Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add your bone-in chicken pieces in a single layer. Cook on high heat, turning the pieces occasionally, until the chicken completely changes colour on all sides and gets a light golden sear on the outside. Don’t rush this step — that sear adds a deep, rich flavour to the base of your biryani. Once done, remove from heat and set aside.

Into a blender, add full fat Greek yogurt, salt, Kashmiri chilli powder, chilli flakes, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric, and your homemade biryani masala. Then add the fresh aromatics — garlic cloves, a good chunk of ginger root, and green chillies. Now add the fried onions, fresh mint leaves, and freshly chopped coriander. Blend everything together until you have a completely smooth, thick, vibrant paste with no lumps.

Pour the blended paste directly over the seared chicken in the pot. Stir thoroughly so that every single piece of chicken is completely coated in the masala. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring regularly to prevent the masala from catching on the bottom. You are looking for two things — the oil to fully separate and rise to the surface, and the chicken to become completely tender and cooked through.

In a separate large pot, bring plenty of water to a vigorous, rolling boil. Once boiling, add salt, cumin seeds, star anise, bay leaves, lemon slices, and whole green chillies. Give it a stir and let the aromatics sit in the boiling water for a couple of minutes before you add the rice.

Add your washed and soaked basmati rice to the boiling, aromatic water. Stir gently to separate the grains. Cook the rice until it is approximately 80% done. As soon as it reaches 80%, drain it immediately through a colander and discard the whole spices and lemon slices.

In the same pot that holds your cooked chicken masala, spread the masala and chicken pieces out evenly. Gently spoon the drained par-boiled rice on top, covering the chicken and masala completely with an even layer of rice. Scatter lemon slices across the top, followed by whole green chillies, and then a generous handful of freshly chopped mint and coriander. Finally, dissolve a little yellow food colour in a few tablespoons of water and drizzle it over the top of the rice.

Seal the pot as tightly as possible with a lid. For an even tighter seal, lay a sheet of aluminium foil over the pot before pressing the lid down firmly. Cook on medium heat for 25 minutes.

Once the 25 minutes are up, turn off the heat completely. Do not open the lid straight away — let the biryani rest, still sealed, for a further 5 minutes. When you are ready to serve, open the lid carefully. Using a wide, flat spoon or spatula, gently fold the biryani from the sides and bottom upwards, combining the layers without breaking the rice grains. Serve immediately, hot and steaming, straight from the pot.