Spot-on combination of an authentic Jamaican jerk chicken and chicken dum biryani to create the ultimate food fusion. Perfect sync of two nations comfort food with a burst of flavor and kick of spice.
Jerk!!! No, Not that Jerk. I am referring to one of the most popular dishes we know today, Jerk Chicken. Do you know what would pair well with Jerk? BIRYANI. It’s hard to resist the urge to salivate as soon as you hear the name biryani right?! The fusion of aromatic spices along with a unique cooking method in this Jerk Chicken Dum Biryani recipe, is going to blow your mind.
Jump to:
YES, you will feel the smack of the scotch bonnet pepper as well as the wonderful fragrance of saffron from the basmati rice. Although the authentic jerk chicken recipe involves grilling over an open fire, we are here to add a little twist by creating a jerk chicken marinade for the gravy.
BIRYANI! You know it has got to be Hyderabadi chicken dum biryani when we think of it. Dum basically refers to steaming in a sealed pot, a technique which is used mostly to cook rice over slow fire. This method allows the rice to fluff up and capture all the aroma in one pot. You eventually get a dish with succulent meat along with individual grains of rice. DUM equals YUM!
Ingredients in Jerk Chicken Dum Biryani
Herbs and Spices: ginger, garlic, thyme, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon powder, peppercorns, bay leaf, cardamom, cloves, mace, cinnamon stick, star anise, chat masala, red chili powder
Liquids: lime juice, olive oil, cooking oil, apple cider vinegar, soya sauce, milk
Regular ingredients: chicken, rice, red onions, spring onions, yogurt, cucumber or boondi
Specialty ingredients: scotch bonnet peppers, saffron threads
See recipe card for quantities.
Walk through the Recipe
We bring together two components in this Jerk Chicken Dum Biryani recipe - the jerk chicken gravy and cooked biryani rice.
The jerk chicken gravy is prepared by first marinating the chicken in the jerk marinade, along with fried onion, yogurt and salt. This is allowed to sit for 2 to 3 hours. We then add oil in a pot along with caraway seeds, and cook the marinated chicken for about 15 minutes, till it turns out to have a thick gravy type consistency.
In parallel to the gravy process, we can cook the rice with some whole spices until it is 70% done. We also prepare the saffron milk and fried onions for layering.
Now it’s time to combine the gravy and rice to bring the Jerk Chicken Dum Biryani together. Starting with a layer of rice over the gravy, we then add some saffron milk and fried onions... and repeat! Allow the pot to cook on low heat, and once cooked, set it aside for 15 minutes before you serve.
You have got to serve this Jerk Chicken Dum Biryani with raita. Just put together a mixture of curd, boondi or cucumber and salt. Add a pinch of red chili powder if you’d like, and there you have the perfect pair for your biryani.
Substitutions
You can replace some of the ingredients in the recipe, to suit what you have at home, or if you don't find them in the store
- Scotch bonnet pepper: habanero or serrano pepper
- Caraway seeds: cumin seeds
- All spice: garam masala
- Apple cider vinegar: red wine vinegar, white vinegar
- Saffron: saffron powder or orange food coloring
Tips
- Choose the right rice. For Biryani, it has to be long grain basmati rice.
- Rinse the rice thoroughly to remove excess starch and soak it for 30-45 minutes. This helps to achieve fluffy and separate grains of rice.
- Zero waste tips: Add the tops/roots of the spring onions while grinding the marinade for the jerk chicken.
- Adjust the heat level by adding the scotch peppers based on your heat tolerance. Try removing the seeds and membranes for a milder taste or add in more peppers for extra spice. You can also add brown sugar or honey to the marinade to reduce the spice.
- The longer you marinade the chicken, the more intense flavor you achieve. Ideally overnight in the refrigerator would help the chicken soak up all that flavor.
FAQs
Yes, you can store it for up to a couple of days in the refrigerator and reheat it in a microwave before serving.
Yes, it turns out to be as good as a regular pot. Just follow the right settings as mentioned in the manual.
Common ratio is 1:1 which means 1lb chicken would equal to 1lb rice. Adjust the quantity based on the number of servings.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
- Tender Beef Karahi Recipe
- Jerk Shrimp Pasta (Rasta Pasta Recipe)
- Mushroom Pappardelle
- Chicken Fajita Rice Bowl
Fusion Recipes
Try out some of our specialty recipes:
- Jerk Chicken Quesadilla
- Sumac Fries
- Crispy Brussels Sprouts Recipe (Indian style)
- Easy Crab Rangoon Egg Rolls
Recipe
Jerk Chicken Dum Biryani
Ingredients
Jerk marinade
- 1 red onion sliced and fried
- 1 spring onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 inch ginger
- 2 scotch bonnet pepper
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon soya sauce
- 2 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 tablespoon allspice
- 8-10 peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon salt
Spices for boiling rice
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 pods cardamom
- 5 cloves
- 1 teaspoon mace
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon salt
Other ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken drum and thigh with bone
- 2 red onions slice and fried (3 small cup)
- 3 tablespoon yogurt
- 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
- ½ cup milk
- 4 cups basmati rice
- vegetable/cooking oil
- 1 pinch saffron
Raita
- 2 cups yogurt
- ½ teaspoon chat masala
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ cup cucumber or boondi (tiny fried gram flour balls)
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor, combine all the ingredients for the jerk marinade and blend to a smooth paste. You can add little water to help with blending.
- In a bowl, add chicken, salt, 1 cup fried onions and the jerk marinade. Mix well to coat evenly and set aside for 1 hour. After1 hour, mix 3 tablespoon yogurt to the marinated chicken and set aside overnight or 2 hours.
- Rinse the basmati rice in cold water until the water runs clear. Soak the rice in water for 30-45 minutes.
- Heat 1 cup milk and add a pinch of saffron.
- In a large pot, heat 4 tablespoons of oil over medium heat and add the caraway seeds. After the caraway seeds crackle, instantly add the marinated chicken and cook for 15 mins.
- In a separate large pot, add 6-8 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Add the spices and let it boil for another 2 mins. Drain the rice and add it to the pot. Cook the rice until 70 -75% done. Use a spider strainer to drain the rice.
- Add 2 layers of remaining fried onions, saffron milk and rice. Cover with a silver foil and lid. Set the pot on low heat and cook for another 15 mins to allow the aroma to stay it in.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let it rest covered for another 15 mins to allow the flavors to further develop. Gently lift the rice with a spatula to reveal the layers of fluffed rice with chicken.
- Garnish with the remaining fried onions and serve the hot biryani with a cool cucumber or boondi raita.
Christopher Dcunha
On point 💯