• Place a suitable vessel that can cook ½ kg biryani on burner.(Prefer a 3 litre vessel to avoid spills while cooking).
• Pour 100 ml of oil.
• Put 100 gm of chopped onions.
• Fry the onions in HIGH flame till it becomes brownish red and crispy.
• Once the onions fry to brownish red colour, turn OFF the flame.
• Transfer out half of the fried onions to another small bowl – keep it aside.
• Let the other half of fried onion stay in the vessel itself.

Let’s wait for some time – to let the vessel and oil cool down a little.
Please note the flame is still OFF. Now we need to add the below –

• Chicken – ½ kg
• Coriander – few leaves
• Mint leaves – few
• Curd – 200 ml
• Cinnamon, cloves, cardamom – 6 each
• Green chilli – 5 (break into 2 and add – no need to cut into small pieces)
• Ginger garlic paste – 3 tablespoons
• Shahi jeera (black cumin) – 1/4 tablespoon
• Salt – 3/4 tablespoon
• Red chilli powder – 1/2 tablespoon
• Lemon juice – from ¼ piece is enough

After adding all the above, stir a little to mix all the contents well.
Please note, we are not adding any oil here – because already the oil used to fry onions is still there.
No need of letting the contents to soak for some time.

Turn on the burner – keep it in LOW.
Stir the contents in low flame for 2 minutes.
Now, close the vessel with a lid.
Turn the flame to HIGH for just 10 seconds.
Then immediately turn flame to LOW.  Let the chicken get cooked in low flame for 15 minutes.
Stir the contents gently twice or thrice in that 15 minutes.
(we keep the high flame for 10 seconds just to initiate the cooking process quickly).

Take another vessel to cook the rice. Pour 1.5 litres of water in it.
Close the vessel with a lid. Let the water heat and boil in high flame.

Once water boils, add 1 tablespoon salt.
Put the washed ½ kg basmati rice.
Add a few mint leaves. Start stirring gently. Flame is in HIGH.

Wait till rice cooks to 75%. Then turn off the flame.
Now drain out the water. Keep the cooked rice aside.

Remove the lid of the vessel with chicken.
Now, sprinkle a little of fried onions on top of chicken.      
Put the cooked rice in it. No need to stir and mix the rice with masala.
Just let the rice settle on the top evenly.   

Now we need to add the below on top of rice –

• Mint leaves – few
• Coriander leaves – few
• Dry grapes – 20
• Cashew nuts – 15
• Ghee – 1.5 tablespoon
• Remaining fried onions – sprinkle over
• Take ¼ gram of saffron – add it to a little hot water – now we can get yellow coloured water – pour it over the rice.
• Or else instead of saffron, we can use the yellow artificial colour. Mix it in water and use it.
• Pour water – 100 ml (to cook rice and chicken well)

After adding all the above, close the vessel with a lid perfectly. DUM process will start now.
Place another vessel filled with water on the lid – this will add weight and keep lid from moving away.

Let the rice and contents cook well for 15 minutes in LOW flame (DUM process).

After 15 minutes, remove the lid. Turn OFF the flame.
Mix the rice and masala well (gently stir till bottom).
Our tasty Hyderabad chicken biryani is ready to be served.