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 stovetop chicken biryani. Paired with cooling raita and a squeeze of fresh lime makes for a hearty and delicious meal.
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Family Treasured Recipe
Biryani, perhaps the most famous rice dish from India, is cherished across the country with subtle regional variations. Yet, no matter where you enjoy it, one thing stays the same: the traditional process is lengthy and intricate.
Since Chicken Biryani is such a favorite in our home, I knew I had to try adapting my mom’s traditional stovetop recipe for the Instant Pot. After a few experiments, I cracked the code and transformed it into a quick, easy dish perfect for busy weeknights—without losing any of that authentic flavor we love!
I’m thrilled to share this modern take on my family’s cherished recipe, bringing the magic of Chicken Biryani to your kitchen in a fraction of the time, thanks to the Instant Pot!
Since I published this Chicken Biryani recipe, I’ve had so much fun experimenting with more Instant Pot biryani recipes that I know you’ll love! From fragrant Vegetable Biryani and flavorful Shrimp Biryani to hearty Chickpea Biryani (with vegan options!), there’s something for everyone. I’ve even developed wholesome Brown Rice Biryani, Fish Biryani, and Egg Biryani - all made effortlessly using 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.
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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 (5- Steps)
Here are step-by-step instructions with photos. Please check the printable recipe card at the end of this pot for the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions.
1: Marinate the Chicken
Marinate the chicken in ground spices, mint leaves, cilantro, lemon juice, yogurt, and salt. Marinate for atelast minutes. You can also marinate ahead of time, for up to 12 hours in the refrigerator (photos 1 - 4).
2: Soak the Rice
Soak the rice for 20 minutes. It helps make the rice fluffy and light with long separate grains. I would recommend extra long-grain basmati rice for making chicken biryani. Some of my favorite brands are Kohinoor and Royal, both available in Indian groceries (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 over the partially cooked chicken. Add water and make sure all the rice is under the liquids (photos 13 - 14).
Garnish with the caramelized onions, saffron milk, cilantro, and mint. Layer over with hard-boiled eggs (photos 15 - 16).
What to serve with Chicken Biryani
I love chicken Biryani served with a simple raita and a squeeze of fresh lime! If you have guests, pair it will the delicious creamy tomato soup or butternut squash soup! I often make this one-pot meal when I am having an impromptu gathering with friends. And spicy Indian food always leaves you craving something sweet. Here are some of my go-to make-ahead Indian desserts - Carrot Halwa, Pineapple Sheera, and Jalebi!! You can also pair biryani with simple vegetarian curries like Palak Paneer, Mushroom Masala, or these pretty Stuffed Tomatoes!
How to store leftover Biryani
Biryani makes for amazing leftovers! In fact, I think it tastes best the next day! Simply refrigerate it in an air-tight container for up to 5 days. To reheat simply microwave individual portions. You can also freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Tips for making Biryani in the Instant Pot
- Pat dry the chicken before marinating to avoid excess liquids.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 20 minutes.
- Use plain full-fat yogurt for the marinade.
- Use fresh garam masala. Homemade garam masala works the best!
- Deglaze the pot using some marinated chicken to remove any browned bits from the sautéing of the onions. This will help the Instant Pot build pressure and also prevent the "BURN" signal. Alternatively, you can also air fry the onions.
- 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.
- Lastly, although, the Sauté function on the Instant Pot works great for true one-pot cooking, you can also caramelize the onions using a 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.
Biryani Variations
As biryani became popular in South Asia, several regional variations of this dish came along. Starting with the Kacchi style Hyderabadi Dum Biryani, the Malabar Pukka Biryani from coastal India, the Calcutta Biryani with potatoes from eastern India, spicy Chettinad Biryani from the southern states, and the flavorful, tangy Sindhi Biryani from Sindh, Pakistan. Many more variations and recipes but one thing that is common is that they are all incredibly tasty!
My favorite, of course, is the one made by my mom that I grew up eating. Warm, deep spiced Chicken Biryani, with freshly ground spices, caramelized onions, and marinated tender chicken cooked over long grain basmati rice.
1. Deglaze the pot really well using 1 to 2 tablespoons of water after caramelizing the onions. During deglazing turn off the Instant Pot which will allow the pot to cool down and prevent the liquids from evaporating. After deglazing, there should be no browning at the bottom of the pot
2. Make sure that the sealing ring is secured properly
3. If all else fails caramelize the onions on the stovetop using a non-stick pan
I like to use Kohinoor extra long-grain rice
Make sure that the rice is completely submerged under liquids before starting the pressure cooking cycle. If the rice looks slightly undercooked when the cooking cycle is complete, gently fluff the top layer only and close the lid for an additional 5 minutes on the keep warm mode.
You can definitely half the recipe, the pressure cook time will be the same. I would not recommend doubling this recipe in a 6-QT Instant Pot. But if you have an 8-QT you can double the recipe with the same pressure cook time.
For biryani dishes, it is best to soak the extra-long grain basmati rice for 20 minutes. This removes some of the starch and also helps the rice cook so that it's fluffy and long. With this method, a 1:1 rice-to-water ratio works well, as the biryani has marinated chicken that releases plenty of liquid. Always allow the rice to cool a bit after pressure cooking and then gently fluff it up with a fork or silicone spatula
★ Have you tried this recipe? We love your feedback, Please click on the stars in the recipe card below to rate.
Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Biryani (Better Than Restaurant!)
Recipe Video
Ingredients
Marinade
- 2 teaspoons garam masala Add 3 teaspoon for spicier Biryani
- 1 tablespoon ginger grated
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 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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Swati Panchal says
Hi, I tried making this and the color didn’t turn out as deep nor did it turn out as flavorful. I used everything as you said! What could be the issue?
Archana says
Did you use Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder?
Josh says
What should I do if the Burn message shows up? I even thoroughly deglazed the bottom.of the pan three times before sealing ut to pressure cook.
Archana says
Newer instant pots are a bit more sensitive to BURN error. Since you are getting the error even after deglazing the pot after caramelizing onions, I would suggest 2 things:
1. Caramelize onions on stove top in a separate pan
2. Add chicken and Saute it for 5 minutes to partially cook. Then layer over rice and water. Do not mix, simple push all the rice from the sides under water. Follow by the last pressure cooking step.
I hope this helps.
Brook says
Please can I use ginger powder instead of fresh ginger?
Archana says
Yes you can.
Nirali Patel says
How to reheat leftover buryani
Archana Mundhe says
You can reheat biryani using a few different methods:
1. Steam it in a pressure cooker for 5 minutes.
2. Place it in a non-stick pan, add a tablespoon of water, cover, and heat on low-medium for 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Microwave it for 1 to 2 minutes, adding a splash of water on top.
Govinda says
Hi! Love your recipes and have tried many of them with great success. I always have questions in such recipes about what cup size to use when it comes to rice! Is it the small 180ml cup that comes with Instant Pot and other rice cookers or is it the standard 250ml cup size. I need to make this recipe tonight for an event and would appreciate a quick response.
And, if I need to increase the quantity, how do I adjust the water ratio? And, what is the maximum quantity I can make in the standard 6Qt Instant Pot?
Thanks in advance
Archana says
Its the standard cup size and not the rice cup that comes with Instant Pot. I would not increase the quantity in a 6 QT as the bottom rice will get mushy. Hope this helps.
Govinda says
Thanks for the clarifications. Appreciate it.
Vimalini says
I tried this recipe and it was delicious. Is it possible to swap the chicken for lamb?
Archana says
Pressure Cook the marinated lamb for 25 mins on the meat/stew setting. Then add the rice and follow the remaining recipe.
Betty says
Hi, Im so excited to try this recipe!
We are going to use brown rice however (partner prefers brown rice so I'd like to learn how to make brown-rice variation of briyani which I'm sure will be just as yum).
I have heard cooking time for brown rice is around 20 minutes. Would you recommend still pressure cooking chicken (on-bone, drumsticks) for 4 minutes before adding rice? As I will need to cook the brown rice for 20 minutes, I was wondering if I should just leave out the 4-minute pressure cooking of chicken drumsticks.
Hope this makes sense. Thank you 🙂
Archana says
Here is my brown rice chicken biryani - https://ministryofcurry.com/brown-rice-chicken-biryani-instant-pot/
Afreen says
I make this recipe areas once a month now. It is in my rotation. I use chicken breast. I like it spicy so we do the jalapeños and then some extra. I like to add potatoes. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I love being able to make this dish in the instant pot
Eleanor says
Delish!!!
Ly says
I used 1:1 rice to liquid but here was still a lot of excess liquid left in the pot after 6 minutes. I had to put on another 5 minutes in the pressure cooker.
Archana says
Depending on the age and type of rice it may require more or less water. The other tips are to pat dry the chicken before marinating to avoid excess liquids and use plain full-fat yogurt for the marinade. Hope you will try it again
Kelly says
If I wanted to use less rice, would the cooking time change? 1 or 2 cups of rice (with equal amounts water?)
Archana says
Cooking time will be same. Rice to water ratio should be 1:1
Kelly says
Thank you! Made it tonight and will definitely be making it again! So good!
Kim Bittner says
I made this yesterday with chicken breasts. My Air Fryer unfortunately burned the heck out of my onions so I had to use rehydrated dried chopped onions. The flavor of the biryani is amazing, but unfortunately it’s dry enough that it actually sucks the moisture out of my mouth. I tried adding plain Greek yogurt to my reheated portions, but that’s not even enough to add moisture. Any idea what I did or what I can do to add moisture to the rest? I have a ton of leftovers since it’s just my husband and I.
Archana Mundhe says
I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Chicken breasts can be very dry sometimes. Try to marinate them for a longer time, overnight if possible and allow 10 minutes of natural pressure release. I havefound some brands of chicken breasts are more dry than others. I am also late in replying but here is what I would do to add moisture, sprinkle some chicken broth and reheat the biryani in a steamer.
I hope these tips help, and I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the flavor!
Richard says
I made this, wow, delicious, a meal I can serve to family and friends! Thank you!
Archana Mundhe says
I'm so thrilled to hear that you loved the Instant Pot Chicken Biryani! It’s truly one of those dishes that brings everyone together at the table. So glad it’s a hit for family and friends—thank you for sharing your feedback!
Renuka Jandu says
Tried this recipe yesterday and it was a hit. I tried with boneless and skinless chicken thighs. It was so delicious. My kids had friends over and they devoured it and it was all gone overnight.
Archana Mundhe says
I'm so glad the recipe was a hit with everyone, especially the kids and their friends. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs sound like a perfect choice—they’re so juicy and flavorful. Thank you for sharing your experience—it makes me so happy to hear the biryani was enjoyed to the last bite!
T says
Hi! Thanks for the recipe! I have a mix of 1 pound boneless chicken thighs and 1 pound bone-in drumsticks. What cooking time would you suggest?
Archana Mundhe says
Same cooking time for chicken thighs and drumsticks together.
K Spiliopoulou says
I’ve been making this for years and never let down. I eat it whenever I’m homesick. Lovely balance of flavours and the chicken thighs end up succulent.
Archana Mundhe says
Thank you so much for sharing your lovely feedback.
Mick says
We prefer to use Chicken Breast, what would you suggest for cook time and preparation? Tried your Shrimp Biryani and it turned out perfect.
Archana Mundhe says
Thank you for your feedback on the Shrimp Biryani! Chicken breasts can dry out easily, so be sure to marinate them for at least 2 hours for the best flavor and texture. After that, just follow the same steps as you would for boneless chicken thighs in the recipe
Mick says
Thank you Archan.
I will report back on the Chicken Breast's.
Mick
Primrose says
Can I double this recipe, using chicken boneless chicken breasts?
Archana Mundhe says
I would not recommend doubling this recipe in a 6-QT Instant Pot. But if you have an 8-QT you can double the recipe with the same pressure cook time.
Primrose Bohne says
Thank You.
Marilyn Pinard says
Too much water
Archana Mundhe says
Thanks for your feedback! The amount of water can vary slightly depending on the type and age of the rice. For a drier biryani, you can reduce the water a bit next time. Hope you will try it again.