Drain the soaked rice and keep it aside. Heat ghee in a pan and fry half of the sliced onions until golden brown. Drain it on a kitchen towel and keep it aside.

In a grinder, grind together one cinnamon stick, 5 black peppercorns, cloves, and 5 green cardamon to a fine powder. Add half of the chopped coriander + mint leaves, 1 tsp of lemon juice, green chilies, and very little water and grind into a smooth paste.

Clean, wash, and drain the chicken pieces. Marinate the chicken pieces along with ginger-garlic paste, salt, red chilli powder, half of the fried onions, the prepared masala paste, 2 tbsp yogurt, and 1 tbsp of ghee. Leave it aside for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator or overnight.

Heat ghee in a large pan. Fry the cashew nuts and raisins. Drain them on a paper towel and keep it aside. In the same pan, add the cinnamon sticks and black cardamons and saute till fragrant.

Add the remaining sliced onions and saute until golden brown. Add the chopped tomatoes and saute until they turn soft and mushy and the oil starts to separate. Add the marinated chicken and cook it covered on medium flame until the chicken is done, stirring occasionally.

In a heavy bottomed vessel, boil water. Add the remaining black peppercorns, green cardamon, bay leaf, and cinnamon stick.

Once the water starts to boil, add the drained basmati rice and cook until half done. Drain the rice and keep it aside to cool.

Melt ghee in a biryani pot. Spread half of the cooked rice in a layer. Layer the chicken masala over the rice. Sprinkle chopped mint leaves + coriander leaves. Spread the remaining rice. Sprinkle mint + coriander leaves, fried cashew nuts + raisins, biryani essence, and the remaining fried onions. Close the pot with a tight lid and simmer on low flame for 15 mins until the rice is cooked well and the flavor infuses into the meat.

Switch off the flame and let it rest for another 10 mins. Give the rice a gentle stir to mix the masala with the rice, making sure not to break the rice. Serve with raita of your choice!