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One-pot chicken pilau with separate basmati grains, bone-in chicken and browned onions
Pilau fresh off the steam – golden rice gently fluffed, topped with fried onions and coriander, lemon wedges to the side.

One-Pot Chicken Pilau

Everything in one heavy pan: deeply browned onions, bone-in chicken, then rice steamed on top until every grain is separate and stained with masala.

Prep
15 mins
Cook
45 mins
Total
60 mins
Serves
5
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Kitchen roadmap

Before you cook

The details that make or break this dish, mapped to the exact step where they matter.

  1. Make sureDrain the rice thoroughly
  2. Watch forTake the onions deep golden
  3. Watch forCheck the liquid level
  4. Avoid thisDo not stir or lift the lid

Ingredients

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Method

12 steps

  1. Wash the rice until the water runs mostly clear.

    Soak for 20 minutes, then drain.

  2. Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan.

    Cook the onion for 10–12 minutes until deeply golden.

    Thinly sliced onions cooked to a deep even golden brown in a heavy saucepan

  3. Remove a small amount of onion for garnishing.

  4. Add the chicken and brown for 6–8 minutes.

  5. Add the ginger and garlic paste, followed by the tomatoes and AL Mix. Cook for 5 minutes.

  6. Lower the heat and stir in the yoghurt gradually.

    Cook until the masala thickens and coats the chicken.

  7. Add the hot stock and green chilli.

    Simmer until the chicken is approximately 80 per cent cooked.

  8. Add the drained rice.

    The liquid should sit around 1cm above the rice.

    Flat layer of drained basmati rice in a heavy pot with hot stock sitting about one centimetre above it

  9. Cook uncovered over medium heat until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

  10. Cover tightly, reduce to the lowest heat and steam for 15 minutes.

  11. Turn off the heat and rest for 10 minutes before gently fluffing the rice.

  12. Finish with coriander, fried onions and lemon wedges.

If it does not come out right

The faults this dish actually has. Open one for the fix.

How much garam masala per kg of chicken?

Use 8 g of garam masala per 1 kg of chicken – two level teaspoons – stirred in during the final three to five minutes of cooking, because garam masala is a finishing spice and its aromatic oils are driven off by a long simmer.

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How long do you fry onions for a curry base?

Fry sliced onions for 20 to 25 minutes over medium heat for a standard Punjabi curry base, until they are deep golden and collapsed – seven minutes gives a pale, sweet base, and 35 to 45 minutes on low gives the dark, jammy base used for a bhuna or a restaurant-style gravy.

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How much spice blend per person?

Allow 4 g of an all-purpose South Asian spice blend per person for a curry – about one level teaspoon – which is 16 g for a family of four, or roughly 2 g for every 100 g of raw meat or vegetables.

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