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.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Minstry of Curry
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
♥ We LOVE to hear from you! Did you try this recipe? Please share your food photo with hashtag #ministryofcurry on Facebook or Instagram, so we can see it and our followers can enjoy it too! Thank you and Happy Cooking ♥ Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for tasty and easy video recipes. Looking for more Instant Pot recipes? Check out our delicious Instant Pot Recipe board on Pinterest.
Roma Bhansali says
Hi Archana
I tried this recipe today. Overall pretty simple and straight forward and turned out very good. I carmelized the onions on a pan outside. When I put the marinated chicken drumsticks and onions to cook before rice got burn sign. What do we do at that time ? Release the pressure and start it again ?
Archana says
Hi Roma, Good idea to caramelize the onions separately. I am surprised you got the burn sign while cooking the chicken. Did you add all the marinade liquids too? I usually add everything. Also make sure your sealing ring is secured properly. The only reason for a burn is not having extra liquids or something food sticking to the bottom of the pan. In case of a burn, sign usually there will be no pressure build, so you can open deglaze the pot to see if there is anything sticking to the bottom, add some water if the food looks dry and start cooking again. Hope this helps. Thank you for trying these recipes and giving your feedback.
Nidhi says
Hi Archana! I'm in the middle of making this biryani for the first time. I am really hoping you can answer my question quickly. Why do the instructions say to add only the half the marinated chicken? What do we do with the rest of the marinated chicken?
Thanks,
Nidhi
Archana says
Nidhi, add half first and use the liquids to deglaze the pot. Remove all browning from sauteeing onions. Then add the rest. It’s easier to work with half just to help deglaze. You can always add all of it but sometimes it becomes difficult to see if the bottom is all cleared or not
NIDI says
Thanks Archana for such a quick reply! It turned out great.
Archana says
You are most welcome
C says
This is delicious! I took a minute off the cook time since I had a bit less chicken and rice on hand and it turned out perfect. Maybe a little less salt next time, but that's just personal reference. Thanks for a great recipe and such detailed instructions.
(And I'm making your beet raita instead because I love it so much. )
Archana says
Thank you for the lovely feedback. I am so glad you enjoyed the biryani and the raita.
Yash roy says
you have a nice and delicious recipe.. big fan of your recipies 🙂
Archana says
Thank you Yash! Did you get a chnace to look at my new cookbook that is now released?
Caitlin says
Hi there! I absolutely love this recipe, and would love to share it with my parents who don't have an instant pot. Is there any way to convert it to slow cooker/stovetop/oven, or should I convince them to get their own IP?
Thank you!
Archana says
Just so much easier to cook with the Instant Pot! I am happy to send you stove top recipe it’s just much longer process involving multiple pots
Roopa says
Hi, I like how fluffy your rice looks. What brand of basmati rice do you use?
Archana says
Kohinoor Extra long grain rice.
Rina E says
Can you use forzen chicken? I have Chicken tenders that are frozen. would it change the recipe? Or do I need to wait for the Chicken to thaw befor using?
Archana says
Chicken will thaw as you marinate.
MONISHA PARAMASIVAM says
My biryani keeps showing burn, how do i fix it?
Archana says
Looks like chicken is sticking to the bottom. Take it out and scrape the pot well. Then start pressure cooking cycle
Natasha Mukherjee says
I followed the recipe but it became soggy. What can I do to fix it?
Archana says
Hi Natasha, Sorry to hear. Just make sure to pat dry the chicken before marinating and drin the rice well next time.
Sarosh Sohail says
Hi, I would like to add aloo bukhara/plums to my biryani. When do you suggest I should add it
Archana says
Add then along with the chicken. And sounds yummy. Let me know how it comes out
Behrouz Birayani says
The chicken biryani captures the marvelous flavor, and it is one very simple and instant chicken Biryani recipe that can be made at home with not very lengthy list of ingredients. There is an exotic chicken biryani that needs a lot of time and not very easy to make.
Archana says
I am so glad you enjoyed this simple & flavorful version of chicken biryani.
Joanne says
Bland white girl here. I have been sick of the usual food I cook and know how much I love Indian cuisine. Found your recipe and decided to try it in my brand new instant pot. I also found a butter chicken recipe and so today cooked both in my new pot. Amazing results! I have cooked for an army and right now there’s only myself and my daughter home. . When I posted the pictures of my food to my family there was an immediate outcry to make sure I save some. It is some of the tastiest food I’ve made in a long time. Can’t thank you enough. The only small change I made was I added homemade chicken stock to the rice instead of water. Worked really well!! Thank you thank you!! My palette breathed a sigh of relief this day!!
Archana says
Joanna, you made my day with you lovely feedback. I am so glad to read that you are enjoying my recipes. I hope you find more recipes on the blog and also in my cookbook that you can add to your weekly rotation ❤️
Naveen says
Excellent recipe. I marinated the chicken overnight and did add a table spoon spoon of corrionder powder. Turned out perfect and one of best biryanis I had in recent times. Thank you for Sharing the recipe.
Archana says
You are welcome! Thank you for the feedback
Rupa says
Hi Archana,
Can we double the recipe in a 6 qt pot?
Archana says
It will be too much for 6-QT. I would do 2 batches instead.
Maya says
Hi! What’s the max cups of rice I can do in 8 qt? I was thinking four cups?
Archana says
Depends on the recipe. For this one you can double.
Maya says
Hi what is the max amount I can do in the 8 qt?
Archana says
You can double the recipe but make sure to deglaze the pot few times as per the recipe
Saumya says
Thanks Archana.. The Biryani came out perfect in the first try itself
The instructions are very detailed 🙂
Archana says
You are welcome. Thank you for the feedback
Humaira says
Hi, i just tried the recipe as per instructions and its turned out pretty good. But my chicken boti always breaks in the instant pot, even when i make pilao. Any tips how i can avoid that?
Thanks
Archana says
Hi Humaira, Thank you for the feedback. May be you are making the pieces too small? Try using larger chunks of chicken. If using boneless you do not have to pressure cook teh chicken by itself. Just cook it along with rice.
Elsa says
Hi Archana,
A small question. If I want to use a mix of boneless chicken and drumstick, how do I go about cooking it? Should I cook both separately?
Archana says
Hi Else, You can saute for 5 mins after adding the chicken. No need to pressure cook just teh chicken. Deglaze really well, add rice and pressure cook.
Madhuri says
Hi Archana,
Thanks for great receipe.
In step no 5a while cooking the chicken, do we put it on pressure cook high or normal? I had it on high but it gave burn signal. Also when we set it on 4 mins the display should be like 00:40 or 00.04? And 4 mins Start instantly after on signal or when it starts showing number 4? Sorry these are very basic questions but I am new to IP hence ignorance.
Archana says
5a on high, but make sure you have properly deglazed the pot. There should be no browning. And the display should say 00:04 also it take 5 to 15 mins for it to come to pressure and then the 4 mins cycle starts. Hope this is helpful. If you are a newbie try my easy spinach daal. Don’t worry about the pot I pot rice part. And that will give you a good idea