Hyderabadi Chicken Tahari Recipe is spicy, flavourful and delicious one pot meal. Best served with raita. The recipe of tahari is a combination of both biryani and pulao. Tahari is a unique and delicious blend of chicken, basmati rice, and a medley of spices. Similar to Biryani, Tahari is known for its rich taste and is often considered a lighter alternative.
About The Recipe
One Pot Meals are my favourite and are saviour on busy weekdays, lazy weekends and fasting days during Ramadan. Tahari (also called as tehri or tehari) is popular rice dish from Uttar Pradesh. But this is famous in Gulbargah (Karanataka) and Hyderabad (Telangana) too.
Tahari is close and lost cousin of Biryani and Pulao. In this recipe, chicken pieces are semi cooked in spicy onion-tomato gravy and then soaked rice is added to it. Tightly covered with a lid, tahari is left on dum. This is cooked for nearly 30-40 minutes till chicken is tender and rice is completely cooked.
Generally, red chili powder is not added in tahari. The spice and heat in the recipe is from green chillies and garam masala. Onion and tomato mixture bring taste and texture in the recipe.
You can find different recipes of tahari on internet. Tarkari ki tahari (vegetable tahari), Gosht ki tahari (mutton tahari), Aloo ki tahari (potato tahari), etc..,
Iftar Dinner Ideas
Millet Daleem – Nutritious and hearty dish, combining millets with lentils and meat, often enjoyed during festivals and special occasions.
Oats & Chicken Soup – Wholesome and comforting soup that blends the heartiness of oats with tender chicken pieces, creating a nutritious and delicious meal.
Qubooli – Traditional Middle Eastern dish made with rice, lentils, and aromatic spices. Creating a flavorful and satisfying vegetarian main course.
Chicken & Oats Haleem – Modern twist on the classic Haleem. Adding oats and chicken to create a rich and creamy dish, popular during Ramadan and other celebrations.
Hyderabadi Chicken Tahari Ingredients:
Chicken: Curry cut pieces are used in making tahari. You can use bone or boneless chicken pieces. Medium size curry pieces are perfect for making tahari recipe.
Rice: Tastes best when made with sona masoori. But you can use basmati or jeera rice for extra flavour. Onion & Tomatoes: Finely chopped onion and tomatoes are added to oil and fried until they turn mushy.
Garam Masala: Simple garam masala made by combining cardamom, clove and cinnamon is used in tahari.
Oil or Ghee: I use oil and sometimes, drizzle a spoon of ghee on top of rice, before leaving it on dum.
Saffron Milk: I recommend using saffron milk. This brings color and flavour in the recipe.
Hara Masala: Grind green chillies, coriander leaves, mint leaves, curd, ginger and garlic till smooth. This hara masala brings spice, aroma and taste in tahari recipe.
Tips & Variations
- Marinade chicken with salt, turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste for at least 30 minutes. This will tenderize the chicken and add flavour to it.
- Soaking rice for minimum of 30 minutes, will help in cooking the rice fast. If you have fussy eater at home, then you can grind and add onion and tomato.
- If saffron is not available, then you can orange or yellow food color. The ratio of water changes depending on the rice you are using.
- For sona masoori, I add 2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice. If it is basmati or jeera rice, I add 1½ cups of water for 1 cup of rice. Adjust the ratio accordingly.
Iftar Dinner Recipe
Tahari has got ingredients of biryani and procedure of pulao. This one pot meal is bliss during fasting days, as you get bit extra time for ibadat (worship). Today I am going to share with you my family favorite iftar dinner recipe Hyderabadi Chicken Tahari. Stir, Simmer and Serve. This tahari recipe is as easy as cooking kichdi but with extra flavours and aroma of biryani. Interesting, isn’t??? Read the preparation steps carefully before you go ahead to try this delicious and easy to make Chicken Tahari.
Chicken Tahari Recipe
Hyderabadi Chicken Tahari recipe is a combination of spice, flavour and taste. Perfect one pot meal on any day. Best served with raita. This tahari recipe has got the ingredients of biryani and procedure of pulao.
Ingredients
- 500 g Chicken pieces
- 2 cups Rice, washed and soaked for 15 minutes
- 2 Onions, finely sliced
- 3 Tomatoes, chopped
- ½ tsp. Turmeric powder
- ¾ tbsp. Garam Masala
- 6 tbsp. Oil
- Salt, as per taste
- 2 tbsp. Saffron milk (soak few strands of saffron in 2 tbsp. lukewarm milk for 10-15 minutes)
To Grind:
- 1 tbsp. chopped Ginger
- ¾ tbsp. chopped Garlic
- 5 Green Chilies
- ½ cup Coriander leaves
- 2 tbsp. Curd
- ¼ cup Mint leaves
Other Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. minced Coriander leaves, for garnish
- 3 tbsp. Lemon juice
Instructions
How to make Chicken Tahari Recipe
- Grind and make smooth paste of all the ingredients mentioned under ‘To Grind’.
- In a heavy bottom cooking vessel, add oil and fry onions till translucent. Now add chopped tomatoes, turmeric and above made paste.
- Cook till tomatoes turn mushy and oil starts to release from the masala. Add garam masala and chicken pieces. Sauté till chicken pieces get well coated with masala.
- Add saffron milk and stir by adding salt and add ½ cup of water.
- Cook till chicken turns soft. Now add in soaked rice and stir gently by adding 4 cups of water. Bring this to boil and check for salt.
- Add lemon juice. Stir gently.
- Cook covered on low flame until rice is perfectly cooked. Turn off the flame and leave it for 10-15 minutes before opening the lid to serve.
- Gently mix and garnish with minced fresh coriander leaves.
- Serve hot with dahi ki chutney or raita of your choice.
- Add love to make this Hyderabadi Chicken Tahari taste 'Yummy'.
Notes
Lubna's Serving Suggestions:
Chicken Tahari is served with onion riata. But you can serve tahari with,
- chicken fry
- chicken khorma
- mirchi ka salan
- bagare baingan
- kaddu ka dalcha
- papad
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 641Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 27gCholesterol: 151mgSodium: 308mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 4gSugar: 11gProtein: 40g
Ramadan At Home
As we are only two people fasting, it is not much of work here. But back home at my MIL’s house, Alluhumdulliah we are one big family and cooking iftar and seher is a huge task. Iftar is mostly simple with dates, sherbet (drink) and snack or soup.
In dinner we make chapattis, 2-3 different sabzis and meetha (sweet). Whereas for seher we make rice, dal, curry, curd, pickle, papad, etc. In most of the places, women gather after Asar (third of five daily prayers performed by Muslims) at one house and do Quran ki Tilawat, Tafseer and Taqreer. With salawat and duva, we end our fast. I miss those days and crave to be back home.
Today as I sit back and think of the days, I wonder how lil’M will get familiar with all these. How she will get to understand the essence of fasting, Ramadan and religion. Though she listens all these stories from me, her grand ma and her papa, I want her to truly enjoy these festivities by being part it. InshaAllah!
Ramadan Kareem. May this holy month of Ramadan bring blessings, guidance and forgiveness to all, Ameen!
Jamila Jones says
This looks so nice. I checked my cuboards and I have all the ingrediants except for saffron. I will ask my husband to get hold of some for me but if he can’t I will use something else I guess. Any suggesions.
Meera says
Your pictures are tempting. Perhaps, I’ll try this during an iftar party or Eid. Surely, looks Royal feast. And yes, it’s very important for the younger generation to know the value of these majlises and the essence of salawath as well as fast. We ladies gather for similar majlis at my hometown as well, during the fasting days. Btw, thanks for sharing your recipe. Ramadan Mubarak to you and your family.
Elizabeth Lymer says
Jazakillahkhayr. Insha’Allah I will try this with Quorn ‘chicken’. Thank you! 🙂
afreenzia says
Wow.Photos are cool.Tahari is my favourite specially in summers with raita and salad.
NM (@nmdiariesx) says
Ramdhan Kareem to you and your family! I probably should not have opened this post so early on in the day as I’ve set of my hunger by looking at these pictures! This dish looks so lovely your pictures are definitely doing it justice!
riya says
If you are bored with the regular food than this Hyderabadi Chicken Tahari will add to some taste and flavor to your food. Once you taste it, you might be obsessed with this.
Hafsa says
We love eating biryani – so this sounds like a nice and easy way to try something similar – thanks for sharing your recipe!
Farhana Sharmeen says
I had beef tahari but never had a chicken one, the recipe sounds good, jAK.
Lilac Prose says
We call it ‘Tahiri’ here in Pakistan and usually there are only potatoes in it but this looks like a delicious version of Tahiri. Thanks for sharing this recipe!