Ingredients 

For the rice

• 3 cups long-grain basmati rice
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds/shahi jeera
• 2 whole black cardamoms
• 2-3 whole green cardamoms
• 2 flowers javitri
• 3-4 whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 5-6 whole black peppercorns
• 1 whole star anise
• 2 inch stick of cinnamon
• 2 whole bay Leaves
• 2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon green chili paste
• 2-3 drops vetiver essence/kewra essence
• ½ teaspoon lime juice
• 4 teaspoon salt

For the chicken

• 1 pound bone-in chicken (cut into small pieces)
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds/shahi jeera
• 2 teaspoon ghee
• 4 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
• ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder
• 2 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 teaspoon green chili paste
• 2 tablespoon lime juice
• 200 grams thick yogurt
• 2 tablespoon chopped mint
• 2 tablespoon chopped coriander
• ¼ cup golden fried onion

For assembling the biryani

• ½ cup milk
• 10-12 strands saffron (soaked in 2 tablespoon milk)
• ½ cup golden fried onion
• 3 tablespoon ghee

Instructions

1. Start by marinating the chicken. To make the marinade, mix shahi jeera, ghee, ginger paste, garlic paste, garam masala powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, vegetables oil, green chili paste, and lime juice in a large mixing bowl.
2. Wash the chicken and drain all the water. Add it to the bowl and mix well to coat it with the marinade.
3. Cover the bowl with a lid and refrigerate it for 10-12 hours. This is the first marination.
4. After 10-12 hours, take out the bowl from the refrigerator and marinate it for the second time. Add thick yogurt, mint, coriander, and golden fried onion to the bowl. Mix everything well again.
5. Refrigerate the chicken for another hour.
6. Take an 8-inch square cotton cloth piece and add caraway seeds, whole black cardamom, whole green cardamom, javitri, whole cloves, cumin seeds, whole black peppercorn, whole star anise, whole cinnamon, and whole bay leaf in the center. Bring the ends of the cloth together and tie a knot to make a potli (bouquet garni).
7. Wash the rice 2-3 times with water until the water runs clear. Soak it in 5-6 cups of water for 30 minutes. Heat 6-8 cups of water in a large pot. Add the potli that we made earlier, cumin seeds, ginger-garlic paste, green chili paste, kewra essence, lime juice, and salt to the pot and bring the water to a boil.
8. Drain the rice and add it to the boiling water. Simmer the heat to medium and let it cook until it is 80% cooked. 80% cooked means that it still has a bite to it. Be very vigilant while cooking the rice. You don’t want to overcook it, otherwise, the biryani will become mushy. If the rice is undercooked, it will taste raw.
9. Transfer the chicken along with the marinade to a large heavy bottom pan with a tight-fitting lid. I used my 8-quart Dutch oven to cook the biryani.
10. Once the rice gets 80% cooked, discard the potli. Take the rice out using a sieve and spread it over the chicken evenly.
11. Sprinkle ½ cup milk, saffron soaked in water, golden brown onion and ghee on top.
12. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid.
13. Place the pan on high heat and cook for 5-6 minutes. Simmer the heat to very low and cook the biryani for 35-40 minutes. You can keep a griddle below the pan if the heat in your stove cannot be set to very low. The idea is to slow cook or Dum the biryani.
14. Once the biryani is cooked for 35-40 minutes, remove the lid and mix the biryani gently using a large spoon to mix the chicken pieces and the masala with the rice. Serve hot with raita or salan.