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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Hans Susser says
Absolutely wonderful 🙂 Thank you for the recipe.
Cheers !
Archana says
Thank you Hans!
Umbreen Ashfaq Saleemi says
Agree ..Its wonderful
Archana says
Thank you!
annika says
Looks like the perfect biryani!
Archana says
Thank you Annika! It sure is.
Farah says
Hi
Will the chicken pressure cook for 4 minutes only in marination? No water added?
Please reply thanks!
Archana says
Yes! Chicken releases a lot of water during cooking
Zoë McCredie says
This looks amazing, any chance you are willing to share the spices used to make your masala for this? I find too much difference and fillers in many of the pre made "garam masala" available where I live.
Archan says
Hi Zoe, Ofcourse, I can share the recipe for my garam masala. I have the link to it in the blog post for Biryani but here it is again - http://ministryofcurry.com/homemade-garam-masala-2/ This is my go to garam masala for my recipes and once you make it you will find many other recipes on my blog to use it! Let me know how you make out.
Christine says
Best recipe I've ever had. Thanks so much for sharing.
Archana says
You are welcome Christine!
krishna says
looks AMAZING! can you please suggest some vegetarian variation instead of the chicken?
Archana says
Hi Krishna, Sure I will post a vegetarian Biryani recipe soon.
Sumith says
Love Biriyani!! Your recipe sounds very delicious. Beautiful share Archana.
Archana says
Thank you Sumith!
Christina says
I only have brown basmati rice. I usually cook it on high for 15 and NPR for 5. Could I do that's here or do you think soaking th rice helps reduce the cook time? Thanks
Archana says
Hi Christina, Yes you can soak the brown basmati and then use your method of high 15. I have not tried making this with brown rice but I know brown rice takes much longer than basmati. Soaking will reduce some of the time.
Krina Parmar says
I tried this again tonight with the brown rice using the 15 minute suggested by Christina. It was very watery when I opened it. Put it back on for another 15 and then did QR better than the first time I opened it, but think I'll have to try it a few times with the brown rice and work on the timing.
Archana says
Hi Krina! I have to agree that I still haven't had a chance to try this with brown rice. Make sure your chicken is dry when you marinate it. I will post an update as soon as I get a chance to try the brown rice biryani.
Archana says
Hi Krina, I now have a tried and tasted brown rice biryani recipe - https://ministryofcurry.com/brown-rice-chicken-biryani-instant-pot/
Jessica says
What's the max time you'd marinate the chicken? I want to marinate overnight.
Archana says
Hi Jessica, you can marinate it overnight! Max I have marinated is 20 hours or so
Sandhya says
Great share Archana! I love biryani and am drooling here looking at your prefect biryani photos!
Archana says
Thank you Sandhya!
Kalbap says
So Archana if one is using skinless and boneless chicken breast or thighs then does one skip step 5 and proceed to step 6?
Archana says
Kalyani, Yes you can proceed to next step which is - b) For Chicken Breasts - Mix well and cook on Saute mode 3 mins.
Grubbing With Jess says
I have such warm memories of my mom making this and how amazing the house would smell. This looks so delicious!
Archana says
Thank you Jess! It is a comfort food for me too!
shaheen says
You are awesome !
Archana says
Aww! Thank you Shaheen!!
Ramya says
Can you pls let me know which brand of rice u have used here
Archana says
Rama, I use Kohinoor extra long basmati. But any long basmati rice will work.
Shiji says
Thank you so much just made it, eaisiest Biryani recipe ever made with no compromise on taste!!
Please share veg Palav or veg Biryani soon
Archana says
Shiji, So glad you enjoyed the Biryani recipe. I have a bunch of other IP recipes on my blog if you are interested. Thank you of your feedback.
Nancy says
New instant pot user here - I made this recipe this evening and it turned out watery. Does it make a difference if the Basmati rice was long grain? I got Basmati rice, however I don't think it was long grain which may have caused it to be watery and mushy. It had great flavor though!
Archana says
Hi Nancy, Basmati Rice will not make the difference. Do you wash your chicken or use frozen? IF so, Make sure you dry the chicken with paper towels before marinating. That could add to extra liquids. Also make sure to use full fat yogurt only as yogurt has a lot of water too. If you see the video when I pour the marinade it wasn't too watery. Before adding rice, if you see a lot of water being released, reduce the water you add over rice. Instead of 2 cups add only 2 or 2-1/2 cups. I hope you will give it a try again! Thank you for your feedback.
Penny Edwards says
I'm in the UK, I made this last night and it was amazing. It is very similar to an authentic recipe I use from Bangalore, but with fewer steps.
I used a chilli powder that I have which comprises of ground chillis. But have just read somewhere that red chili powder is ground cayenne. Can I ask what you use?
Archana says
Hi Penny! So glad you enjoyed the Biryani! I like to take lot of unnecessary steps as well as ingredients out of my recipes just to make it easy for everyone. Chili powder is just ground chilies. It could be any kind of friend red chili,my favorite is the kashmiri chili powder which is vibrant red but mild. I do not really use cayenne in indian cooking as it is way to spicy and takes away the flavor of the main dish.
Mike Masterson says
How do you make your ginger paste and garlic paste?
Archana says
I use a mini grater and grate fresh ginger and garlic. If I need larger quantity I use my food processor.
Rabz says
Thanks, looks very tempting. Just one question, by QR do you mean 10 min QR or as soon as cooking time is up.
Thanks!
Archana says
As soon as the cooking time is up. Soaked basmati rice cooks perfect in 6 mins
Sharan says
Hi I have been trying to open the vegetable biryani recipe but the link doesn't work. Pls help. Waiting impatiently 😉
Archana says
Oh No! I am so sorry. Please use this direct link - http://ministryofcurry.com/vegetable-paneer-biryani-instant-pot/
Annette says
Hi Archana - I am a new IP user and tried your biryani receipe last night. It was delicious!! I am going to make it again this week-end and wanted to know what cooking modifications need to be made if I want to double the chicken? Thanks!
Archana says
Hi Annette, Most of the cooking times remain the same. It will take longer to caramelize the onions, but thats basically it. Let me know how it comes out?