Chicken Fannie Biryani

Chicken Fanny Biryani

So Beaver, do you remember the awesome Curried Rice recipe we used to make a lot back in the 80s?  We got it out of our favorite cookbook of all time (well, that is, until you became smitten with the Hairy Bikers):  The Fannie Farmer Cookbook.  I was reluctant to part with The FF Cookbook when you left to go work in another state, but since it was falling apart I figured meh, you can have it, I'll get a new one. ANYWAY, the other day I was poking around the web trying to figure out what to do with a package of chicken thighs I had in the refrigerator when I came across a recipe from the BBC GoodFood website for Chicken Biryani Pilau.  It looked delicious and I will definitely make it sometime, but alas I didn't have any peas.  But it got me to thinking about our awesome curried rice recipe and boom!  I did that weird thing where two vague notions collide in my head and without actually forming a thought I move to the next step.   In this case I moved to the kitchen, knowing that it would all work out in the end.  If you were here I would have said, "Trust me."  And guess what?  It did work!  So here's the recipe.

Chicken Fannie Biryani

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil

6 -8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 large onion, roughly chopped

2 cups chicken broth or bouillon

1 cup long grain rice

2 teaspoons curry powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup raisins

Roughly chopped onion should have lots of irregularly shaped bits.

Procedure

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy bottom frying pan.  When ready add the chicken and saute, turning frequently to make sure the pieces don't stick, until cooked on the outside, about 8 - 10 minutes.  Remove from the pan with tongs and arrange in a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.

2.   Add the onion to the frying pan and saute until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.  Make sure to stir and scrape the pan to get any little brown bits mixed in.

Scrape up those brown bits as you saute.

3.  Add the chicken broth, curry powder, and salt and bring to a simmer.

4.  Stir in the rice and raisins and cook one minute more.

5.  Pour mixture into the casserole, over and around the chicken thighs.  Use tongs to arrange the chicken so it is immersed in the rice and liquid.

Hot, hot and hot:  Chicken Fanny Biryani casserole is ready to bake.

6.  Cover and bake 50 - 60 minutes.  If you hear it bubbling it's ready.

Serves 4 - 6

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