This Quinoa & Chicken Biryani might not look like traditional rice biryani,
but it is just as delightful for the senses.
When it comes to my senses and food, smell is my all time favorite. True, my sense of taste is what leads me to actually enjoy my food – but smell makes me anticipate it, long for it; and sometimes it’s all about the journey and not the destination – right?
When I was little, the smell of my mom’s biryani cooking is was what would herd my cousins and I inside from playing outside, and compel us to be on our best behavior as we awaited dinner.
Ever since, every time I have smelt her biryani cooking, it has sent jarring jolts to my salivary glands and triggered some wonderful memories!
Biryani is a dish popular in India and Sri Lanka and it is usually an elaborate combination of meat and rice with fresh cardamom and cloves along with spices like turmeric, garam masala, cumin, coriander and chili powder.
Sometimes nuts and raisins are added in and boiled eggs and Papadum (a thin, crispy flatbread usually made with lentil flour or rice flour) are served alongside it.
While biryani is a feast for my taste buds, it does a number on my nostrils! My mom doesn’t make her biryani quite as often these days as she isn’t feeling too well so when I was introduced to Progresso ‘s new Cooking Stocks, I figured I would adapt her recipe a tad bit to make this Quinoa & Chicken Biryani.
Progresso’s new line of premium Cooking Stocks are available in the soup aisle at your local grocery store. They have a rich, meaty, full body flavor, making them ideal for adding deep, complex flavors to many dishes including soups, stews, sauces, gravies and in my case – this biryani. Progresso Cooking Stocks do not contain any artificial flavors and with just 15-45 calories /95-420mg sodium /0-1g fat per serving, Progresso Stocks offers a clean way to boost your flavor game!
For my version, I opted to use quinoa instead of rice and olive oil instead of ghee. As Progresso Cooking Stock is a high-quality bone broth made by simmering real bones, vegetables, and aromatic herbs, I figured I would use boneless chicken thighs instead of bone-in chicken thighs for easy eating.
I also tossed in come celery, carrots and spinach because veggies and quinoa and chicken all in one is just plain good eating!
I still used many of the same spices and I made it all in a skillet for easy clean-up. I had my mom taste my version of her biryani and she gave this a thumbs up – and refused to believe that I didn’t use bone-in chicken – go figure!
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Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 1/2 cups Progresso Chicken Cooking Stock
- 5 cardamom pods
- 5 clove pods
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander
- 5 cloves garlic chopped
- 1/2 a yellow onion chopped
- 1/2 inch piece of ginger grated
- 2 stalks celery sliced
- 2 carrots sliced
- Handful of spinach chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste I used 1/8 teaspoon of each
- 2 boiled eggs
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a skillet on medium flame
- Then add in the chicken and let brown on each side
- Add in the quinoa and pour over the 2/12 cups of Progresso Chicken Cooking Stock
- Add in the cardamom pods, clove pods, turmeric, paprika, garam masala, cumin, coriander, garlic, onion and ginger and mix well and bring to a boil and let simmer 12 minutes covered
- Add in the celery, carrots and spinach and cover and let cook 5 more minutes.
- Remove from heat and let sit covered for about another five minutes
- Uncover, garnish with sliced boiled eggs and enjoy warm.
- *You could also add slivered almonds, raisins or dried cranberries as a topping
Nutrition
The egg is was is truly luring me into this recipe! Eggs always give me come hither stares!
Love biryani, looks so good Shashi. Really like the quinoa rather than rice. Really beautiful and nutritious.
Oh yes, the journey and not the destination. Haha, I’m sure you kiddos knew what to expect. It happens all the time now with the boys too, i don’t even have to call.:). Perfect. I could eat biryani everyday, my favorite all time comfort food. you have taken biryani and made it healthy and perfect. You are truly amazing.
Love progresso stocks. All the best for the contest. My wishes my friend.
xx
Just reading your spice ingredient list has my mouth watering. Lots of delicious harmony of flavors going on and like your idea of adding a little quinoa with the rice. It adds a little bit of nutty flavor. Sharing of course!
Now why have I never thought of using quinoa instead of rice when it comes to a curry? Ok, let’s sort that. It’s on the list now. 🙂
Beautiful combination of spices here Shashi. I have to admit to you, the attempts that I’ve made at making a biryani haven’t been that successful, even though I’m totally passionate about my curries! I’d happily give this one a go though. 😀
Looks delicious!
Such a fabulous idea to try making biriyani with Quinoa. This biryani looks gorgeous and the pics are so bright and beautiful.
Thanks so much Revathi – so kind of you to say.
I love BIRYANI!!!! One of my favorite rice based dishes — I never thought to use quinoa for it! Worth a try for sure!
Yes! Definitely – Thanks so much Levan
I’m so into quinoa right now! love this recipe, pinning for later!
Thanks so much Claudia
I love re-creating recipes with a healthy twist that take me back to my childhood. This one looks amazing!
Thanks so much Renee
I have never had this dish before, but it reminds me of a lot of Peruvian dishes…we often use quinoa and garnish with hard boiled eggs, just a different selection of spices. It looks delicious!
I am so intrigued about this Peruvian dish you mention Amanda! Hoping your blog has it?
This sounds heavenly and thank you for introducing another way to use quinoa.
You are so welcome and Thank YOU, Charla
OMG Shashi..you did not just do that!! How awesome is this?? Our chicken biriyani with quinoa?? Brilliant. Pinning!!
Thanks so much Swayam! xx
2 things-
1. YUM! I can’t eat a lot of rice so this is perfect… I LOVE biryani… and I would jump through the screen for this…
2. I didn’t know you had a link up… love it!
So glad to meet a fellow biryani lover! And Thanks so much Kirsten – the linkup is actually for the Recipe Redux – all of us posting have the lin up on our blogs – are you a member of RR?
This looks delicious! You can never go wrong with quinoa!
I know right! Thanks so much Sarah
You have me missing quinoa! This looks so good. I love when you share more traditional recipes!
Thanks so much Tara! I am gonna try to share more healthified versions of Sri Lankan recipes for sure
The egg is was is truly luring me into this recipe! Eggs always give me come hither stares!
Haha! Those stares can truly be alluring! 🙂
Love ur take with Quinoa.. Yum yum
Thanks so much!
Love biryani, looks so good Shashi. Really like the quinoa rather than rice. Really beautiful and nutritious.
Thanks so much Suzanne!
From one biryani lover to another, this looks amazing! Definitely the prettiest one I’ve seen! Good luck with the contest 🙂
You are too kind – thanks so much Sonali and congrats on your winS!
Oh yes, the journey and not the destination. Haha, I’m sure you kiddos knew what to expect. It happens all the time now with the boys too, i don’t even have to call.:). Perfect. I could eat biryani everyday, my favorite all time comfort food. you have taken biryani and made it healthy and perfect. You are truly amazing.
Love progresso stocks. All the best for the contest. My wishes my friend.
xx
Haha – the power of food eh? I’ve always been a sucker for good food so I will always be on my best for it! 🙂
Asha I saw that biryani you made this past weekend (on IG) and wow – that took me back – reminded me of my mom’s – I swear almost smelled it through my phone!
Thank you so much sweet friend! xx
This looks so healthy and filling – and comforting all at the same time! Perfect for brown-bagged lunches at work! Pinned to make asap!
Thanks so much Lindsey!
mmm! all the spices in this sound so good! also i love adding a boiled egg to any meal for that extra protein
Thanks so much Beverly – that egg sure went well with the spiced quinoa 🙂
Just reading your spice ingredient list has my mouth watering. Lots of delicious harmony of flavors going on and like your idea of adding a little quinoa with the rice. It adds a little bit of nutty flavor. Sharing of course!
Thanks so much Bobbi! xx
This looks delicious. Thanks for sharing your memories of your mom cooking this when you are young — it makes it all the more special.
Thanks so much Sarah – so sweet of you to say.
Now why have I never thought of using quinoa instead of rice when it comes to a curry? Ok, let’s sort that. It’s on the list now. 🙂
Beautiful combination of spices here Shashi. I have to admit to you, the attempts that I’ve made at making a biryani haven’t been that successful, even though I’m totally passionate about my curries! I’d happily give this one a go though. 😀
Thanks so much, Neil, I cannot wait to see your curry and quinoa creation!
Yes – yes please do give this a try – I would love to know what you think of the end result!
I have used quinoa for a lot of things when rice is called for but never biryani. Great idea Shashi and good luck with your entry 🙂
Thanks so much Tandy! We are a house divided – I love quinoa and my daughter loves rice – quinoa won over for this recipe!
There’s nothing like a mom’s recipe! Your dish looks fantastic! I love all the flavors and colors, and really love that you included quinoa!
Thanks so much Patricia! You are right – mom’s recipe’s are the best!
Ooh I am a fiend for biryani! Yours looks so good and like it is so full of spices and flavour 😀
Thanks so much Lorraine!
What a delicious looking dish! This would keep me full for ours and I love that stock. I use it all the time!
Thanks so much Brandy
I bet this dish just bursts with flavor! Delicious!
It sure does – Thanks so much Cindy
Looks delicious!
Thank You Sam
This biryani looks so amazing, Shashi! Such wonderful memories too 🙂 I love that you used quinoa instead! The colors are so gorgeous!
You are so kind – Thanks so much Kelly!
Hey girl – you know I’m with you on this – all about the journey and not the destination. What a winner recipe you are sharing with us today…delish! I’m just learning all the wonders of quinoa and this is another great one to add to the recipe box! I’ve not yet had biryani and must try. Sounds divine, and if it could herd the kids inside on best behavior, imagine what it could do for mine! (My husband will be delighted!) XO
Allie, I figured you would be and haha – yeah biryani is so exquisite, so aromatic and such a delight to eat.
Quinoa is a fav around our house – it is so good at absorbing flavors – but if nothing is added to it, it tends to be pretty bland – and it’s hard to convince my daughter to eat it – though she polished this one off!
xoxo
I absolutely love this dish! And I love that you used quinoa! I need to try Progresso stock as well!
This was my first time experimenting with it – and Lauren, it’s so full of layers of flavor – kinda like homemade bone broth!
BTW Thanks so much
Sounds fantastic Shashi. I love that your mom approved too!
Thanks so much Chris!!
I love the way Indian food smells! I just made chana masala this weekend and I wanted to bottle the smell up and just carry it around with me all day long! So good. Love this recipe too, dear!
Thanks so much Lauren! I love chana masala too – such good stuff indeed!
I’ve never made biryani, but need to definitely try this, since I love quinoa! Looks delicious! Love the eggs on top! Pinning!
Thanks so much Mira
Smell is definitely my favorite sense too, followed closely by sight and this Quinoa & Chicken Biryani is a treat for both senses! This looks absolutely delicious, Shashi!! Healthy and delicious, my favorite combination! Plus you threw an egg on top, which always makes me giddy! Pinned! Cheers, lovely!
P.s. love the sweet story about your childhood! Xo
Haha – the power of the humble egg eh?! Can you imagine how good this would look if the egg yolk was drippy?!?!
BTW Thanks so much Cheyanne!
xoxo
That looks amazing! You’ve managed to make me hungry for dinner at it’s only 10 am. Help!
🙂 Happy Monday!
Haha – I am honored indeed! Thanks so much Melanie
What a wonderful childhood memory – I can just imagine how amazing this smells when cooking – I’m going to try it with couscous!
OOh couscous would be wonderful in this Deanna – BTW, Thanks so much!
This sounds incredible, Shashi! I must admit that I’ve never had biryani before, but I’m digging the flavors. The cardamom is an interesting twist though. And that egg! And the quinoa! Man, you killed it with this one…I kinda want this for breakfast now. 🙂 Happy Monday, my ATL friend!
Duuuude – you haven’t had biryani ?! Dang if I’d had known earlier, I would have droned you some leftovers – but it’s too late now – we finished it for dinner! 🙂
Thanks so much my NYC friend – here’s hoping this week is spectacular for the Spiced househld!
YUM. I’m all about the quinoa and the flavors of biryani sound delicious. It isssssss all about the smell sometimes–you’re definitely right about that!
I know right!!!
BTW – Thanks so much Erin!
I’ve never heard/made/tried/seen the traditional version of rice Biryani, so I’m a perfect “client” here – this one looks and sounds as the perfect Biryani recipe to me! Besides, I love quinoa, and I often choose it over rice. Well done!
Oh wow – if you chose quinoa over rice, you will lurrve this recipe Ben! If you were closer, I’d invite you and yours over to dinner!
And – thanks so much Ben
I love this idea of substituting rice with the quinoa!! I have to try that for a more healthful way to eat biryani without all those carbs! I want to just dive in! 🙂
Thanks so much Ramona – I remember your biryani – it was pretty darn fantastic too!
How delicious and good for you! Wish I could have this for the lunch, Shashi.
Aww – thanks so much Angie 🙂