Chicken Biryani with Chickpeas

Ingredients:

·      6 onions, sliced

·      5 tomatoes, chopped

·      2” piece of ginger

·      20 cloves of garlic

·      5 birds eye chillies

·      10 cloves

·      2 cinnamon sticks

·      2 Tbsp oil

·      1.5 Tbsp chili powder

·      4 cups basmati rice

·      1 Tbsp turmeric powder

·      5 Tbsp yogurt

·      1.5 kg lovely legs

·      1 Tbsp garam masala

·      1 Tbsp ground cumin

·      2 Tbsp Tandoori paste
  Salt to taste
  Optional: Add 500g cooked chickpeas in at the end

Directions:

1. Wash and soak basmati rice in 6 cups of water for 20 minutes.

2. In a bowl, combine chicken pieces, garam masala, cumin, tandoori paste, yogurt, and turmeric. Marinate until needed (at least 30 mins).

3. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a pan.  Once oil is hot, add cloves and cinnamon.

4. Add onions and ginger garlic paste (blend ginger and garlic together in a mixer with a tsp of water).

5. Saute onions for 5-7 minutes.

6. Add chopped tomatoes and chillies and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until tomatoes are mushy.

7. Add salt and chili powder.

8. In a fry pan, seal the chicken.  Then add it to the onions and tomatoes. 

9. Place lid on pan and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.

10.  Add half the water to a rice cooker and switch to cook. 

11.  Add the 4 cups of rice to the chicken and stir through.

12.  Add half the chicken to the rice cooker. Cover and cook until rice cooker switches to warm. Turn off rice cooker.  Let sit for an additional 15-20 minutes or more to let the liquid be absorbed as much as possible.

13.  Repeat with the second half of chicken and the rest of the water from soaking the rice.
14. Optional: Mix in 500g cooked chickpeas.

Makes 10 servings.