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1. Pat the chicken dry and make a few shallow slashes in each piece.
8 piece bone-in chicken thighs
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2. In a large bowl combine the Bombay biryani seasoning mix, yogurt, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste and salt to form a thick marinade.
4 tbsp Bombay biryani seasoning mix,
0.8 cup plain yogurt,
2 tbsp lemon juice,
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste,
1.5 tsp salt
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3. Add the chicken to the bowl, coat well with the marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight for best flavor.
8 piece bone-in chicken thighs
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4. Rinse the basmati rice under cold water until the water runs almost clear, then soak it in fresh water for 30 minutes and drain.
2 cup basmati rice,
2.2 cup water
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5. Peel and thinly slice the onions, dice the tomatoes, slit the green chilies lengthwise, and roughly chop the cilantro and mint.
3 piece onion,
2 piece tomato,
3 piece green chili,
0.5 cup fresh cilantro,
0.5 cup fresh mint
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6. In a small bowl warm the milk slightly in the microwave or on the stove, add the saffron strands, lightly crush them with your fingers and let them steep.
0.5 cup whole milk,
0.2 tsp saffron strands
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7. Heat the ghee and vegetable oil together in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the cumin seeds, bay leaf, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon stick and black peppercorns and fry until fragrant, about 1 minute.
0.2 cup ghee,
2 tbsp vegetable oil,
1 tsp whole cumin seeds,
2 piece bay leaf,
4 piece green cardamom pod,
4 piece clove,
1 piece cinnamon stick,
0.5 tsp black peppercorns
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8. Add the sliced onions to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until deep golden brown and lightly crisp at the edges, about 15 to 18 minutes.
3 piece onion,
0.2 cup ghee
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9. Stir in the diced tomatoes and green chilies and cook until the tomatoes soften and most of their moisture evaporates, about 5 minutes.
3 piece onion,
2 piece tomato,
3 piece green chili
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10. Lightly grease the inside of the slow cooker insert with a little ghee or oil, then spread half of the onion-tomato mixture in an even layer on the bottom.
3 piece onion,
2 piece tomato,
0.2 cup ghee,
2 tbsp vegetable oil
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11. Place all of the marinated chicken pieces over the onion layer, pouring any remaining marinade over the top.
8 piece bone-in chicken thighs
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12. Scatter half of the chopped cilantro and half of the chopped mint over the chicken.
0.2 cup fresh cilantro,
0.2 cup fresh mint
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13. In a bowl combine the drained basmati rice with the remaining onion-tomato mixture, mixing gently to coat the rice in the masala.
2 cup basmati rice,
3 piece onion,
2 piece tomato
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14. Spread the rice mixture evenly over the chicken in the slow cooker, then pour the measured water around the sides so it seeps down without disturbing the layers.
2 cup basmati rice,
2.2 cup water
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15. Drizzle the saffron-infused milk over the top layer of rice, then sprinkle the remaining cilantro and mint evenly over the surface.
0.5 cup fresh cilantro,
0.5 cup fresh mint,
0.5 cup whole milk,
0.2 tsp saffron strands
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16. Cover the slow cooker with its lid and cook on low for 4.5 to 5 hours, or on high for 2.5 to 3 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender and fluffy.
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17. Once cooked, turn the slow cooker to warm and let the biryani rest undisturbed for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the rice to firm up slightly.
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18. For the smoky dum finish, place a small square of aluminum foil in a heat-safe ramekin, set a piece of charcoal on it, and using tongs carefully heat the charcoal over an open flame until red hot.
1 piece charcoal piece (for smoke),
1 piece aluminum foil
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19. Briefly open the slow cooker, create a small well in the rice, place the ramekin with the hot charcoal in the well, drizzle a little ghee over the charcoal to generate smoke, quickly close the lid and let it infuse for 5 to 7 minutes, then remove the ramekin.
0.2 cup ghee,
1 piece charcoal piece (for smoke)
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20. Gently fluff the biryani from the sides with a flat spoon, lifting the rice and chicken together without breaking the grains, then garnish the top with fried onions before serving hot.
0.8 cup fried onions (for garnish)
