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Chicken Pulao - The BEST One Pot Recipe

Chicken Pulao is one of the most popular Pakistani recipes and this method makes it a super quick and easy affair, using just one pot and a convenient spice cloth,
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
4.68 from 31 votes
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Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoon (60 ml) oil or ghee
  • 3 (330 g) onions sliced
  • 10 cloves garlic
  • 1.5 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 1.7 lb (800 g) chicken, bone in about one medium sized chicken
  • 2 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
  • 4 teaspoon salt or to taste

Whole spices to be wrapped up in a cloth

  • 1 finger-sized piece whole cinnamon
  • 2.5 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
  • 2.5 tablespoon black peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaf
  • 10 green cardamoms
  • 3 black cardamoms
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 0.5 star anise
  • 2.5 cups (½ kg) white basmati rice washed and soaked for a minimum of 30 minutes
  • 3.5 cups/850ml water (IMPORTANT: please read notes if you are changing the serving size)

Instructions

  • Heat oil/ghee in a pot or pan and add the onions. Fry these until the onions become gold. Towards the end of this fry-time, add the garlic and ginger.
    Chicken Pulao - The BEST one pot recipe
  • Add the chicken and cumin seeds. Fry the chicken well until it no longer remains pink and becomes to turn gold, stirring to ensure it doesn't catch at the bottm of the pot.
  • Chicken Pulao - The BEST one pot recipe
  • Once the chicken is golden, add a half a cup of water and salt. Make a ball using the whole spices and the spice cloth and add this too. Cover with a lid and cook this for 20 minutes.
    Chicken Pulao - The BEST one pot recipe
  • Uncover and add 3.5 cups of hot water. Bring this to a boil and then add the basmati rice. Give everything a good stir, being careful not to be to harsh.
    Chicken Pulao - The BEST one pot recipe
  • Cook this on high until most of the water has dried out (this may take about 10 minutes)
    Chicken Pulao - The BEST one pot recipe
  • Turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Cover with a tight lid, and allow the Pulao to steam-cook for 15-20 minutes
  • Fluff up with a fork and serve while hot
    Chicken Pulao - The BEST one pot recipe

Notes

If you are adjusting the serving size: the amount of water you use will be: 0.5x = 2.25 cups/700ml water, 1x = 3.5 cups/850ml, 2x = 6 cups/1.2l water, 3x = 8.5 cups/2l water.

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