Instant Pot Chicken Biryani is one of my favorite dishes and one of the most requested meals at my house. This one-pot meal is made of fragrant basmati rice, tender spiced chicken, and caramelized onions, and it can be cooked in less than an hour while maintaining the same authentic flavor and texture of traditional biryani.
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Family Treasured Recipe
Biryani is one of India's most beloved dishes; rich in flavor and tradition, but often time-consuming to make. Growing up, my mom's Stovetop Chicken Biryani was a special treat, and I knew I had to find a way to bring that same magic to busy weeknights.
After a few trials, I cracked the Instant Pot version that is quick, easy, and full of authentic flavor.
Since then, I've had so much fun creating more one-pot biryanis you'll love: From fragrant Vegetable Biryani, Shrimp Biryani to hearty Chickpea Biryani (with vegan options!), Brown Rice Biryani, Fish Biryani, and Egg Biryani there's something for everyone, and all made effortlessly in the Instant Pot!
The Famous Instant Pot Chicken Biryani
Thank you to all who have tried this recipe. It has become so popular that when I published The Essential Indian Instant Pot Cookbook, I was requested that I also include this recipe in the cookbook. I hope you will enjoy 75+ modern recipes with authentic Indian flavors in my best-selling book.
How To Cook Different Chicken Cuts
I love biryani with chicken cooked tender and moist, while the rice is fluffy with each grain separated. There are 2 ways to cook biryani, depending on your chicken cut.
- Using bone-in, skinless chicken legs, I first partially cook the chicken by pressure cooking it for 4 minutes. Then layer over soaked and drained rice and pressure cook both chicken and rice for 6 minutes.
- Using small bone-in chicken pieces or boneless thighs - Skip the initial 4 minutes of pressure cooking and saute the marinated chicken for 2 to 3 minutes. Then layer the soaked and drained rice and pressure cook for 6 minutes.
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Biryani
Here are step-by-step instructions with photos. Please check the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions.
1: Marinate the Chicken - Coat the chicken with ground spices, mint, cilantro, lemon juice, yogurt, and salt. For extra flavor and easy meal prep, you can marinate it ahead of time and refrigerate for up to 12 hours (photos 1-4).
2: Soak the Rice - Soak the rice for 20 minutes to ensure it cooks up light, fluffy, and with long, separate grains. I recommend using extra-long grain basmati rice for the best results-Kohinoor and Royal are two of my go-to brands, easily found at most Indian grocery stores (photos 5-6).
3: Caramelize the onions and deglaze - As the rice soaks, start to caramelize the onions. Caramelizing in the Instant Pot may cause the bottom of the pot to get scorched. Remember to deglaze the pot well with the liquids from the marinated chicken. Pressing cancel during deglazing also prevents further overheating (photos 7 - 10).
4: Partially Cook the Chicken - Bone-in chicken legs or drumsticks need a longer time to pressure cook than basmati rice. To achieve this, we first pressure-cook the chicken for 4 minutes. For boneless thighs, just sautéing for 2 to 3 minutes cooks the chicken partially, and then they can further cook along with the layered rice (photos 11 - 12).
5: Layer over Rice and Pressure Cook- Drain the rice and layer it over the partially cooked chicken. Add water and make sure all the rice is under the liquids (photos 13 - 14).
Once the Instant Pot has finished, open the lid and garnish the biryani with caramelized onions, saffron milk, fresh cilantro, and mint. Add the hard-boiled eggs on top (see photos 15-16). Let the rice cool slightly, then gently fluff it with a fork or silicone spatula. Serve with a side of raita and a squeeze of fresh lime!
Tips for making Biryani in the Instant Pot
- Marinate the Chicken Well: Pat dry the chicken to avoid excess moisture, then marinate for at least 20 minutes using plain full-fat yogurt. Use fresh garam masala for the best flavor-homemade is ideal.
- Caramelize and Deglaze Properly: If you're sautéing onions in the Instant Pot, be sure to deglaze the pot thoroughly after caramelizing. Turn off the pot and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to loosen any browned bits-there should be no residue left at the bottom. This prevents the dreaded "BURN" message and helps the pot come to pressure. Also, make sure the sealing ring is secured properly before pressure cooking. To avoid issues altogether, you can caramelize the onions on the stovetop in a non-stick pan. It's faster and helps keep the Instant Pot insert clean and scorch-free.
- Layer and Cook Thoughtfully: Make sure all of the rice is fully submerged in liquid before closing the Instant Pot. After cooking, the top layer of rice may appear slightly undercooked; fluff it gently and mix using a silicone spatula.
- Scaling the Recipe - You can safely halve the recipe without changing the pressure cook time. To double it, use an 8-QT Instant Pot-doubling in a 6-QT is not recommended. Cooking time stays the same either way.
★ Tried this recipe? I'd love to hear how it turned out! Leave a comment and let me know, or snap a quick pic and upload it-I love seeing your creations. If you're on Instagram, tag @ministry_of_curry so I can check it out. Your feedback means so much to me and makes all the time I spend perfecting each recipe totally worth it. Thank you!
Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Biryani (Better Than Restaurant!)
Equipment
Recipe Video
Ingredients
Marinade
- 2 teaspoons garam masala Add 3 teaspoon for spicier Biryani
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ cup mint leaves
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¾ cup plain yogurt
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 pounds whole bone in chicken skinless cut into 12 pieces (If using chicken thighs cut into 2 inch pieces)
Other Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons ghee divided
- 2 large yellow onions thinly sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups extra long grain Basmati rice
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon saffron mixed in 1 tablespoon warm milk
- 6 eggs hard boiled and shelled, optional
- 1 jalapeno sliced into 8 wedges optional for extra spicy **
Raita
- 2 cups plain yogurt
- 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
- 2 tomatoes diced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Make the marinade by mixing garam masala, ginger, garlic, red chili powder, turmeric, mint leaves, half of the chopped cilantro, lemon juice, yogurt, and salt. Add chicken and coat evenly with the marinade. Keep in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- While the chicken is marinating, wash and soak the basmati rice in water. Keep aside for 20 minutes.
- Turn the Instant Pot to Saute(Hi). After the 'hot' sign displays, add half of the ghee and add thinly sliced onions. Cook stirring frequently for 10 minutes or until the onions are golden brown and caramelized. Take out half of the onion and keep aside for garnishing the biryani. Note: You can also air fry the onions
- Add the remaining ghee to the Instant Pot with half of the caramelized onions already in the pot. For extra spicy Biryani add sliced jalapeno. Add bay leaves and half of the marinated chicken and the liquid from the marinade. Press Cancel. Mix well, deglazing the pot with a spatula to take out all the browning of the pot from sautéing the onions. This is an important step that will prevent the possible "BURN" signal during pressure cooking. Once all the browning on the pot is completely removed, stir in the remaining chicken.
- a) For Chicken on bone - Close the Instant Pot and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Select Manual/Pressure Cook(Hi) and adjust the time to 4 minutes. Follow with Quick release. Mix the chicken well, once again scraping the bottom of the pot removing any food stuck to the bottom.
- or
- b) For boneless Chicken thighs - Cook on Saute mode for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the bottom of the pot to make sure there is no food sticking to the bottom.
- Drain the rice and gently pour it over the chicken. Add salt from the other ingredients list. Add water and gently push all the rice under the liquids. Do not stir. Close the Instant Pot and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Select Manual/Pressure Cook(Hi) mode and adjust the time to 6 minutes. Follow with Quick release.
- Open the Instant Pot. If the top layer of the rice looks uncooked, simply fluff the top layer of the rice. Then mix the rice with the chicken on the bottom of the pan. Using a silicone spatula to gently mix will also prevent the rice grains from breaking.
- Garnish with the remaining caramelized onions, saffron mixed with milk and cilantro. Serve with Raita, hard-boiled egg, and lemon wedges.
Raita
- To make the raita, whisk the yogurt in a medium bowl. Add onions, tomatoes, salt, and mix well. Garnish with cilantro.
Notes
- Deglaze the pot using some of the marinated chicken to remove any browned bits from the sautéing of the onions. This will help the Instant Pot come to pressure and also prevent the "BURN" signal.
- Deglaze the pot, once again just before adding the rice.
- Make sure all of the rice is under the liquids before closing the Instant Pot.
- It is normal for the top layer of the rice to look a bit undercooked. Simply fluff the top layer and then gently mix the biryani with a silicone spatula.
- ** This recipe makes medium spicy Biryani. For extra spicy add jalapeno. OR add another teaspoon of garam masala to the chicken.
- Tip - Although Sauté (more) function on the Instant Pot works great for true one-pot cooking, you can also caramelize the onions, stovetop in a non-stick pan. This will speed up the process and also will prevent the stainless steel insert from getting scorched which may lead to a "BURN" notice on the newer Instant Pots.
- Using small bone-in chicken pieces or boneless thighs - Skip the initial 4 minutes of pressure cooking and instead saute the marinated chicken for 2 to 3 minutes. Then layer the soaked and drained rice and pressure cook for 6 minutes
Nutrition
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Deepti says
Hi Archana. What if I am using a mix of 1 lb boneless breast pieces and 1 lb bone-in drumsticks? We have very polarized tastes in this house! How would cooking time work in this case?
Archana Mundhe says
No worries, I got you! Skip the initial 4 minutes of pressure cooking and instead saute the marinated chicken for 2 to 3 minutes. Then layer the soaked and drained rice and pressure cook for 6 minutes. Allow 5 minutes of natural pressure release.
B says
What if you don’t have saffron?
Archana Mundhe says
You can skip it. Its more of a garnish.
Mrs p says
Hi if i wanted to substitute boned lamb for chicken, how much time would i need to adjust please?.
Many thanks for sharing your amazing recipes.
Archana Mundhe says
Pressure Cook the marinated lamb for 25 mins on the meat/stew setting. Then add the rice and follow the remaining recipe.
Katie B. says
Yummmm!!! First time making this. I halved the recipe and I didn't have yogurt, so I replaced it with canned coconut cream instead. I also didn't not have kashmiri and subbed it with Korean chili flakes. Turned out to be a very delicious experiment! Thank you for the recipe & clear instructions! Cooking in the IP couldn't be easier!
Archana Mundhe says
Thank you for the lovely feedback, Katie! I hope it becomes a staple in your kicthen just like mine.
fatma says
when you add potatoes, does it need to be precooked, or you can just add it in ?
Archana Mundhe says
Just add raw potatoes. No need to precook.
Shital Lakhani says
Just made this for my 10year old after a long time and he loved it! Perfectly spiced and makes the process of making biryani so much more manageable without compromising the flavors.
Archana Mundhe says
That makes me so happy to hear. Kids enjoying it is the best compliment!
John says
Thanks for the recipe! Quick question: if I'm using whole boneless skinless chicken thighs, how should I do this recipe? Do I need to pressure cook, or similarly can I just sautee for 2-3 mins?
And for pressure cooking with rice, are we supposed to do 6 min on high pressure with quick release, or let some time for natural release (5-10 mins).
Archana Mundhe says
Hi John, great question. You can simply saute the chicken thigs for 2-3 minutes. Its always good to do 5-10 min natural pressure release. although chicken thighs are so forgiving that even if you did quick release the Biryani will be just as good.
Katie B. says
Yummmm!!! First time making this. I halved the recipe and I didn't have yogurt, so I replaced it with canned coconut cream instead. Turned out to be a very delicious experiment! Thank you for the recipe & clear instructions! Cooking in the IP couldn't be easier!
Jane says
Always turns out great.
Thank you
Tracy says
Is there some way to convert this recipe into a crock pot one? I don't have an instant pot. I'm looking for a crock pot chicken biryani recipe that is as close to authentic as possible.
Archana Mundhe says
Hi Tracy, I have not tested this recipe for crockpot but I do have an authentic stovetop recipe for you - https://ministryofcurry.com/chicken-biryani/ Hope you give it a try! m
Kavya says
Pretty solid. I did add maybe double the garam masala and also added a teaspoon of MDH butter chicken masala.
Archana Mundhe says
Thank you! I love your idea of adding butter chicken masala too.
Becky says
Turned out beautiful. Thank you for a great recipe. This will be a weekly go to!
Archana Mundhe says
Thank you Becky! I am so glad this will be on weekly rotation. We make this recipe weekly in my home too.
Ishita says
This recipe was great. The rice came out just perfect like a biryani- not mushy. The only comment I have is that the proportion of chicken and rice seems to be off. 3 cups of rice seems to be A LOT. I could barely find my chicken in the final dish - got lost in the rice. I will try the recipe again with 2 cups of rice. I always have great results from your recipes. Thank you for your content!
Archana Mundhe says
Hi Ishita! Thank you for the feedback. Yes you can def adjujst the rice to your likings. We love the rice with boiled eggs for leftovers!
Tanya Sikka says
I cannot thank you enough for this gem of a recipe. I was completely shocked that I could make something so delicious at home. I halved the recipe and also added Bombay Biriyani Masala and Butter chicken Masala to the marinade. It is absolutely divine. I also used chicken breast instead of thighs. THANK YOU!
Archana Mundhe says
Thank you Tanya! I am so glad you enjoyed this quick and easy Instant Pot Biryani recipe.
Christina Shankar says
This is an excellent recipe! I took a chance and made it for guests, and it was absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe almost 100% as written except I used a few whole spices: cardmom, clove and cinnamon, and deglazed the onions with one pureed plum tomato. The rice was perfectly cooked and the flavor was just like my husband's family recipe. Thank you!!
Archana Mundhe says
Thank you Christina. You idea of deglazing the onions with pureed tomato is brilliant. Thank you for sharing with us.