Chicken Biryani is arguably one of the most popular rice dishes in the world. It’s intensely rich in flavor and requires a lot of time and work to get ready. This where this simple Instant Pot Chicken Biryani comes in. It provides you with the satisfaction you would get from a real deal biryani in only 1 hour. Are you excited yet ?
What is Chicken Biryani ?
Chicken Biryani is a mixed rice dish that originated among the Muslim population of India. It’s usually made with basmati rice, some kind of marinated protein (chicken in our case), spices like red chili powder, garam masala and turmeric. Biryani is a true labor of love. It’s traditionally slow-cooked, composed of layers of tender marinated meat and basmati rice and topped with some fresh herbs, nuts and saffron.
It’s as good as it sounds.
The word Biryani is believed to be derived from birinj which is the Persian word for rice. As for many things in Indian cuisine, there are many version for Biryani. There is Delhi Biryani which was developed in the Indian capital. There is the Kolkata Biryani which is known for having potatoes, eggs and meat. Not to forget the Sri Lankan Biryani, which is usually much spicier than most Indian varieties.
These are just a few examples of the many many variations of this great Indian staple.
How to make Instant Pot Chicken Biryani
This is the ultimate one pot meal. You can make this chicken Biryani in your Instant Pot in under 1 hour from start to finish, marinating time included.
To simplify this recipe, my version uses uncooked basmati rice. Here is a breakdown of the ingredients.
Notes & Ingredient list
The first step to make this Instant pot biryani is to soak the rice. Soak 2 cups of your best Basmati rice in 4 cups of cold water for 30 minutes. While your rice is soaking, get started on the chicken marinade.
Chicken marinade
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs : This is probably blasphemous to most die hard Indian cuisine fans. Biryani usually calls for whole pieces of chicken, however, since my aim is to simplify this for you, I chose to use boneless skinless chickens thighs. They are packed with flavor and are an excellent time-saving option.
- 1/4 cup of full fat yogurt : acts as tenderizer and helps bind all the spices and aromatics together.
- 1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
- 1/4 cup mint leaves
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander seeds
- 1 tsp hot chili powder : I used cayenne powder
- 1 tsp of salt
In a large bowl, combine your chicken with yogurt, spices, fresh herbs, salt and mix until your chicken is evenly coated. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Sauce, Rice & Whole Spices
- 2 Tbsp. Ghee : You can also use butter or olive oil. I prefer Ghee because of it’s fragrance and depth of flavor. Trust me, use Ghee.
- 2 Bay leaves
- 2 Cinnamon sticks
- 1 whole Star Anise
- 2 Green Cardamom Pods
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 2-3 Chilies split open: I used cayenne peppers. You can also use Jalapenos. I like my Biryani a bit spicy, if you prefer it to be milder, reduce the amount of chilies.
- 1 large onion sliced finely diced
- 1 thumb-size piece of ginger, minced.
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced.
To make the base sauce : set your Instant pot to sauté mode. Add your Ghee along with your bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, Star anise, Cardamom pods and chilies. Let your ingredients sizzle for about 3 minutes. Add sliced onions and sauté for another 7-8 minutes. Next add your diced tomatoes, minced garlic and minced ginger. Cook for another 10 minutes or until the tomatoes turn soft and mushy.
Add your marinated chicken to the pot. As the chicken cooks it will release moisture into the pot. Keep cooking until your sauce thickens. This should take another 10 minutes or so.
Adding-in the rice: drain your rice from all the water and add to the pot. Gently stir it to avoid breaking the rice. Add 2 cups of water to the pot. Give it another gentle stir, cover with your lid and seal the pressure valve. Stop sauté mode and set your Instant pot to high pressure cook for 5 minutes. As soon as the 5 minutes expire, release all the pressure using quick release to stop the cooking process. This is very important as cooking the rice for longer will make it mushy.
Serving suggestion : Garnish with some chopped fresh coriander and a drizzle of Ghee. Give it a gentle mix to fluff up the rice. Transfer your biryani to a large serving dish. Don’t leave it in the Instant pot as it will continue to cook your rice.
Instant Pot Chicken Biryani
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (3)
- 1/4 cup of full fat yogurt
- 1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
- 1/4 cup mint leaves
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander seeds
- 1 tsp hot chili powder : I used cayenne powder
- 1 tsp of salt
Sauce, Rice & Whole spices
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 2 Tbsp. ghee (1)
- 2 Bay leaves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 whole Star anise
- 2 Green cardamom pods
- 2 medium tomatoes diced
- 2-3 chilies split open (2)
- 1 large onion sliced finely diced
- 1 thumb-size piece of ginger minced
- 3-4 cloves of garlic minced
Instructions
- To make the base sauce : set your Instant pot to sauté mode. Add your Ghee along with your bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, Star anise, Cardamom pods and chilies. Let your ingredients sizzle for about 3 minutes.
- Add sliced onions and sauté for another 7-8 minutes. Next add your diced tomatoes, minced garlic and minced ginger. Cook for another 10 minutes or until the tomatoes turn soft and mushy.
- As the chicken cooks it will release moisture into the pot. Keep cooking until your sauce thickens. This should take another 10 minutes or so.
- Drain your rice from all the water and add to the pot. Gently stir it to avoid breaking the rice. Add 2 cups of water to the pot. Give it another gentle stir, cover with your lid and seal the pressure valve. Stop sauté mode and set your Instant pot to high pressure cook for 5 minutes.
- As soon as the 5 minutes expire, release all the pressure using quick release to stop the cooking process. This is very important as cooking the rice for longer will make it mushy.
Serving suggestion
- Garnish with some chopped fresh coriander and a drizzle of Ghee. Give it a gentle mix to fluff up the rice. Transfer your biryani to a large serving dish. Don’t leave it in the Instant pot as it will continue to cook your rice.
Notes
- You can also use butter or olive oil. I prefer Ghee because of it’s fragrance and depth of flavor. Trust me, use Ghee.
- I used cayenne peppers. You can also use Jalapenos. I like my Biryani a bit spicy, if you prefer it to be milder, reduce the amount of chilies.
- Don’t cut your chicken thighs into smaller pieces. Leave them whole to ensure that they retain their moisture while cooking.
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