Today we are happy to have Laura from Paleo In Comparison share a recipe on our site for Chicken Biryani with Saffron Cauli Rice. Laura is a lovely new Paleo blogger, and we found her on Instagram not that long ago. Laura makes delicious paleo and primal recipes that are easy to follow, and we love that she is a fan of a good #selfie.
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A couple of years ago, my husband and I took part in the wedding of two very dear friends. The groom is Pakistani, so we had the privilege of being part of both the American ceremony, and the traditional Pakistani ceremony. The Pakistani ceremony was beautiful, the party was a blast, and the food was…well, THE FOOD. Every bite was fantastic!
I wanted to take on a Pakistani dish, and decided to go all out with this Chicken Biryani. It’s traditionally reserved for special occasions, but in my house managing to keep the kids alive all day is reason enough to celebrate!
While this recipe does take a little patience, it is not in any way complicated to make. And as a sweet bonus, your kitchen will smell fantastic!
Recipe Alternatives:
Chicken Biryani traditionally has potatoes, I have omitted them because I don’t eat them often. However, if you wish to include potatoes, simply chop up a couple of white potatoes, pan fry in a little fat until done and set aside. You can just add them to the dish during plating.
I chose to go with some bone in, skin on chicken thighs. You can use any cut of chicken you’d like. It’s most popular to cut up some chicken breast. It doesn’t make much difference at all in the cooking process, so just go with what you love.
Chicken biryani calls for plain yogurt, but I used coconut milk yogurt to keep this dish dairy free. Unsweetened coconut cream would work as well, or to make it a little more primal, you can use grass-fed plain yogurt.
Finally, I have used ghee as the cooking fat for a more authentic flavor. However, you can use grass-fed butter or olive oil, as well.
I hope you enjoy this dish as much as my family did!
Chicken Biryani
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken thighs (or cut of choice)
- 3 Tbs ghee (I like OMghee)
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1-2 small onions)
- 3 cups skinned & diced tomatoes
- 2 Tbs plain coconut milk yogurt
- 3 cloves of garlic crushed
- 3 T Fresh Chopped Mint
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- In a large pan over medium heat, melt ghee. Add onions and cook until done. Turn the heat down to low.
- To the onions, add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and cook on low heat until the tomatoes have cooked all the way down into a sauce.
- Stir the sauce occasionally to ensure it doesn’t burnt to the bottom. I like to mash the tomatoes a bit as it cooks to speed up the process.
- Once the tomatoes have cooked down to a sauce, add the chicken & coat with the sauce.
- Cover and cook on low until chicken is done. This takes approximately 45 minutes to an hour.
Saffron Cauli Rice
Ingredients
- 1 head of fresh cauliflower chopped
- 2 tsp saffron threads (or 1 tsp ground saffron)
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt (to taste)
- 1 Tbs ghee
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine cauliflower, saffron threads, ground cloves, and salt.
- Pulse in the food processor until cauliflower is roughly the size of grains of rice.
- In a pan over medium heat, melt ghee. Add cauliflower rice and cook until just heated through.
- If you like your cauli rice a little softer, just continue cooking until you get the texture you’d like.
- To Plate: Spoon some cauli rice onto a plate, top with the chicken and sauce, and garnish with a little sprig of mint and ENJOY!
Connect With Laura!
Website
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]http://paleoparents.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/laura-square.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Laura is a stay-at-home homeschooling mom of two boys. She stumbled into Paleo in 2011, and has since then lost a total of 60 pounds. Paleo helped free her from years of eating disorders, food addiction, and low energy. She now feeds her family wholesome Paleo and Primal meals. She has a passion for cooking, and enjoys sharing that passion through her blog.[/author_info] [/author]
