Pakistani Chicken Pilau Rice Recipe: Easy, Flavourful Yakhni Pulao

Introduction to Authentic Chicken Pulao

This Pakistani chicken pulao recipe is a staple Pakistani dish in any Pakistani house, it really is one of the best Pakistani rice dishes. It is the pilau that I make most often in our house. I would equate it to being the Pakistani version of a roast chicken dinner. As the dish suggests it is filled with flavourful, soft basmati rice and spiced tender chicken. Traditional pulao rice is truly loved by all. It is therefore a flavourful rice recipe that’s cooked when entertaining, as it’s a sign of hospitality for most Pakistani households.

Yakhni Pulao cultural significance

Chicken Pilau Rice, also known as Yakhni Pulao, is a beloved dish in Pakistani and South Asian cuisine, celebrated for its fragrant aroma and rich flavours. The dish has its roots in the Mughal era, where pulao was a staple in royal feasts and everyday meals alike.

The term “yakhni” refers to the flavourful broth made by simmering meat with spices, which is then used to cook the rice, infusing it with deep, savoury notes. This method of cooking not only enhances the taste but also ensures the rice is tender and aromatic.

In Pakistan, Chicken Pilau Rice is often served during festive occasions, family gatherings, and religious celebrations, symbolizing warmth and hospitality. Its simplicity, combined with its ability to feed a crowd, has made it a timeless favourite across generations.

Why Chicken Pilau Rice with Yakhni is loved

Pilau, also known as pulao or pilaf, is a classic Pakistani flavourful rice.

You can adapt this easy Chicken Pilau Rice recipe and add any other meat you prefer, for example lamb, mutton or beef. You will just need to adjust the cooking time of the broth part of the recipe. Cook the meat until it is tender. And the rest of the recipe will follow through the same.

At every family celebration I can remember, pilau was served. It really is the ultimate symbol of celebrating and showing generosity to your guests. It’s also often a main dish served at weddings too. I still remember hearing shock from a family member on attending my cousins wedding. They picked up the wedding menu which read “biryani“. This family member was flabbergasted, how can there not be pilau?! I did not realise it was such a big deal until that point. Needless to say I made sure pilau was served at my wedding!

Pilau seems like a difficult dish to make, but it really isn’t. It’s really just four simple steps. Firstly making a meat broth, secondly browning onions, thirdly adding the rice and the meat broth to the pan and letting the rice cook in all that gorgeous flavour. A key final fourth step is the steaming of the rice; “dham”. You can do this on a stove top or in the oven.

Chicken Pilau Rice Variations

While the classic Chicken Pilau Rice recipe is a crowd-pleaser, there are several ways to customize it to suit different tastes and dietary preferences. If you prefer a spicier version, increase the amount of green chilies or add a pinch of red chili powder. For a vegetarian twist, replace the chicken with potatoes, cauliflower, or mixed vegetables, creating a hearty vegetarian pulao. Another variation is to use brown rice or quinoa for a healthier alternative. You can also experiment with additional spices like bay leaves for a more complex flavour profile.

What to serve with Chicken Pilau Rice

Chicken Pilau Rice is a versatile dish that pairs beautifully with a variety of sides and accompaniments. Serve it with a refreshing cucumber raita or a simple green salad to balance the richness of the pulao. For a traditional Pakistani meal, pair it with naan or roti, which are perfect for soaking up the flavourful broth. To add a tangy kick, serve it with lemon wedges or pickled onions. For a complete feast, consider serving it alongside other Pakistani favourites like chicken karahi, daal, or vegetable sabzi. Garnish the dish with fresh coriander leaves, fried onions, or ginger strips for an extra burst of flavour and visual appeal.

I always like to serve this traditional pulao rice with a lovely yoghurt based condiment and a zesty salad. My preference would be boondi raita and kachumber. I just adore the cool boondi raita against the flavoursome rice and the zingy kachumber salad adds another gorgeous flavour burst to enjoy.

Chicken Pilau rice in my house

You can also make this Pakistani chicken pulao recipe with lamb/mutton instead of chicken, however I tend to make it with chicken. I always make it with the meat on the bone as it just adds depth to the flavour of the yakhni (soup or broth) which the rice will cook in.

However, if you do want to make it with lamb/mutton, you will just need to adjust the cooking time of the yakhni, it will need extra cooking time, usually 45mins/1hour for the meat to become tender. You can speed up the cooking time of lamb/mutton by using a pressure cooker. The pressure cooker will certainly result in the meat being tender in 10-15 minutes. Whenever I can save time, I am all for it. If there’s no need to stand by the stove for an hour, why do it?

One of those desi things you grew up hearing was that yakhni was always the thing to have specifically when you had a cold or the flu. I would compare it to a chicken broth. Therefore, whenever I make pilau, I will without a doubt always make extra yakhni for the family to drink.

See my video on Instagram or TikTok to see how to make this dish!

Step-by-Step Guide to Cooking Chicken Pilau Rice with Yakhni

Ingredients for Pakistani Chicken Pulao Recipe

Time: cooking on hob 35 minutes, dham in the oven 35 minutes

Feeds: 6 -7 people

Ingredients for yakhni (soup)

• 1 medium chicken, cut in pieces with skin removed (if you want to use lamb, you will need around 700-750 grams and cook it for around an hour, until it’s soft)
• 1 onion, peeled, cut in half
• 1 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon of finely chopped ginger
• 7 cloves
• 10 black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 6 cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 black cardamom pods
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 7 mugs of water (2 litres) you will actually be using 1750ml of the water to cook the rice.

Ingredients of rice

• 3 mugs of basmati rice (800 grams approximately, I like to use Tilda Pure Basmati Rice)
• 6 tablespoons of olive oil (or any other vegetable oil you prefer)
• 2 finely chopped onions
• 4 cloves
• 5 black peppercorns
• 3/4 tablespoon of coriander seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 3 cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 black cardamom pods
• 3 teaspoons salt

Method for chicken pilau rice

1. Firstly wash the rice until the water runs clear and leave to soak in cold water. Soak for at least 30 minutes (ideally I soak for two hours). The longer you leave the rice to soak, the quicker it will cook.

How to make Yakhni Pulao

2) Secondly start to make the yakhni. Put the water in a large sauce pan and add all the yakhni ingredients. Next, bring the water to boil, then turn the heat to low and let it simmer for half an hour, until the chicken is cooked. As a result, the water will be flavoured with the spices and chicken.

Method for the pilau base

3) Whilst the yakhni is simmering, you can start to make the rice. In another large saucepan, heat 6 tablespoons of rapeseed oil. Next add the onions and then turn the heat down to low. You will need to brown the onions. Constantly stir to ensure that the onions do not burn.

You will need to brown the onions until they are a very dark brown, the colour of the browned onions dictates the colour of the pilau rice. The darker the onions, the richer the colour of the rice.

4) As you are browning the onions, you will see that the onions will start to stick to the pan, therefore you will need to add small splashes of water (100ml approximately) and keep browning the onions. The onions will as a result start to dissolve. This will take around 20 minutes, but don’t be scared of browning the onions for longer if you haven’t got that dark brown colour.

5) Once you have browned the onions sufficiently, add the spices. Stir for around 3 minutes. Turn the oven on at 90C.

Method for combining the yakhni and pilau base

6) Next add the cooked chicken from the yakhni saucepan to the onion saucepan. I tend to do this using tongs. You can use whatever you find easier.

7) Add the chicken into the onions and brown the chicken in the onions. This gives the chicken pieces a lovely golden colour which it will keep when cooked in the rice. Next, add the drained rice and stir through.

8) Then we will need to add 5 mugs of the yakhni to the rice pan (or 1750ml of yakhni). Make sure you use the same mug that you measured the rice with to measure the yakhni.

You will notice that some of the yakhni will have evaporated as you have been simmering it, which is why I say start with around 2 litres of water to make sure you have 1750ml to add to the rice. My mum taught me for 3 mugs of rice, you need 5 mugs of water!

When I pour the yakhni into the onion pan, I use a sieve to take out any additional spices/onion pieces.

Cooking the rice

9) Once you have added the yakhni, stir through and cover with the pan lid. Make sure the heat is on medium.

10) Once the water has nearly dried out. Turn the heat off. The next step is to do dham (steam) the rice. Put the lid back on the saucepan and put the saucepan in the oven for 35 minutes.

You can also do the dham on the hob by covering with saucepan with a thin tea towel, putting the saucepan lid on top and turning the heat down to very low. However I quite like having my gas hobs free for making other bits.

The rice strands should be separate and not soggy or stuck together, then you know the rice has been cooked properly.

Serving the chicken pilau rice

11) Serve your rice with boondi raita or vegetable raita (yoghurt based with finely chopped tomatoes, cucumber and red onion, seasoned with salt, red chilli powder and cumin seeds) and kachumber (red onions and tomatoes marinated with lemon juice and salt). Perfect side condiments to accompany your chicken pilau rice.