The Journey of Bon Appétit ’s Chicken Biryani
Every Monday night, Bon Appétit editor in chief Adam Rapoport gives us a peek inside his brain by taking over our newsletter. He shares recipes he's been cooking, restaurants he's been eating at, and more. It gets better: If you sign up for our newsletter, you'll get this letter before everyone else.
When you work in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen, you’re not only expected to keep up on what’s happening in food right this minute, you’re expected to bring a piece of home with you to the office.
Over the years, Rick Martinez has graced us with dad’s refried beans, Gaby Melian schooled us in the ways of empanada-making, and Carla Lalli Music lobbied and lectured me on the magnificence that is the Feast of the Seven Fishes (eventually I saw the light and gave her the go ahead).
Want this letter before it hits the website? Sign up for our newsletter!
Sohla El-Waylly, the newest member of the test kitchen team, figured she would bring one of her childhood favorites to BA: her mom’s biryani. And that’s when things got complicated.
In order to make the dish as home cook–friendly as possible, Sohla decided to switch from her mom’s preferred lamb biryani to chicken. But then the assertive spices in the original—mace, cubeb pepper, et al.—overpowered the chicken thighs. Sohla was stumped.
And it was at this point that Chris Morocco stepped in and suggested that she not try to replicate the dish she grew up with, but create something new, which is very much in the spirit of what we do here at BA, day in and day out.
“After Chris gave me that push, I felt confident to freestyle,” Sohla says. “I went with a basic korma vibe for my chicken marinade because it’s simple and everyone likes it. And while my mom’s biryani always has potatoes, I was juggling too many balls trying to perfectly par-cook both potatoes and rice for one dish. This omission allowed me to zero in on the rice—the most important part of any biryani.”
The result is a relatively simplified biryani that isn’t long on ingredients, but still homes in on technique, allowing the home cook to achieve fluffy, fragrant basmati, deeply tender chicken, and just enough spices, caramelized onions, and ghee-toasted nuts to introduce irresistible flair.
The recipe development process opened Sohla’s eyes. “The main thing I’ve taken away from breaking down biryani and really thinking about it is that it’s all about the rice,” she says. “Once you understand how to parboil rice, anything can be biryani. Steam rice over any saucy base—chicken Tikka masala biryani, chicken adobo biryani, beef stroganoff biryani, randang curry biryani, goulash biryani…”
But if you want to make lamb biryani, you might have to DM Sohla’s mom.
Get the recipe:
Chicken Biryani
Originally Appeared on Bon Appétit
