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 (5- Steps)
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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adam says
I followed recipe and the rice was under cooked slightly and it was very soupy at the end with way too much liquid that I had to drain out. I used Royal Brown Basmati rice.
Maybe I need to par-boil the rice next time for 10 minutes?
Any suggestions on getting fluffy soft rice?
Thanks,
Adam
Archana says
Hi Adam! Here is my detailed recipe for Brown Rice Biryani that you want to use as the timings and water ratio is much different - https://ministryofcurry.com/brown-rice-chicken-biryani-instant-pot/
Josh says
This is phenomenal! Delicious comfort food. Thank you!
Abby says
This recipe was fantastic! I thought it came out much better than any takeout version I have ever had. I used coconut oil instead of ghee (since that's what I had on hand) but the recipe was very easy and authentic. Thank you so much for sharing!
Tanya says
Hi There,
I've made this a few times and I really like it. I enjoy this instant pot recipe as it's quicker/easier than when I make biryani the regular way. I was wondering though about adding potatoes as I do that for the regular biryani. Can I add potatoes to this recipe as well or will it throw the balance of ingredients off? Thank you!
Archana says
Yes you can add potatoes along with rice. Just add a little extra salt
Helen says
I don’t have a one pot, I have a slow cooker, could I use this or is there a variation to cook it on the job please?
Archana says
Hi Helen, I would not recommend making thie in the slow cooker but you can cook it on the stovetop.
Kate says
I am making this tonight for dinner! If I wanted to make a mild version, how would you recommend adjusting the spices?
Archana says
You can skip the red chili powder all together.
Kate says
This was simply delicious. I skipped the chili powder and added a bit of paprika instead, and it was perfectly mild for my sensitive kids but still full of flavour. Definitely making this again! The raita was nice too.
Swapna says
Hello Archana,
I have an IP duo nova. How do I manage the settings when you say manual/ pressure cook setting? There is low, normal, high and high pressure and low pressure? I'm confused with the settings. Can you help me? Thanks.
Archana says
Pressure cook High.
Hetal says
I have always been afraid to attempt to make biryani but this recipe makes it so easy! I marinate the chicken a bit differently by using yogurt, biryani masala, curry powder, chili powder, Palau masala, ginger, garlic, and chili’s. When it comes to cooking, I follow the recipe to the exact specifications. It turns out so good. I get no burnt error and my rice is perfectly cooked. I also add small potatoes, and use boneless breast pieces which takes 6 minutes with quick release.
Sarah says
Hi, I want to try this but I don’t have plain yogurt right now. Can I substitute with sour cream?
Archana says
You can use extra lemon juice instead.
Lakshmi says
Thanks for the recipe.
Can you please also mention the pressure settings while cooking the chicken and rice? is it Low or medium pressure?
Thanks,
Lakshmi.
Archana says
Hi pressure.
Umme abdullah says
I followed the recipe exactly but my rice came out undercooked(about 80-85%done only). How should I adjust the pressure cooking time? After adding the rice should I use the rice setting button instead? Please pour in your suggestion
Archana says
Just keep the Instant Pot lid closed for 10 mins and it will cook the rice. Was the rice organic?
Cara says
I want to try this but my toddler has a dairy allergy. What can I use to substitute the yogurt?
Archana says
non dairy yogurt or add extra 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
deepa says
hi i try your recipe and it came out well.i made the chicken biryani in the rice electric cooker and it came well. and it is delicious.
Melissa Diltz says
Made this and it was SO easy and so delicious. No issues with recipe as written and even my 16 month old son loved the chicken (though he’s not into rice.) As a note it took a looooong time for my IP to come to pressure. I was kind of worried. But it was fine!
Haj says
Hi I have zafrani reserve basmati rice can I use that ? It looks so good
Archana says
Yes! That will work
Roe says
Excellent recipe but I mix the yogurt marinade first then add the chicken...
Todd says
Have always enjoyed biryani from a local restaurant. I don’t think it measures up to this recipe, it was fantastic.
Bella says
5 stars is not enough for this. Mouth watering biryani and incredibly easy to make. This recipe is easier than most of the things I make on a daily basis. I don't cook non veg often and so I avoid making things like chicken biryani for fear of failure but not anymore. Thanks sooooo much!!
Bella says
One tip that is an awesome time saver. If eating boiled eggs along with this, the eggs can be placed on a trivet or steamer above the rice. They will be perfectly boiled at the same time the biryani is done!
Jes says
Hello, I tried this receipe and it came out awesome, thankyou. Do you have an instant pot receipe for lamb biryani as well? Or can I just substitute the chicken for lamb?
Archana says
This same recipe will also work for lamb.
Puja Shah says
Is it okay if I soak the water longer than the recommended 20 mins?
I don't long grain, is regular rice okay?
Archana says
Rice grains may break if you soak for too long.