Authentic Arabic Biryani comes together with fragrant yellow rice, spiced chicken, peas, potatoes, sweet raisins and crunchy almonds. A true celebration of Iraqi cuisine - it's a must try dish!
Wash the whole chicken well using water, and place in a large pot. Cover with water
Add the whole spices and salt, and bring to a boil. When chicken starts to boil, scoop out any foam that forms at the surface
Boil the chicken until fully cooked, about 45 minutes to 1 hour
Meanwhile, peel, wash and chop the potatoes into cubes. Mix with salt and vegetable oil, and bake on a lined baking sheet for 30-40 mins until golden
When chicken is fully cooked, remove and cool, then shred into bite size pieces
Remove the whole spices from the broth by straining, then add the turmeric, salt, oil and rice to the pot
Ensure the broth covers the rice by 1 inch. Bring to a rapid boil, then cover and turn heat to low and cook for 20 mins untouched. After 20 mins, turn heat off and leave covered
Place peas in a pot and cover with water. Boil for 20 minutes until soft. Drain and set aside
Toast the almonds in a pan with 1 tbsp oil until golden, stirring continuously
In another large pan, add 2 tbsp oil, shredded chicken, peas, raisins, and the spices under "other ingredients" which are 2 tsp allspice and 1 tsp salt. Saute until everything is combined and hot (this step is to draw out the moisture from the mixture and heat everything)
When all components are ready, in a large tray, add the rice, then top with the chicken, raisins and peas mixture, then the potatoes and the almonds (save a bit of almonds for the topping)
Then add all the spices under the "spices section" on top and mix everything very well until combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding more salt/heat as required
Serve immediately with a side of salad and yogurt
Notes
For the spices, you can also use 1 batch of my homemade baharat seasoning.
You can pan fry the potatoes instead of baking as well, but I like to bake because I can work on the other components while they bake
You can find a Biryani spice mix at any ethnic grocery store
When toasting the almonds, make sure you stir continuously because they tend to burn quickly