer the rice over the top, followed by more onion. Repeat until the ingredients are gone, and garnish with cilantro or mint to serve.
- Start with fresh, whole spices; this makes all the difference since spices will lose their flavor over time.
- Bone-in chicken is necessary to make Chicken Yakhni Soup. You can use store-bought bone broth if you’re in a pinch, but I don’t recommend it since they use different spices and vegetables than the homemade broth.
- Once the rice start cooking, let it be. Stirring the rice will disturb the grain and cause it to become mushy, and no one wants that.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.
Shahzad
Friday 26th of May 2023
Great recipe. Good flavor and hearty. Can't ask for more.
Sara Khan
Friday 26th of May 2023
This Chicken Yakhni Pulao recipe is a gem! The aromatic spices and tender chicken perfectly complemented the fragrant basmati rice. The yakhni infusion took the flavors to a whole new level. It's a fantastic dish to impress guests at family gatherings. Bravo!
Ali
Friday 26th of May 2023
I tried this Chicken Yakhni Pulao recipe for the first time, and it instantly transported me to the streets of South Asia! The yakhni-infused rice was incredibly fragrant and the chicken was tender and flavorful. The crispy fried onions added a delightful crunch. A true culinary masterpiece!