Ingredients

Step by step

1. For the marinade, whisk the yogurt with the garlic, ginger, coriander, ground cardamom, cinnamon and ground cloves (or stir in whole cloves with the green chillies), or process everything using a liquidiser or stick blender. Stir in the green chilli halves.
2. Using a sharp knife, slash each chicken thigh 2-3 times and add to the spiced yogurt. Mix well, cover with clingfilm and marinate for at least 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Heat the oil in a sturdy casserole and fry the sliced onions for 30 minutes, stirring often, until well browned. Scoop out half the onions and set aside to scatter over the biryani before it goes in the oven.
   Tip

   If you don't grind the cloves, look out for and discard them when serving.
4. Cut the chicken into large chunks and add to the casserole with the spiced yogurt and stir until the yogurt comes to a simmer. Cover with a well-fitting lid and transfer to the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is tender and the yogurty juices have thickened.
5. Meanwhile, rinse the basmati rice and soak in cold water for 20 minutes.
6. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Drain the soaked rice and tip it into the water. Bring back to the boil, then simmer for a further 2 minutes to parboil it, then drain the rice in a sieve.
7. Take the casserole out of the oven and reduce the temperature to 160°C, fan 140°C, gas 3. Remove half the chicken from the casserole to a plate. Sprinkle half the parboiled rice over the chicken in the casserole, season, then cover with the remaining chicken, season again and finish with a top layer of rice.
8. Dot with the reserved onions and squeeze over the lime. Cover with damp baking paper, then with foil and put the lid on. Return the casserole to the oven for 30 minutes until the rice is cooked, the biryani will then happily keep warm, out of the oven, for 20-30 minutes.
9. Serve the biryani with the courgettes with tomato, the roasted garlic raita and the pickle on the side.