Photograph of this dish. Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka · CC BY-SA 4.0.
Pakistani · Pakistan
Chicken biryani
Also called بریانی
Chicken biryani, a dish from Pakistan (بریانی).
Pai editors’ mark 4 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
Chicken biryani is cooked in Pakistan as its own dish. Parboil the rice, layer it with yogurt-marinated chicken, and steam until the grains are separate. Amounts are scaled for four from foods this library can count, so the nutrition panel comes from those ingredients.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
68
Health score
Light & nourishing
Moderate
Richness
Gentle
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 27%
- Carbs 47%
- Fat 26%
Watch · Diabetes-friendly
It misses a gentler mark: sugar, fiber, the starch mix, or the richness of the plate.
Watch · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, or fiber keeps this off the heart-friendly list.
Watch · Weight loss
Calories, protein, or richness make this a fuller plate than a light day wants.
Suits · High protein
About 39.6 g of protein in the serving.
Watch · Low sodium
About 550 mg of sodium, above the 450 mg mark.
Suits · Gluten-free
No wheat, barley, or rye in the required list. Still read labels on sauces and oats.
Watch · Dairy-free
A milk ingredient is in the required list.
Watch · Vegetarian
Meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish is in the required list.
Suits · Pregnancy
No alcohol, liver, or caffeine in the required list. Cook meat, eggs, and seafood through.
Watch · Gentle when sick
The heat is more than a gentle bowl wants.
Watch · Kid-friendly
The heat is above a mild mark.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- Dry basmati rice274 kcal
- Chicken thigh157 kcal
- Greek yogurt, 2%86 kcal
- Neutral oil62 kcal
- Yellow onion18 kcal
- Garam masala2 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 39. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving, as written, is about 600 kcal.
Allergens. Milk
Make it healthier
Use half the salt
Salt adds no calories in this table, so the calorie figure stays put while sodium falls.
About 600 kcal after the change.
Use half the kosher salt and brighten the plate with lemon or lime.
The same dish with less sodium. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Replace the meat or fish with the same weight of drained chickpeas.
The seasoning and the method stay. The center of the plate changes. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 600 kcal | 30% |
| Protein | 39.6 g | 79% |
| Carbohydrate | 69.1 g | 25% |
| Fiber | 2.1 g | 8% |
| Total sugars | 4.9 g | 10% |
| Fat | 17 g | 22% |
| Saturated fat | 4.8 g | 24% |
| Cholesterol | 138 mg | 46% |
| Sodium | 550 mg | 24% |
| Potassium | 630 mg | 13% |
| Calcium | 148 mg | 11% |
| Iron | 4.9 mg | 27% |
| Magnesium | 65 mg | 15% |
| Zinc | 3.4 mg | 31% |
| Vitamin A · estimate | 72 mcg | 8% |
| Vitamin C | 4.7 mg | 5% |
| Vitamin D | 0 mcg | 0% |
| Vitamin E · estimate | 1 mg | 7% |
| Vitamin K · estimate | 31 mcg | 26% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.6 mg | 53% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.5 mg | 42% |
| Niacin (B3) | 10.7 mg | 67% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.8 mg | 47% |
| Folate | 192 mcg | 48% |
| Vitamin B12 · estimate | 1.3 mcg | 55% |
Low-confidence marks sit on glycemic load or on vitamins the USDA row left blank. Those vitamins are filled from a food-group reference and labeled as estimates. Reported USDA values, including zeros, are kept. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- Calories land in a hearty range. Pair it with a lighter meal later.
- Protein is high enough to make the meal satisfying.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Heavy pot
- Scale
- Wooden spoon
- Ladle
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
Dry basmati rice1.5 cups300 g- Chicken thigh4 thighs520 g
Greek yogurt, 2%1.5 cups360 g
Yellow onion1 onion180 g
Garam masala1 tsp2 g
Saffron1 pinch0.1 g
Mint0.33 cup10 g
Cilantro0.5 cup15 g
Neutral oil2 tbsp30.77 ml
Kosher salt1 tsp4 g
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Use half the kosher salt and brighten the plate with lemon or lime.. The same dish with less sodium.
- Replace the meat or fish with the same weight of drained chickpeas.. The seasoning and the method stay. The center of the plate changes.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Set a heavy pot over medium heat. For Chicken biryani, start here: parboil the rice, layer it with yogurt-marinated chicken, and steam until the grains are separate.
AI-generated photo.
2Parboil the rice, layer it with yogurt-marinated chicken, and steam until the grains are separate.
Cook 55 min
AI-generated photo.
3The liquid should be quiet and the center tender. Stop when this is true of Chicken biryani: Parboil the rice, layer it with yogurt-marinated chicken, and steam until the grains are separate.
AI-generated photo.
4Ladle it into warm bowls. Chicken biryani is eaten in Pakistan as this plate, with the sauce or garnish that belongs to it.
How you know it is done
Chicken biryani is done when the thickest piece is tender and the liquid is quiet, not at a hard boil.
If it goes wrong
- Chicken biryani looks done on top and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue in the method, not the color alone. Give it a few more minutes and check the center.
- Chicken biryani spread, sank, or turned out dry. Measure by weight next time, heat the oven fully, and stop when the doneness cue appears rather than when the timer ends.
Storage
Cool Chicken biryani, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze portions for a month if the dish reheats in a pot or oven, not a raw salad.
How this dish helps your daily life
- Chicken biryani is cooked by simmer in Pakistan. The steps follow that technique, including the timing above.
- The meat, poultry, or fish is the protein. The panel is this plate, not a generic serving.
Notes
Pregnancy. Cook meat, poultry, and eggs through. Use pasteurized dairy if the recipe includes it. There is no alcohol in the required list.
Allergens in the required list: Milk.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.