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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Natasha says
What could I use in place of the whole milk yogurt? we are currently dairy free
Archana says
You can use dairy free yogurt! Or extra lemon juice works too
Dee says
This is my FAVOURITE Instant Pot recipe and also my favourite biryani recipe. A million times easier/faster than making it on the stove and the result is always perfect. Thank you for this!
Archana says
Thank you for your lovely feedback. Enjoy!
Aanchal says
I tried this recipe by doubling the quantity....My Biryani was undercooked first time... I added some water and cooked for another 6 minutes manual - it was over cooked and burnt at bottom... I am not sure what went wrong with this?
Archana says
Hi Aanchal, Did you soak the rice for 20 mins? And was it long grain basmati? Also after the first cycle completes, there is barely any water left in the Biryani for more pressure cooking. Even if you add water its not going to help the pressure cooker come to pressure unless the whole biryani is mixed up so the water reaches the bottom of the pot. Also for 6-QT doubling this recipe might be too much overfilling? You can also just fluff the rice and keep the Instant Pot closed to help cook the rice further.
Steve says
This recipe rocks! The mint, cilantro and bay leaf had my taste buds dancing for joy. I am a novice cook and you made this easy for me, THANK YOU.
Archana says
Awesome! Thank you for your feedback.
Mahjabeen says
It's awesome. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
Archana says
You are welcome Mahjabeen.
Ha Patel says
Hi! I will be trying this out this weekend. Can I substitute coconut milk (from can) for yogurt? Thanks!
Archana says
Hi, yogurt is for marinating the chicken. Coconut milk will not make a good substitute. You can instead add a bit more lemon juice.
Rochelle says
Would you share your raita recipe, please?
Archana says
Hi! Sure - 1 medium red onion finely diced, 2 fresh plum tomatoes finely diced, 1/2 cup cilantro. 2 cups plain yogurt, 1 teaspoon salt. mix well and enjoy!
Rhys says
Hi Archana, recipe looks great, I don't have an instant pot, can I cook this in a large stock pot instead?
Not sure of cooking times?
Archana says
Hey, yes you can. Cook chicken until its 3/4th done. In a separate pot cook rice till it is 3/4th done. Then Layer rice over chicken and cook covered for 20 - 30 mins on low heat.
Zuni says
Amazed by ur blog.Thanks for sharing the recipes.
But IMO the instant pot biryani turned out more like a spicy pulao,still good but I wud like to go back to plain old stove n pot for biryani.
Archana says
Thank you Zuni!
Lori says
Hi,
I tried this recipe for the first time with friends over for dinner. There were only 4 of us but we polished it all off! Everyone enjoyed it but we all had the same concern there wasn't enough of the flavor. I'm new to cooking indian food, my southern mother doesnt cook with any spice but salt and pepper, - is there substantial variation in spice quality from different stores? And, we hardly had any heat, I did add the whole jalapeno. The rice and chicken cooked wonderfully and was the perfect texture, I just wanted a bit more flavor (and i added the extra amount of garam masala)!
Thanks for the recipe, it is a keeper in my house!
Archana says
Hi Lori! Thank you for your detailed feedback. Good quality Garam Masala can make a big difference in Biryani flavors. Have you tried making it at home? I have an easy recipe that uses only 5 spices on my blog. That would really add flavors -and heat. You can also add more red chili powder and make sure the one you have is fresh.
Neha Suchdeve says
I wanted to use few pieces of chicken tenderloins. I normally just cook them for 4 mins and do NPR and they cooked perfectly. But for this recipe do you think i need to cook them first for 3/4 mins and again cook them with the rice for 4 mins and do NPR? Or can i just cook the rice and chicken together for 4 mins and do NPR? TIA
Archana says
Hi Neha, yes no need to pressure cooked chicken tenderloins. You can cook everything together. 4 mins NPR will work.
Raghu says
Doing it first time and it really turned out Awesome. Thank you for the detailed information.
Archana says
You are welcome! Thank you for your feedback.
Vikki says
Hi - I am so excited to make this today - just a question- red onion or yellow onion?
Archana says
Hi Vikki, I use yellow onions.
Athira says
How can I double this recipe? For 6 cups of rice and 4 lb chicken.. how will the cooking time vary?
Archana says
You do not have to double the pressure cook tome. Although, I feel that might be too much for a 6-QT. Do you have an 8- QT?
Sarah Ajani says
Hi Archana, I have an 8 QT instant pot. Can I double the recipe in there without the risk of it being too full?
If yes - any modifications you suggest?
Archana says
Yes! I would suggest you saute the onions in a seperate pot on stove top. That will save a lot of time and also avoid any burn related errors.
Ravi Kotha says
My trusted recipe...:)
Archana says
Thank you!
Naila says
Made this today and OMG, it was THE BEST! Thank you!! 🙂
Archana says
You are welcome! Thank you for the feedback
mad hen says
so this is really good. todally man you really know your cute little stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Archana says
Thank you!
Andrew Graham says
Is there a way of making this without using an insta pot??
Archana says
Hi Andrew! Yes, you can cook the chicken 3/4th way through in a large pot. In another pot cook the rice about 3/4th way through. Then layer the rice over the chicken and cook covered on low heat for 30-40 minutes.
Andrew Graham says
Ah thank you.
Usma says
Hi! Is there anyway to fix the rice if it came out too mushy in the instant Pot.
Would cooking it for an additional 2 or 3 minutes do anything to dry up the water
Archana says
Hi just take it out in a serving dish and keep it open. Some moisture will evaporate. Cooking longer will make it more mushy
imperium says
Hello.
One question : do you put 2lb chicken if you use chicken breast ?
Thank you.
Archana says
Hi! Yes! 2 LB chicken breasts will be good