Thai Chicken Biryani (Khao Mok Gai)
Golden turmeric rice cooked together with chicken marinated in curry spices and yogurt, a specialty of Thailand's Muslim communities. Serve with a tangy chili-vinegar dip and cool cucumber for the proper balance of flavours.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Marinate the chicken
In a bowl, mix the turmeric, curry powder, garlic, , salt, white pepper and yogurt into a paste. Rub it all over the chicken pieces, cover, and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight for the deepest flavour and colour.
- 1.2 kg chicken
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 60 ml yogurt
✅ Done when: the chicken is evenly coated and golden-orange from the turmeric
Brown the chicken
Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Fry the marinated chicken, skin-side down first, until golden on both sides, about 4 minutes per side; it does not need to cook through yet, you only want colour and flavour. Lift out the chicken and set aside, leaving the spiced oil in the pot.
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1.2 kg marinated chicken (from step 1)
✅ Done when: the chicken pieces are golden-brown but still raw inside
Build the spiced rice
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Simmer with chicken on top
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Rest, covered
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Make the dipping sauce
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Fluff and serve
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Marinate the chicken
In a bowl, mix the turmeric, curry powder, garlic, , salt, white pepper and yogurt into a paste. Rub it all over the chicken pieces, cover, and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight for the deepest flavour and colour.
- 1.2 kg chicken
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 60 ml yogurt
✅ Done when: the chicken is evenly coated and golden-orange from the turmeric
Brown the chicken
Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Fry the marinated chicken, skin-side down first, until golden on both sides, about 4 minutes per side; it does not need to cook through yet, you only want colour and flavour. Lift out the chicken and set aside, leaving the spiced oil in the pot.
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1.2 kg marinated chicken (from step 1)
✅ Done when: the chicken pieces are golden-brown but still raw inside
Build the spiced rice
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Simmer with chicken on top
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Rest, covered
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Make the dipping sauce
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Fluff and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Khao Mok Gai traces back to the Muslim communities of Thailand, descendants of Persian, Indian and Malay traders who settled along trade routes and in the south of the country. They brought biryani-style rice cooking with them, and over generations it adapted to local Thai ingredients and tastes, swapping heavier spice blends for a lighter touch of turmeric and curry powder, and pairing the rice with a distinctly Thai sweet-sour-spicy dipping sauce.
Today it is a beloved dish far beyond Muslim neighbourhoods, sold at food stalls and small family restaurants across Bangkok and the south, usually alongside a bowl of clear broth and the cucumber relish that cuts through the richness of the rice.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It is the clearest example of how Thai-Muslim cooking enriched the national cuisine, turning South Asian biryani into something unmistakably Thai with turmeric, fish sauce undertones and that sharp little dipping sauce.
💡 Fun Fact
The name literally means "buried rice chicken", a nod to the way the chicken is tucked beneath the rice to cook together in one pot.
Southern Thailand and the Thai-Muslim communities of Bangkok
6.87°N, 101.25°E
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