Instant Pot Chicken Biryani [Indian Chicken & Rice]

Instant Pot Chicken Biryani in the pressure cooker, makes quick work of a normally long process. Restaurant quality bryiani in less than an hour.

My Instant Pot Chicken Biryani recipe makes quick work of a normally long process.

You will have a restaurant quality biryani in less than an hour and it is  made in your Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker! Caramelized onions, sweet juicy golden raisins and toasted cashews make this rice dish, something special.

 

Whole Spices for Chicken Biryani

• Cumin Seeds
• Whole Cinnamon Stick
• Whole Cloves
• Peppercorns
• Cardamom Pods

Ground spices can be substituted if you like!

 

Marinade for Instant Pot Chicken Biryani

• Homemade Greek Yogurt (or store bought)
• Lemon Juice
• Garam Masala – Ground Coriander – Ground Cumin – Sea Salt – Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Do I have to Marinate the Chicken Overnight?

No, absolutely not. You can create the marinade, mix it in the chicken and start cooking right away. But if you want to put the chicken in the refrigerator with the marinade overnight and then cook later, no problem!

 

I love the idea of caramelized onions on top, but, I also wanted onions throughout the dish, to mix with all the delicious and aromatic flavors of India. The answer was so obvious and the flavor profile was so much more divine!

We always have Homemade Ghee, which is made in the Instant Pot, but if you don’t feel like making it yourself, I recommend Grassfed Organic Original Ghee by Pure Indian Foods.

The cashews and raisins add such a nice flavor. I think the raisins are my favorite part, next to the caramelized raisins.

 

Pro Tip: When the onions are to your preference, remove them from the cooking pot and put them aside. This method will give your Instant Pot Chicken Biryani another layer of flavor.

It’s more like traditional way, which takes a lot more effort and dirty dishes (on the stove and in the oven), but without all the steps.

 

How to Toast Whole Spices in Instant Pot Chicken Biryani

• Ghee is first heated up in the Instant Pot with onions.
• The whole spices are added to the ghee and cooked or “toasted,” which releases a wonderful aroma and will add another layer of flavor.

Indians are taught to eat around all the whole spices. However, below I will show you an alternative way to handle this without having to eat around the whole spices.

But, it is also a little trick for infusing more flavor into the raw rice as it is cooking. The cook time on the recipe card below will surprise you and no, it is not an error.

Slightly cooking the onions will only release a small amount of water. Once we lock the rest of the ingredients in the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker, more water will release from the chicken.

 

Flavorful marinated chicken with all the marinade goes into the pot.

What is the Difference between Indian Pulao and Instant Pot Chicken Biryani?

• Indian Biryani, unlike Indian Pulao, is a wetter and more saucy dish, with the sauciness coming from the broth or stock.
• For this recipe, the sauciness here will come from the addition of Homemade Greek Yogurt and chicken broth or stock.
• Pulaos are plainer and drier than Biryanis.

 

This is a fast moving recipe, so make sure to have all the ingredients prepped before starting.

For the photo collage above, you can see the chicken is added and mixed through and will get a slight searing.

The chicken broth is also mixed through. Then the Basmati Rice is placed right on top. It’s as easy as it sounds!!

Pro Tip: If you don’t have Homemade Chicken Broth, use a liquid (glass) measuring cup and add two teaspoons of Better than Bouillon Chicken Base. It is always good to have a jar of the chicken base in the fridge when fresh is not available.

 

Make Instant Pot Chicken Biryani without Toasting Spices

• This is an alternative for those who would rather not be on high alert during their meal.
• Add all the whole spices to a tea ball infuser and just drop it into the pot when you add the chicken broth.
• The flavor profile will be wonderful still, just missing the fresh aroma and toastedness of it all. Yes, I made up that word.

Personally, I just eat around the spices, but my husband would prefer I use the tea ball with the spices inside instead. He seems to always bite on a spice. Last night he found three cardamom pods in his plate, after biting down on one. Suffice it to say, the rest of the night was less than pleasant. 🙂

 

When the pressure cook time is up, you will have perfectly layered Instant Pot Chicken Biryani.

You can serve it as is or mix in the caramelized onions, raisins and cashews. I shared this recipe with you, but I’m a not gonna tell you how to eat your food! You do you!!!

How to Make Chicken Biryani in Instant Pot

1. Start with marinating chunks of chicken.
2. Fry up onions, cashews and raisins.
3. Toast the whole spices.
4. Add the chicken and all the rest of the ingredients.
5. Push the button on your Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker and wait a few minutes.

 

For my tastes, I mix in all the mint and cilantro. But, if you have been following my blog, you will know that I deal with a very difficult over 60 year old, child husband.

Try being a food blogger and having a husband that won’t even taste half of what you cook. So, for this reason the above photo only shows a portion of the mint and cilantro. After snapping a photo, I had to remove his portion(s) and then mix in all the goodies.

 

So here you have the Best of Both Worlds Pressure Cooker Chicken Biryani.

Onions cooked with the chicken and rice and caramelized onions on top!

More Instant Pot Indian Recipes to Make

• Pressure Cooker Indian Butter Chicken {Murgh Makhani}
• Instant Pot Yogurt Whey Indian Chapati / Roti {Flatbread}
• Pressure Cooker Quinoa Kheer {Indian Quinoa Pudding}
• Pressure Cooker Bhapa Doi {Steamed Yogurt Pudding} – you must try this for dessert. There are only two ingredients and it is incredible.

I love Indian food so much and hope that you will try this recipe soon!

Kitchen Equipment and Essentials

• Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker!
• J.A. Henckels Classic 8 inch Chef’s Knife
• Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
• Simply Gourmet (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
• Anchor Hocking Glass (Liquid) Measuring Cups
• Rösle Stainless Steel Flat Whisk– a MUST have, probably my most used utensil
• di Oro Living Silicone Spatulas Set
• Porcelain & Bamboo Salt Box with Spoon
• Gravity Electric Salt and Pepper Grinder
• 6 oz Porcelain Ramekins
• My FANTASTIC Teak Cutting & Charcuterie Board & Compartments
• Salbree Steamer Basket
• Small 1.5 Quart “Pot in Pot” Mixing Bowl

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