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1. Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and add yogurt, Bombay biryani seasoning mix, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, and half of the salt, then mix thoroughly to coat and refrigerate to marinate.
900 g bone-in chicken pieces,
0.8 cup plain yogurt,
3 tbsp Bombay biryani seasoning mix,
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste,
1.2 tsp salt,
2 tbsp lemon juice
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2. Rinse the basmati rice under cold water until the water runs mostly clear, then soak the rice in plenty of cold water for about 30 minutes and drain well.
2 cup basmati rice,
1.5 cup water
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3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the bay leaves, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon stick, black peppercorns, remaining salt, and soaked rice, then cook until the grains are just shy of tender with a firm center before draining and discarding the whole spices.
2 cup basmati rice,
1.2 tsp salt,
1.5 cup water,
2 piece bay leaves,
4 piece green cardamom pods,
4 piece cloves,
1 piece cinnamon stick,
0.5 tsp black peppercorns
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4. In a skillet, heat part of the vegetable oil over medium heat, add the breadcrumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, turmeric, and ground cumin, then toast while stirring until deep golden and crisp before transferring to a plate to cool.
5 tbsp vegetable oil,
2 tbsp onion powder,
1 tsp garlic powder,
1 cup breadcrumbs,
0.2 tsp ground turmeric,
0.5 tsp ground cumin
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5. Heat the remaining vegetable oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, add the marinated chicken and sear on all sides until lightly browned, then transfer everything into the slow cooker.
900 g bone-in chicken pieces,
5 tbsp vegetable oil
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6. Stir the tomato paste, water, and green chilies into the slow cooker with the chicken, cover, and cook on low until the chicken is very tender and the gravy is thick and reduced.
3 tbsp tomato paste,
1.5 cup water,
2 piece green chilies
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7. Lightly grease the inside of the slow cooker with ghee, then spoon out about half of the chicken and gravy to form an even layer, cover with half of the parboiled rice, scatter some cilantro and mint, sprinkle some garam masala and a portion of the breadcrumb onions over the top, and repeat with the remaining chicken, rice, herbs, garam masala, and breadcrumb onions.
2 cup basmati rice,
900 g bone-in chicken pieces,
2 tbsp ghee,
1 cup breadcrumbs,
1.5 tsp garam masala,
0.5 cup fresh cilantro leaves,
0.2 cup fresh mint leaves
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8. Warm the milk gently and stir in the kewra water, then drizzle this scented milk evenly over the top rice layer, cover the slow cooker with its lid, and cook on low until the rice is fully tender and the flavors have melded.
2 cup basmati rice,
0.5 cup whole milk,
1.5 tsp kewra water
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9. Let the biryani rest briefly, then gently fluff from the sides to mix some of the chicken and rice layers without breaking the grains and serve hot, ensuring each portion gets chicken, rice, and plenty of breadcrumb onions.
