Slow Cooker healthy Chicken Biriyani

Biriyani can be a very tedious and fiddly process for the impatient cook.  It is also a very high calorie dish with a lot of oil.  I tried to get all the flavors without the fat by doing the dish in a slow cooker and combining all the ingredients in one pot.  The biriyani came out tasty, although I lost the privilege of seeing my beautiful long grain rice in its full beauty as I would have if I had cooked the rice separately. It looked more like a paella.  For a home cooked meal it was hearty and satisfying, with all the flavor nicely infused throughout the dish and without the excessive use of oils or ghee.  A definite re-make, maybe in the rice cooker the next time. Thanks to my very special friend Mary Ann De Souza for the beautiful dish that the Biriyani is presented in.

Ingredients (all ready-made ground spices used)

1 1/2 pounds chicken
1 heaped teaspoon garlic
1 heaped teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 level teaspoon cardamon
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 level teaspoon turmeric
1 level teaspoon chilly powder
1 heaped teaspoon coriander
1 heaped teaspoon jeera
1/1/2 cups yogurt
2 cups basmati rice
1 cup water
2 large onions
Salt
A few potatoes ( I cooked 5 potatoes and saved the extra for snacking)

Method

Rinse the rice until the water runs clear.  Cover the rice with water and leave to soak. Set aside.

Put all the chicken in the bowl of the slow cooker.  Add 1 teaspoon salt or to taste and mix well.

Add all the spices and using a sharp pointed knife pierce the chicken all over.  Mix well so that all the pieces are well covered.

Add the yogurt and mix well.  Leave aside.

Chop 2 large onions coarsely.  Put in a microwave safe dish with a teaspoon of olive oil and cook for about 5 minutes until translucent and soft.

Add the onions to the chicken and mix.

Now add the rice (drained) and one teaspoon of salt and the water.  I threw in 2 red dried chilies for good measure. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or until the rice is cooked.

While the rice is cooking preheat the oven to 425 F.  Wash and cut the potatoes in quarters.  Sprinkle with a little salt and add 1 teaspoon of olive oil.  Mix so that all the potatoes are oiled.

Line a baking tray with foil.  Spray the foil with cooking oil and spread the potatoes in one layer.

Put in the oven and roast till browned and cooked.  This takes about 20-25 minutes.  Save some pieces to garnish the biriyani.

Spoon the biriyani from the slow cooker into a dish.  Arrange the potatoes on the top. You can also add sliced hard boiled eggs to garnish, and chopped fresh coriander. The rice can also be sprinkled with a little orange food coloring if desired.

Approx Nutrition Value:  Based on 8 servings
Calories: 303.5/ Total Fats: 8.7 gm/ Total carbs: 36.7 gm/ Protein: 22.2 gm