By Aditi Saraswat
July 20, 2026
Bring the satisfying flavours of chicken yakhni pulao to your kitchen with this simple-to-make homemade recipe. Aromatic rice, soft chicken, and a richly spiced broth all come together to make a one-pot meal that feels perfect when you want to have a hearty family meal in place of everyday food.
500 g chicken (bone-in) 6 cups of water 1 onion, halved 1-inch ginger, sliced 6 garlic cloves 1 bay leaf 1 cinnamon stick 4 green cardamom pods 5 black peppercorns 4 cloves Salt, to taste
2 cups basmati rice, soaked for 30 minutes 2 tbsp ghee or oil 1 onion, thinly sliced 2 green chillies, slit 1 tsp cumin seeds ½ tsp black pepper powder ½ tsp garam masala Fresh coriander leaves Fresh mint leaves 1 tbsp lemon juice
Boil the chicken with some onion, ginger, garlic, whole spices and salt. Let this simmer until the chicken turns soft, then drain and reserve the stock.
In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat ghee and fry the sliced onion until they turn golden brown. Now, add cumin seeds and slit green chillies to this.
To this, add the cooked chicken, soaked rice, garam masala, and some pepper. Pour in the reserved stock so that the rice is fully covered with the broth.
Let everything boil for a minute or two, then cover the pot and cook on a low flame until the rice soaks up the stock and turns fluffy.
Let the pulao rest for at least 5 to 10 minutes before fluffing gently.
Garnish with chopped coriander, mint, and lemon juice, then serve hot with raita and salad.