Wash your rice, soak it in cold water and set it aside.
Heat oil in a large pot (preferably non stick) and add your whole spices - the cloves, black pepper, cardamom, and cinnamon. Fry for two minutes till fragrant.
In go the onions - these will take 6-10 minutes to caramelize. You want a dark brown colour - add a splash of water immediately to stop the browning from turning into burning.
Then add your ginger and garlic, stir fry for two minutes till fragrant
Add salt, coriander powder and red chilli powder. Cook for another 2 minutes.
Then add the chicken and stir fry it well till all of it turns white. At this point I like to cook the chicken on medium low heat for about 6-10 minutes depending on the size of my chicken pieces. The intent isn't to fully cook them, but to give the chicken a head start.
Then add the rice, 3 ¼ cup water and 1 ¼ tsp salt. Stir to combine and bring it to a boil.
Cover and simmer on medium heat for 10-15 minutes - essentially until the water is mostly absorbed.
Cook on low heat for another 10 minutes then check for doneness.
