Degi Chicken Biryani Recipe (Karachi Pakwan Centre Style, 2 kg)
Degi chicken biryani is the biryani Karachi orders by the deg for weddings and dawats: chicken and potatoes cooked in a spicy tomato masala, a fresh layer of lemon, mint and green chillies, and long basmati rice finished on dum. We filmed this version at Khadija Pakwan & Biryani Centre near Nagan Chowrangi. The recipe below is for 2 kg chicken and 2 kg rice, with 1 kg and 4 kg quantities too.
Serves: 12–14 people (2 kg chicken + 2 kg rice) | Prep: 30 min | Cook: about 1 hour 15 min
Difficulty: Medium | Best for: dawats, weddings, Eid lunch
Heat level: Spicy, with a sour kick from lemon and aloo bukhara
Watch the Degi Chicken Biryani Video
The full 14-minute video plays inside the recipe card below. To jump straight to one step, open it on YouTube:
What Makes Degi Chicken Biryani Different
Potatoes cook in the masala first. Karachi degi biryani starts with potatoes, water, tomatoes and the whole spice plate in the deg. The potatoes soak up the masala while they cook, and the chicken only goes in once they are about 75% done.
A fresh, sour layer sits between masala and rice. Sliced tomatoes, lemon slices, mint, coriander and whole green chillies go over the chicken with a little biryani masala and chaat masala. This is where the tangy Karachi taste comes from.
Nutmeg and mace go in twice. Once in the fresh layer and once mixed into yogurt with the food colour. Together with fried onion and kewra, this gives the classic degi aroma.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Chicken: use bone-in biryani cut pieces. Boneless chicken dries out on dum.
- Potatoes: optional, but most Karachi eaters expect them. Use firm potatoes cut into large pieces so they don’t break.
- Biryani masala: the recipe uses any packet brand (2 tbsp in the masala, 1 tbsp in the layer). If your brand is very salty, reduce the salt.
- Food colour: optional. Skip it for a plain look, or use a pinch of saffron soaked in warm milk instead.
- Kewra water: 2 tbsp for 2 kg. More than that can taste soapy.
- Rice: long-grain basmati, boiled only to 70% so it finishes in the steam.
Degi Chicken Biryani Ingredients for 1 kg, 2 kg and 4 kg
Every ingredient from the recipe, grouped by step. Pick the column for the amount you are cooking.
| Ingredient | 1 kg chickenserves 6–7 | 2 kg chickenserves 12–14 (video recipe) | 4 kg chickenserves 25–28 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potato and spice masala (Step 1) | |||
| Potatoes (optional) | 250 g | 500 g | 1 kg |
| Water | 250 ml | 500 ml | 1 litre |
| Tomatoes | 250 g | 500 g | 1 kg |
| Curry leaves | a few sprigs | ½ bunch | 1 bunch |
| Ginger, chopped | 30 g | 60 g | 120 g |
| Garlic, chopped | 30 g | 60 g | 120 g |
| Green chillies, chopped | 30 g | 60 g | 120 g |
| Dried plums (aloo bukhara) | 50 g | 100 g | 200 g |
| Red chilli flakes | 1½ tbsp | 3 tbsp | 6 tbsp |
| Salt | 1–1½ tbsp | 2–3 tbsp | 4–6 tbsp |
| Cumin seeds | 1½ tbsp | 3 tbsp | 6 tbsp |
| Turmeric powder | ½ tbsp | 1 tbsp | 2 tbsp |
| Biryani masala (any brand) | 1 tbsp | 2 tbsp | 4 tbsp |
| Green cardamom | 3–4 | 6–8 | 12–16 |
| Cinnamon sticks | 2 | 4–5 | 8–10 |
| Black cardamom | 1 | 2–3 | 5–6 |
| Black peppercorns | 5–6 | 10–12 | 20–24 |
| Cloves | 5–6 | 10–12 | 20–24 |
| Cooking oil | 100 ml | 200 ml | 400 ml |
| Yogurt | 100 g | 200 g | 400 g |
| Chicken | 1 kg | 2 kg | 4 kg |
| Fresh layer (Step 3) | |||
| Tomatoes, sliced | 125 g | 250 g | 500 g |
| Coriander leaves | ¼ bunch | ½ bunch | 1 bunch |
| Mint leaves | ¼ bunch | ½ bunch | 1 bunch |
| Lemons, sliced | 3 | 5–6 | 10–12 |
| Small green chillies, whole | 4–5 | 8–10 | 16–20 |
| Biryani masala | ½ tbsp | 1 tbsp | 2 tbsp |
| Chaat masala | ½ tbsp | 1 tbsp | 2 tbsp |
| Nutmeg powder (jaifal) | ½ tsp | 1 tsp | 2 tsp |
| Mace powder (javitri) | ½ tsp | 1 tsp | 2 tsp |
| Yogurt mixture and fried onion (Step 4) | |||
| Yogurt | 100 g | 200 g | 400 g |
| Nutmeg powder | ½ tsp | 1 tsp | 2 tsp |
| Mace powder | ½ tsp | 1 tsp | 2 tsp |
| Food colour (optional) | ½ tsp | 1 tsp | 2 tsp |
| Fried onion (birista) | 100 g | 200 g | 400 g |
| Rice and dum (Steps 5–6) | |||
| Basmati rice, boiled to 70% | 1 kg | 2 kg | 4 kg |
| Cooking oil | ¼ cup | ½ cup | 1 cup |
| Rice boiling water | ¼ cup | ½ cup | 1 cup |
| Kewra water | 1 tbsp | 2 tbsp | 4 tbsp |
| Cooking time after rice | 10 min low-medium + 10–15 min low | 10 min low-medium + 10–15 min low | 12 min low-medium + 15 min low |
The 2 kg column is the exact recipe from the video description. The 1 kg and 4 kg columns are scaled by us, so taste the masala for salt before the rice goes in.
Step-by-Step: How the Degi Chicken Biryani Is Made
1. Cook the potatoes in the spice masala
Put the potatoes and half a litre of water in the deg. The video shows a much larger batch with 4 litres of water, but for 2 kg half a litre is enough. Add the tomatoes, curry leaves and the chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies.
Then add the whole spice plate: dried plums, red chilli flakes, salt, cumin, turmeric, biryani masala, green and black cardamom, cinnamon, peppercorns and cloves, with the oil and yogurt. Cook on high flame for 5–10 minutes, then on low for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are about 75% cooked.
2. Add the chicken
Add 2 kg chicken to the masala and cook on medium to high flame for about 10 minutes, until the chicken is sealed and the masala thickens around it.
3. Spread the fresh layer
Over the chicken, spread the sliced tomatoes, coriander, mint, lemon slices and 8–10 small whole green chillies. Sprinkle 1 tbsp biryani masala, 1 tbsp chaat masala and 1 tsp each of nutmeg and mace. Don’t mix it in.
4. Add the yogurt mixture and fried onion
Whisk 200 g yogurt with 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp mace and the food colour, pour it over the layer, then scatter 200 g fried onion on top.
5. Add the rice
Spread the 70% boiled basmati over everything and cook on low to medium flame for 10 minutes.
6. Dum
Pour half a cup of oil, half a cup of the rice boiling water and 2 tbsp kewra water over the rice. Cover and cook on low flame for 10–15 minutes. Then mix gently from the sides as you serve, so every plate gets white rice, coloured rice, chicken and potato.
The Complete Degi Chicken Biryani Recipe
Degi Chicken Biryani (Karachi Pakwan Centre Style, 2 kg)
Ingredients
Method
- Put the potatoes and water in a large deg. Add the tomatoes, curry leaves, chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies, dried plums, all the spices, oil and yogurt.
- Cook on high flame for 5–10 minutes, then on low flame for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are about 75% cooked.
- Add the chicken and cook on medium to high flame for 10 minutes.
- Spread the sliced tomatoes, coriander, mint, lemon slices and whole green chillies over the chicken. Sprinkle biryani masala, chaat masala, nutmeg and mace. Do not mix.
- Whisk the yogurt with nutmeg, mace and food colour, pour it over the layer and scatter the fried onion on top.
- Spread the 70% boiled rice on top and cook on low to medium flame for 10 minutes.
- Pour the oil, rice boiling water and kewra water over the rice. Cover and cook on low flame for 10–15 minutes.
- Mix gently from the sides while serving.
Video
Notes
Degi Biryani Problems and How to Fix Them
- The potatoes broke: they were cut too small or boiled past 75% before the chicken went in. Cut them in large pieces.
- The masala is watery: cook it longer after adding the chicken, until the oil starts to show on top, before you add the layers.
- The rice is mushy: it was boiled past 70%, or too much rice water went in. Half a cup is enough for 2 kg.
- The biryani tastes too sour: use 4 lemons instead of 6, or fewer dried plums.
- The bottom burnt: the flame was too high during dum. Put a tawa under the deg for the last 10 minutes.
Variations
- Without potatoes: skip them and cook the masala for 10 minutes before adding the chicken.
- Beef degi biryani: the beef needs to be almost tender before the layers go in. See our Karachi beef biryani.
- No food colour: leave it out, or use saffron milk for a natural colour.
Serving and Storing Degi Chicken Biryani
Serve it hot with raita and kachumber salad. Leftovers keep for 2–3 days in the fridge. Reheat covered on low flame with a splash of water so the rice steams again.
Degi Chicken Biryani FAQs
What makes a biryani “degi”?
It is cooked in a large deg (heavy pot) the way pakwan centres make it for weddings: masala at the bottom, layers on top, and a slow dum at the end so the rice cooks in the steam.
Why do Karachi biryanis have potatoes?
Potatoes soak up the masala and stretch the dish for big gatherings. Most Karachi biryani lovers expect to find them on their plate.
Can I make degi biryani without food colour?
Yes. The taste doesn’t change. You’ll just get more white rice, or you can use a little saffron soaked in milk.
How much rice water goes in for dum?
Half a cup for 2 kg rice, along with half a cup of oil and 2 tbsp kewra water.
How many people does 2 kg degi chicken biryani serve?
About 12–14 people as a main dish.
More Karachi Biryani Recipes
- 5 kg Raseeli Karachi Chicken Biryani: the same style for very big dawats.
- Masaledar Chicken Biryani (3 kg): a spicier, more masaledar version.
- Karachi Beef Biryani: raseeli degi biryani made with beef.
- White Beef Biryani: Karachi’s biryani without red chilli or colour.
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