Presenting a classic Yakhni Chicken Pulao recipe that is truly hard to mess up! This recipe promises deep flavor, tender chicken, and fluffy rice. It is also easy to double so you can serve it to guests with confidence. Tested to perfection.
Slowly but lovingly, I have been chipping away at this Chicken Pulao recipe for years. Pulao, a delicately spiced rice dish, is a tad behind (truthfully, very far behind) biryani in popularity.
Yakhni just means broth or stock. So Yakhni Pulao is made by simmering bone-in meat to create a broth, which is then used to cook the rice.
Without Yakhni, Pulao is a one-pot meal cooked in aromatics, protein or vegetables, whole spices, and water. Examples include Mutton Pulao, Matar Pulao, Chana Pulao or Instant Pot Chicken Pulao (which, by the way, is a wonderful weeknight stand-in for this more immersive Yakhni Pulao recipe)
But, dare I say the better way to make pulao is to make it with a proper Yakhni. Which, yes, takes an extra 25 minutes or so. But that is a small price to pay for the depth of flavor the broth etches into each bite.
Yakhni Pulao is a Kashmiri recipe made using rice, chicken and a lot of Indian spices that is full of essence and flavours. This rice recipe is a flavourful option to serve as a party recipe and even as a family dinner.
Yakhni Pulao With Chicken Recipe is a lip-smacking, Kashmiri style chicken pulao made with long grain basmati rice that is cooked in a flavourful chicken stock-called Yakhni that is infused with spices. The stock/broth is made using “Bouquet Garni” or a Spice Potli.
Ingredients for Chicken Yakhni Pulao
Steps for Chicken Yakhni Pulao
Chicken Yakhni Pulao
Ingredients
10 to 12 Garlic Cloves
1 inch Ginger
1 medium size Onion
3 Green Chillies
2 tablespoon Fennel Seeds
2 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1 teaspoon Black Peppercorns
2 Mace Flower(javitri)
2 Bay Leaves
2 big Cardamoms
1 piece Cinnamon
4 to 5 Green Cardamoms
4 to 5 Cloves
1 teaspoon Salt
1 litre Water
1 kg Chicken
4 to 5 tablespoon Oil
3 to 4 Dried Red Chillies
2 big Cardamom
1 piece Cinnamon
2 Bay Leaves
3 to 4 Cloves
1 big size Onion
Half kg Basmati Rice
1 tablespoon Ginger-Garlic paste
2 big size Potatoes
1 cup Curd
5 to 6 Green Chilli paste
1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
Small piece Nutmeg
Little Mace Flower
Fresh Coriander
2 to 3 Green Chilli
2 teaspoon Lemon Juice
2 tablespoon Clarified Butter (ghee)
1 small Onion
8 to 10 Curry Leaves
1 teaspoon Shahjeera
1 tablespoon Curd
Soaked Bundi
Fresh Coriander
Black Salt
Cumin Powder
Red Chilli Powder
Steps
First let us prepare the yakhni.
In a vessel add 10-12 garlic cloves,1 inch ginger, 1 onion of medium size, 3 green chillies, 2 tbsp fennel seeds, 2 tbsp coriander seeds,1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp black pepper corns, 2 mace flower, 2 bay leaves, 2 big cardamoms, 1 piece cinnamon, 4-5 green cardamoms, 4-5 cloves, 1 tsp salt and 1 litre water.
Let it boil with the spices for 4-5 minutes, add the chicken pieces to the boiling water, cover it and cook for 10 minutes on medium to high flame.
After 10 minutes off the flame and remove the chicken pieces from the water.
Now strain the yakhni water with a strainer and keep aside the liquid this is your yakhni.
Heat 4-5 tbsp oil in a big vessel in which you can cook the pulao, add 3-4 dried red chillies, 2 big cardamom, 1 piece cinnamon, 2 bay leaves, 3-4 cloves, let the spices infuse in the oil for 10 seconds, then add 1 big size sliced onion and fry it. When the onions turns light golden, add 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, cook on medium flame for 2-3 minutes.
Wash and soak 500 gms basmati rice in water for 15 minutes.
Then add the boiled chicken pieces, 2 big size potatoes cut into 2 pieces each, fry them on high flame for 2-3 minutes.
Take 1 cup beaten curd add 5-6 green chilli paste, 1 tsp garam masala,1 tsp salt mix it well. Now decrease the flame to low, add this curd mixture mix it with light hands then cover and cook for 8-10 minutes.
Take small piece if nutmeg, 1 mace flower (javitri) grind it into a fine powder and keep aside for further use. These spices will give the Pulao an aromatic flavour and taste.
Check the chicken after 10 minutes if 80% cooked then add the yakhni water to it.
The Yakhni will be 4 cups, so according to cook 500 gms of rice, 4 cups water is enough or not that depends on your quality of the rice, so adjust the water if needed add some water.
Let it boil on high flame, then add the soaked and drained rice, some chopped coriander leaves, 2-3 slit green chillies, powdered nutmeg and mace, mix it with light hands. Let it cook on high flame for 4-5 minutes then add 2 tsp lemon juice. By adding lemon juice the pulao will become fluffy. Then cover and cook on low flame for 5-10 minutes.
Let us prepare the tadka for the pulao.
Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a pan, add 1 small sliced onion fry till golden, add 8-10 curry leaves, 1 tsp shahjeera, mix it for a second, then off the flame and pour this tadka on the pulao. This tadka will give the pulao a nice aroma. Let the pulao cook on low flame to dum for 10 more minutes. Then off the flame and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Soak some bundi in water for 30 minutes. Let us prepare bundi raita.
Take 1 tbsp curd or more as you prefer, add 2 tbsp of water mix it well, then add soaked bundi, chopped coriander leaves, little black salt, little cumin powder and little black pepper powder mix it. Your raita is ready.
Serve Yakhni Chicken Pulao with this Raita.
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Yakhni pulao is as scrumptious as biryani, however is less spicy that biryani.
Tips *Adjust green chillies according to your taste. *For best result use basmati rice.
