Chicken Biryani

I’m not sure if I have mentioned this before, but I find quite a few recipes on kraftfoods.com. I find their recipes to be tasty, easy and affordable. The website is easy to navigate and even has a pretty cool recipe box feature. They will help you plan meals for a week or more and even create a shopping list for you. While I don’t use all the features the website has to offer, I have several friends who swear by them.

I do have some criteria that I use for finding recipes on the website. If Velveeta is mentioned, if the recipe has less than four stars or if it just looks down right unhealthy I don’t use the recipe. But in all honesty a large number of my favorite recipes I found on this website. The website suggests using specific brands (Kraft brands) in the recipes but I don’t always follow their advice. I frequently buy store brand ingredients and they have all worked just fine. I do however advocate using the salad dressing that is recommended. It really really does make a difference. A large number of their recipes do call for salad dressing, just go for the low fat or fat free version and you should be good to go.

Happy Halloween!

For Halloween I wanted to make something new. Indian food sounded fun and I had this recipe waiting to be made. There are loads of spices in here which makes me happy. I really like to know I get my money’s worth out of my spice cabinet. I did cut back the amount of cayenne. I made last night’s dinner with the original ¼ teaspoon of cayenne but even I found that a little hot. I don’t like the heat to overpower the flavor and that just about happened. The turmeric gave the meal a lovely yellow color without having to break into my sacred saffron stash, though saffron would add a little more depth of flavor. I must ponder this!

Enjoy!

1 c. basmati rice, uncooked

1 T. olive oil

½ tsp. cumin seed
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. gingerroot, minced
½ lb. chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 ¾ c. chicken broth
¼ c. Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing
1 tsp. garam masala
½ tsp. ground turmeric
1/8 tsp. cayenne
½ c. Greek yogurt
¼ c. cilantro, minced

Place rice in medium bowl. Add enough cold water to cover rice. Let stand 10 min.

Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add cumin seed and  cook, stirring constantly for  30 seconds. Stir in onions, garlic and ginger. Cook for five minutes, until vegetables are soft and fragrant. Stir in chicken and ground cumin, cook for two minutes.

Drain rice. Add to chicken mixture with all remaining ingredients except yogurt and cilantro. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 22 to 24 minutes. The rice should be tender and the liquid absorbed.

In a small bowl, mix yogurt and cilantro together. Serve biryani topped with cilantro yogurt.

Adapted from http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/chicken-biryani-121836.aspx?cm_mmc=eml-_-rbe-_-20111011-_-1047&cm_lm=4D7D535C64198320269D1D91F8C91141