This Leftover Roast Chicken Biryani is quick, easy and is all made in just one pot!! It’s a great way to use up leftover roast chicken or rotisserie chicken, but if you don’t have any leftovers, don’t worry! I have included a quick and easy way to ‘create’ some leftovers. This curry is also dairy free and gluten free.
I really love a good chicken biryani. There’s something so delicious about how the spices flavour the rice and chicken and how the chicken flavours the rice – yum! But if you check out the recipes for an authentic chicken biryani, it all seems rather complicated, time-consuming and faffy.
Not my version! My quick and easy Leftover Roast Chicken Biryani can be made in less than 30 minutes, only uses one pot AND makes great use of leftover roast chicken.
And it doesn’t have to be leftover roast chicken. You can use ready cooked chicken from the supermarket or any leftover meat you fancy – beef or lamb would go especially well. This would also be a great way to use up your leftover turkey at Thanksgiving or Christmas time.
Alternatively, you could simply dice and stir fry a couple of chicken breasts before getting started on the rest of the recipe (see the recipe notes for exact instructions).
This Leftover Roast Chicken Biryani tastes great the next day, either cold or heated up in the oven for about 20 minutes at 180C / 160C fan/ gas mark 4 / 350F (Make sure the rice and chicken are cooked until piping hot.)
If you like a good biryani then you might also like to check out my Lamb Keema Biryani – made with lamb mince for a very quick and easy midweek meal. And if you are as much of a fan of quick and easy curries as I am, then do check out all my other curries too!
The best wine match for a chicken biryani (IMHO) is an aromatic white such as Riesling, Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. If you prefer red, try a soft and fruity merlot from somewhere like Bordeaux, New Zealand or Chile – a Chilean Carmenere would also work well. A dry, fruity rosé also goes well with chicken biryani – I would go for something from the South of France or Spain.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
- Slow Cooked Lamb Bhuna
- Easy Homemade Chicken Tikka Masala
- Easy Chicken Jalfrezi
- Slow Cooked Chicken Bhuna
- Easy Homemade Chicken Stir Fry
Need more ideas for your roast chicken leftovers?
Need more ideas? Check out my collection of easy leftover chicken recipes >>
Leftover Roast Chicken Biryani
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (or rapeseed oil or coconut oil)
- 1 onion sliced
- 1 red pepper sliced
- 3 cloves garlic crushed or grated
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes (or to taste)
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 3 teaspoons garam masala
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 400 g cooked chicken (see notes) shredded
- 300 g basmati rice
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 200 ml water or chicken stock, if you prefer
- 100 g frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander/cilantro plus extra for garnish (optional)
- Pickles/chutneys/naan bread/chapattis – or whatever you like to serve with a biryani.
Instructions
- Put the tablespoon of olive oil and the onion and red pepper in a large frying pan or sauté pan (must have a lid), fry gently over a low heat with the lid on for 3 minutes or until softened but not browned.
- Add the garlic, chilli and spices and fry for 2 minutes.
- Add the shredded chicken and rice and stir to coat the chicken and rice in the spices, then add the coconut milk and water and bring to the boil.
- Put a lid on the frying pan and turn the heat right down, simmer for 8 minutes then add the frozen peas, stir once and replace the lid.
- Cook for a further 5 minutes or until the rice is done to your liking. If it starts sticking before the rice is cooked, add an extra splash of water.
- Finally stir in the 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh coriander (cilantro).
- Sprinkle extra coriander on top and serve with all your favourite extras, such as naan breads, pickles and chutneys.
Notes
Pin Leftover Roast Chicken Biryani for later
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another recipe from you to pin for later. I so often make rissoto with my left over chicken but given my lads love of Indian food they would be sure to love this so I shall make it next time
Thanks Jacqui! Let me know how it goes down with your boys!! Eb x
ah leftover roast curries are my favourites and a biryani is always good! Great recipe! #cookblogshare
Thanks Donna – so with you on the leftover roast curries thing – so good!! Eb x
Such a tasty and vibrant looking dish. This is a simplified version that I wouldn’t be afraid to try!x
Thanks Cat – it really is easy peasy! And quick too 😀 Eb x
This looks so tasty and would definitely be a great recipe to make with the leftovers of a roast dinner! I love the fact that it’s so quick and easy to make. Thanks for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice x
Thanks Corina. It really is very quick and easy – perfect for a busy weeknight! Eb x
I’d have say that a chicken biriyani is one of my all time fave dishes!!! This one looks like a super easy version, perfect for mid-week! Bookmarking it for later!! Thanks for linking up! x
Thanks Jess – it’s so good, isn’t it? There’s just something wonderful about all those flavours mixing and melding in one pot! Let me know what you think if you try it!! Eb x
This looks great and relatively easy to prepare so I will be giving it a try very soon #[email protected]_karendennis
Thanks Karen – let e know how it goes!! Eb x
This looks amazing. I don’t eat chicken anymore or any meat but I’ll make this for the kids x
Thanks sweetie. It would be so easy to make vegan! I would swap the leftover chicken for a combo of roasted aubergine and cauliflower. Hope your family like this as much as mine!! xx
Gosh this looks so good Eb.I love the fact that it starts off as leftovers and ends up as leftovers.Genius!!It sounds full of flavour yet perfect for a midweek quick rustle!Pinned.Thanks for sharing!#CookBlogShare
Hahaha – yes it so is. It’s like everlasting food!!! Thanks for your kind comments. Eb x
You really do make the best leftovers recipes Eb. I know that my family would really enjoy this.
Thanks sweetie. This would be so easy to make vegan too! Just swap the leftover chicken for some roasted veggies, such as aubergine and cauliflower. Hope your family like this as much as mine!! I’m definitely going to have to add vegetable biryani to my ‘must make’ list now. Eb x
My rice was not even remotely done after following the cooking times in the recipe. What did I do wrong?
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that this recipe did not work out for you. The only thing I can think of is that rice brands do vary and some may need a longer cook time than others. I suggest you try cooking the dish for an extra 5 minutes and check to see if it is done. If not try a further 5 minutes and check again. You might need to add extra water each time to ensure the rice doesn’t dry out, and don’t put the peas in until it’s nearly done or they will get overcooked. Just a couple of other things to check… did you ensure you brought the rice up to the boil before turning down to a simmer? (End of step 3) and did you ensure the rice was covered with a lid while it was simmering (step 4). Both those things could also have had an effect. Hope it works out better next time – let me know how it goes! Eb 🙂
While I enjoyed this dish my rice also wasn’t soft. Next time I will try parboiled rice.
Hi Susan, so sorry to hear your rice wasn’t soft. It does depend a little on the type of rice you buy… and of course your personal preferences about how soft you like your rice! I used Tilda Basmati Rice in this dish, which normally cooks in 10 minutes, when boiled. It takes a few minutes longer when done like this – biryani style – but always comes out a good texture for me… soft, with just a touch of ‘bite’, but not mushy. It may be that your brand of rice needs a little longer… if this is the case, there is no need to par boil the rice… simply add a little extra water to the biryani and cook for a few minutes longer… until your desired texture is reached. Hope that helps! Eb 🙂
This was yummy! Very easy, and a nice variation to the creamy pasta/rice dishes that are common for using up leftover chicken. I found it a bit more dense than the typical biryani. But a great recipe I will be making again.
Yay! So pleased to hear that you enjoyed this. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know. Always makes me happy! Eb 🙂
Hi, I don’t have coconut milk and limited access to grocery (quarantine). Can I use a mix of sour cream, or yogurt, or heavy cream, or any other liquid in lieu of coconut milk?
Hi Amanda! Yes all of those will work (though you will obviously get a slightly different taste!) but my best recommendation would be to use chicken stock in place of the coconut milk and just stir through a small amount of cream right at the end. Hope that helps! Eb 🙂