This is the recipe for Hyderabadi Biryani I have been using for several years now.

Ingredients:
6 cups – Basmati Rice
9 cups – Water
2 Kgs – Chicken (thigh and leg pieces)
1 cup – Curd or Yogurt
2 large Onions (sliced)
1 large Onion (minced)
6 – Cloves
6 – Cardamoms
2 small sticks -  Cinnamon
2 sticks – Unsalted Butter (16 tbsp)
6 – Green Chillies
6 – Biryani leaves
1/2 cup – Biryani Phool
6 – Star Anees
1/4 cup – Japatri (Mace)
1 tbsp – red Chili Powder
1 cup – Milk
2 tbsp – Ginger-Garlic paste
2 tbsp – Coriander powder
Few strands of Saffron
1/2 cup – Lemon Juices
Garam Masala Powder (make using 12 black pepper corns, 12 cloves, 12 cardamoms, 1 tsp – Sajeera, 2 small sticks of cinnamon)
2 cups – chopped Mint
2 cups – chopped Coriander leaves
Salt to Taste

Wash the basmati rice and let it soak in the 9 cups of water for 30 minutes.

Melt 1 stick of butter in a frying pan and fry the sliced onions till golden brown. Remove from butter and set aside and leave the butter in the pan.

Put the cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, green chillies, biryani phool, japatri, biryani leaves and star anees in the butter and fry for a minute. Add this to the rice and cook the rice in a rice cooker. Add salt to taste and half of the garam masala powder to the rice. Mix the rice occasionally as it is cooking to spread the spice evenly.

Melt the remaining butter in the frying pan, add minced onions and saute till light brown on medium flame. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for a couple of minutes. Add chicken, coriander powder, salt to taste, chili powder, remaining garam masala powder and let cook on medium flame for 5 minutes. Add curd and let cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the frying pan from stove and add 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup coriander leaves.

In a bowl, mix the milk, saffron and the remaining lemon juice.

Take a large baking pan and spray some oil. Place 1 inch layer of rice. Add all of the chicken as the next layer. On top of it add the remaining rice. Sprinkle with the chopped mint, coriander leaves and caramelized onions. Pour the milk and lemon mixture over the whole rice. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375F for 45 minutes.

Serve hot with Mirchi-ka-Salan and Raita.