This hariyali chicken pulao never fails to impress. The herbs and aromatics that give this rice dish its green-ish hue also make it incredibly delicious. Quite a departure from your classic chicken pulao in taste, but it gives the familiar favorite a solid run for its money.
The number of rice recipes I have on this blog is quickly outpacing all other categories. Simple because I love rice. Especially pulaos. Chicken yakhni pulao, chana pulao, matar chicken pulao, beef pulao, you name it.
If you're a pulao fan like me, this recipe is an absolute must-try. You won't find any ingredient on the list that's out of the ordinary, yet the combination of them all and the way this dish is made results in a surprisingly different, fabulous taste.
If you've been around here for a bit, you know I love to reduce the prep effort with my handy-dandy blender. And that's what I do here too.
I start by making a blended masala paste that has cilantro and mint as the main ingredients. Then I fry onions, some whole spices, and chicken, and I pour in the prepared paste and yogurt. Water goes in, some aromatics go in, and then the rice.
My fail-proof method of cooking will give you perfectly fluffy rice. And when you lift the lid after the pulao is finished cooking, you will want to dig right in. It smells as incredible as it tastes.
Pre-cooking notes and tips
- Make sure you’re using ice and cold water when making masala paste in the blender. The cold helps lock in the color of the herbs, which might otherwise turn brown from the heat generated by the blender during puréeing. It also helps preserve the flavors.
- Red and yellow onions both work fine. Use whatever you've got.
- If in a rush, you can sub in pre-fried onions. They’ll make the pulao look a bit darker (more brown-ish), and the flavor will be slightly different, but the pulao should still be delicious.
- Feel free to use chicken powder or base instead of a bouillon cube. The cube I use is meant for 2 cups of broth, so when using a substitute, check the package to figure out the equivalent amount you’ll need.
- Fresh ginger and garlic are essential for the best flavor, so avoid the store-bought pastes.
- Sella (aka parboiled basmati) needs a minimum of 2 hours of soaking. But if you’re in a hurry, soak it in warm, not hot, water for an hour at least.
- As I always say in all my rice recipes, don't lift the lid from your pan/pot during the steaming and resting steps. Trust the process. Once that steam escapes, it won't build back up. You'll get unevenly cooked or undercooked rice.
- Regular basmati rice works fine if that’s what you want to use, but it’s less forgiving than sella if it mistakenly overcooks. Soak it for 30 minutes and steam for 10 minutes instead of 15. Everything else in the recipe stays the same.
- I use Thai green chilies, but you can swap in other types and adjust the amount to your taste. Avoid thick-walled ones like jalapenos or serranos.
- You can use boneless chicken, but bone-in gives a better taste because of the added brothiness from the bones.
- For desi dishes, I prefer using slightly aged yogurt. Recently packaged store-bought varieties lack tang. Also, letting it sit at room temperature, or a slightly warm spot, for a few hours helps it sour faster.
Serving ideas
This pulao doesn’t really need anything alongside it because of its bold, vibrant flavor. If you want a little something, a fresh kachumber or some raita will be nice. Avoid chutneys or pickles as they’ll overpower the taste.
And that's a wrap!
I am so excited to share this green chicken pulao recipe with you. It's an absolute treat for rice lovers. Give it a try and swing back to tell me how it turned out.
Happy cooking ~ Nelo
Hariyali Chicken Pulao (Chicken Rice Pilaf)
Ingredients
For Hariyali Masala Paste
- 1 cup cilantro - aka coriander/dhaniya, roughly chopped (see Note A)
- ½ cup mint leaves - aka pudina, roughly chopped
- 6 cloves garlic - peeled
- 1 inch piece of ginger - peeled
- 3 small green chilies - I use Thai/Birds eye chilies
- 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds - aka sabut dhaniya
- ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns - aka sabut kali mirch
- 2 green cardamoms - aka choti elaichi
- 2 whole cloves - aka laung
For Pulao
- ½ cup cooking oil - any neutral oil
- 1 medium onion - finely chopped
- 1.5 teaspoons cumin seeds - aka safaid zeera
- 2 black cardamoms - aka bari elaichi
- 1 inch piece of cinnamom - aka dalchini
- 1 pound (500 g) chicken - skinless, bone in, cut into pieces (Note B)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder - aka haldi
- 2.5 teaspoons salt - I use regular white/table salt
- ¼ cup (60 g) plain yogurt - mix until smooth
- 1 chicken cube - aka chicken bouillon cube
- 1 small (100 g) tomato - thinly sliced, I use Roma tomatoes
- ½ inch piece of ginger - peeled and julienned (cut into fine matchsticks)
- 2.5 tablespoons lemon juice - fresh
- 6 small green chilies - whole, uncut
- 2 cups (400 g) sella/parboiled basmati rice - washed, soaked for 2 hours, then drained (Note C)
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients listed under "haryali masala paste", along with ½ cup cold water and 3 ice cubes to a blender, and process until completely smooth. Cold water and ice cubes help retain that vibrant green color and flavor of the herbs.
- Heat cooking oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add finely chopped onion and cook until it just starts to turn golden around the edges.
- Add cumin seeds, black cardamoms, cinnamon, and saute 1 minute. Add the chicken pieces. Stir and cook until they're no longer pink.
- Add the prepared "hariyali masala paste", turmeric, and salt. Stir for 2 minutes. Then mix in yogurt. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for another 8 to 12 minutes or until the chicken is almost done. Stir a few times.
- Pour in 2.5 cups of water. Crumble the chicken cube so it dissolves quickly, and add it in. Bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once boiling, add sliced tomato, julienned ginger, lemon juice, and 6 whole green chilies (pull the stems out, but chilies should have no cuts or openings to avoid extra heat). Also add rice, gently stir to mix.
- Partially cover the pot with lid and let liquid reduce over medium-high heat (or medium if your burner is strong). Don't stir yet, just keep an eye. At first, the bubbles on the surface will be big and vigorous. As the liquid cooks down further, you'll start to see small bubbles and steam holes across the surface. That’s your cue to give a brief, gentle stir. Some liquid (around 10 to 20 percent) will still be left, which is intended.
- Cover completely with lid right away, and reduce heat to the lowest setting. Let it steam 15 minutes. If using regular basmati instead of sella basmati, steam 10 minutes instead. DO NOT remove the lid. No peeking, no stirring.
- Turn off the heat. DO NOT remove the lid yet and leave the pot on the same burner. Let the rice rest for 15 minutes so it finishes cooking in residual heat.
- After the resting time, remove the lid, plate the rice using a flat, wide utensil like a rice paddle, and enjoy.
Zunera says
Being a biryani person, I decided to try my hand at making pulao for the first time, and it was an absolute hit! The flavours turned out so fresh and vibrant, and the recipe was surprisingly easy to follow. Everything came together beautifully without any stress. Definitely a keeper for future meals. Highly recommend giving it a try!
Nelo says
Yaay! Thanks for the lovely review, Zunera. I am SO happy you gave it a try and enjoyed it 🙂