A good Byrani is one of my favourite meals to make. I love a one-pot dish and this easy and quick version of this Indian classic is easy to put together and so tasty. It results in tender chicken and fluffy rice and is great for leftovers the next day.

Ingredients
300g basmati rice
25g butter
1 large onion, diced
2 bay leaves
3 cardamom pods, cracked open
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp ground turmeric
4 tbsp Balti curry paste
4 chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
75g raisins
850ml Carol’s Stock Market chicken stock
Salt & black pepper

To serve
Fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Flaked almonds

Serves
3-4

Method
Place rice in a large bowl and fill with warm water, leave to soak for about 10 minutes.

Pour out warm water then rinse several times with cold water, stirring up the rice with a clean hand, until the fresh water added is no longer milky and is running almost clear.

Pour out the water and set drained rice aside until needed.

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the butter. Once butter has melted, add the onion, bay leaves, cardamom pods and cinnamon stick. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle over the turmeric then add the Balti curry paste, stir through.
Add the chicken pieces and season with salt and pepper then cook until aromatic, 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the rinsed rice, raisins, and chicken stock, give it a stir then cover the pot with a lid and bring to a boil over medium high heat.

Reduce heat to low and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to stand, lid still on, for about 10 minutes.

Stir well and taste for seasoning, add more salt and pepper if needed, then garnish with fresh coriander and sliced almond before serving.