Chicken yakhni pulao is an Indian (and Pakistani) take on comforting chicken and rice. Packed with tender chicken, and perfectly spiced, and fluffy onion rice, this chicken pulao is a meal all by itself, but even better when paired with a fresh kachumber salad. The best part is that this recipe comes together entirely on the stovetop, in one pot!
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👩🏽🍳 Why This Recipe Works
- Flavorful, aromatic broth: The heart of this yakhni pulao is the well-seasoned chicken broth, which infuses the rice and chicken with a rich, aromatic flavor. This broth is infused with classic whole spices like cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon, which adds depth to the broth in a short amount of time.
- One-Pot Convenience: Chicken pulao is typically a one-pot meal, making the cooking process simple and easy, and minimizing cleanup and dishes.
- Tender Chicken every time: This recipe is a great use for more inexpensive bone-in chicken pieces, which become soft, tender, and flavorful as they simmer in the broth. This gives you juicy, moist chicken in the final dish.
🥘 Ingredient notes
Get Your Pantry Ready to Cook!
For more detailed information on many of the ingredients used in this recipe, check out this guide to 20 pantry staple ingredients in Indian cooking!
- Bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks: Bone-in chicken not only stays juicy throughout the cooking process, but also adds extra flavor and nutrients to the broth. I recommend using skinless cuts, as the fat will become rubbery as it boils in the broth. My preference is dark meat as it is more forgiving to longer cook times.
- Basmati rice: Basmati rice is typically the rice of choice for chicken pulao. Basmati rice is a long grain rice, that is not excessively starchy. When cooked well, the grains of the rice stay separated yet fluffy. Basmati rice also has a beautiful aroma, that adds to the pulao cooking experience.
- Plain yogurt: For this recipe, or most Indian recipes where yogurt is used in the actual cooking process, I recommend using a regular 2% fat or higher yogurt. Greek yogurt is not the best option for cooking specifically.
- Whole spices: One of the highlights of yakhni pulao is the aromatic broth that the rice cooks in. You will need whole black peppercorns, cloves, coriander seeds, black and green cardamom, and a cinnamon stick.
- Bay leaves: You will notice that the bay leaves pictured in the recipe ingredients look different than standard North American bay leaves. Indian bay leaves are also called "tej patta" if you are shopping in Indian grocery stores. The main difference between the two is the size, of course, but the flavor notes. Indian bay leaves tend to be warmer in flavor, more similar to cinnamon notes.
A full list of ingredients with measurements is located on the recipe card, below.
📖 Substitutions
- Chicken thighs and drumsticks: You can opt for all drumsticks or all drumsticks. If you prefer chicken breasts, you can use bone-in skinless chicken breasts that have been cut into smaller pieces. The chicken will be more prone to drying out, so be mindful of that if making substitutions.
- Basmati rice: Jasmine rice can be used in place of basmati rice, however it is important to note that it is slightly stickier when cooked. You can also use standard long-grain rice, but you will miss out on the fragrance and aromatics of basmati or jasmine rice.
- Ginger and garlic paste: Freshly minced ginger and garlic will work just fine as a substitute.
🔪 Variations
- Extra vegetables: Add your favorite frozen vegetables to the cooked rice, for some extra nutrition.
- Herby: Add some freshly chopped mint, cilantro, or both to the cooked pulao for an extra fresh burst of flavor.
- Nuts or dried fruit: Cashews, almonds, or raisins are great additions to pulao if you enjoy them. Although not traditional, there is nothing wrong with some experimentation!
⏲️ Step-by-step Instructions
Prep Work Before Cooking
- Collecting all your ingredients: This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.
- Remove the skin from the chicken: Typically when buying bone-in chicken, the skin is included. Using your hands, pull the skin off of the chicken thighs and drumsticks.
- Rinse the rice: Thoroughly wash your rice until the water runs clear.
Add the chicken pieces, onion, whole spices, and salt to a large pot. [photo 1]
Top the pot off with water, and simmer over medium heat. Let the broth simmer for 30 minutes minimum, until the chicken is cooked through and the broth is aromatic. [photo 2]
Remove the chicken pieces from the pot and set aside on a plate. Pass the broth through a sieve over a large bowl, to catch the onions and whole spices. Keep the broth aside. [photo 3]
Return the same pot to the stove over medium-high heat. Add ¼ cup of vegetable oil to the pot, and add the sliced onions. Cook the onions until they are a deep golden brown. [photo 4]
Add the dry spices and yogurt to the pan, and cook through until the oils start to separate. [photo 5]
Return the chicken pieces to the pot, and stir to coat them in the yogurt-spice mixture. Lightly saute the chicken for 1-2 minutes. [photo 6]
Add the rinsed rice to the pot, and stir to combine with the spices and the chicken. Cover the rice with the broth that was set aside, and turn the heat to medium-low.
Place a lid on the pot, and cook for 13-17 minutes, until the water is mostly absorbed. Turn the heat off, and keep the pot covered for another 5-7 minutes to allow the rice to steam.
Using a fork or a flat rice paddle, fluff the rice. Serve on a platter or straight out of the pot.
💭 Expert Tips
- Keep the onion skin on: By keeping the onion skin on while making the yakhni (broth), you get a beautiful deep golden color without needing to simmer the broth for hours.
- Do not rush browning the onions: Browning the onions is a key layer of making pulao. It does take some time to get the deep brown color you are looking for, but patience is key.
- Do not skip the carry-over steaming: Steaming the rice is one of the surefire ways to get perfectly fluffy, and separated rice grains.
🍽 Make Ahead & Storage
If you would like to save some additional time, you can par cook the rice and store in an airtight container in the fridge. When you are ready to make the pulao, you can simply add the rice to the chicken and masala mixture, and add some of the homemade broth to fully cook the rice.
You can prepare the yakhni, or broth, 2-3 days in advance. Let it cool completely, and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Store leftover prepared chicken pulao in the fridge for 2-3 days, in an airtight container.
Reheat cold pulao with a splash of water or with one ice cube, and cover to allow the rice to rehydrate and steam back to a fluffy texture.
⭐ Recipe FAQs
To prevent the rice from becoming mushy, make sure you measure the water carefully, and avoid overcooking the rice. One of the key to fluffy and not mushy rice, is letting the rice steam to cook through. Let the pulao rest for a few minutes after cooking before fluffing it with a fork.
Absolutely - you can adjust the spice level by adding green chilies to the masala mixture, or additional red chili powder according to your preference and heat tolerance.
If your pulao becomes too salty, you can try diluting the saltiness by adding more rice or additional plain yogurt or cooked potatoes.
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One-Pot Chicken Yakhni Pulao {Stovetop}
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Broth
- 1 lb Chicken drumsticks and thighs - bone-in, skinless
- 5 cups Water
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 1 pod Black cardamom
- 2 Cloves
- 2 pods Green cardamom
- 1 tablespoon Coriander seeds
- 1 Yellow onion - skin-on, quartered
- 1 tablespoon Black peppercorns
- 2 Bay leaves - Indian variety (tej patta)
- 1 tablespoon Sea salt
For the Pulao
- ¼ cup Vegetable oil
- 1 Yellow onion - thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoon Ginger & garlic paste
- 2 tablespoon Plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon Garam masala
- 2 teaspoon Ground coriander
- ½ tablespoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- 2 cups Basmati rice - rinsed
- Sea salt - to taste
Instructions
- Add the chicken pieces, onion, whole spices, and salt to a large pot.1 lb Chicken drumsticks and thighs, 1 Cinnamon stick, 1 pod Black cardamom, 2 Cloves, 2 pods Green cardamom, 1 tablespoon Coriander seeds, 1 Yellow onion, 1 tablespoon Black peppercorns, 2 Bay leaves, 1 tablespoon Sea salt
- Top the pot off with water, and simmer over medium heat. Let the broth simmer for 30 minutes minimum, until the chicken is cooked through and the broth is aromatic.5 cups Water
- Remove the chicken pieces from the pot and set aside on a plate. Pass the broth through a sieve over a large bowl, to catch the onions and whole spices. Keep the broth aside.
- Return the same pot to the stove over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil to the pot, and add the sliced onions. Cook the onions until they are a deep golden brown. Add the ginger & garlic paste to the onions, and lightly fry.¼ cup Vegetable oil, 1 Yellow onion, 2 tablespoon Ginger & garlic paste
- Add the dry spices and yogurt to the pan, and cook through until the oils start to separate.2 tablespoon Plain yogurt, 1 tablespoon Garam masala, 2 teaspoon Ground coriander, ½ tablespoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- Return the chicken pieces to the pot, and stir to coat them in the yogurt-spice mixture. Lightly saute the chicken for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the rinsed rice to the pot, and stir to combine with the spices and the chicken. Cover with the broth that was set aside, and turn the heat to medium-low.2 cups Basmati rice, Sea salt
- Cover the pot with a lid, and cook for 13-17 minutes, until the water is mostly absorbed. Turn the heat off, and keep the pot covered for another 5-7 minutes to allow the rice to steam.
- Using a fork or a flat rice paddle, fluff the rice. Serve on a platter or straight out of the pot.
✱Recipe Notes
- Keep the onion skin on: By keeping the onion skin on while making the yakhni (broth), you get a beautiful deep golden color without needing to simmer the broth for hours.
- Do not rush browning the onions: Browning the onions is a key layer of making pulao. It does take some time to get the deep brown color you are looking for, but patience is key.
- Do not skip the carry-over steaming: Steaming the rice is one of the surefire ways to get perfectly fluffy, and separated rice grains.
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