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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Debbie says
Hi, I have one question. Can I use bone in Chicken breast? I’m not a fan of dark meat.
Love your recipes, thank you.
Pam Adams says
Can you please clarify on your chicken biryani recipes if you have chicken with bone in, i should pressure cook it for 4 min. Are there any other fluids in there. The chicken would burn. Thank you
Archana says
Yes for pressure cooking 4 mins for large pieces of bone in chicken. Add all the marinade and then the chicken releases lots of liquids when cooking.
Bernard Alvares says
Hello Archana,
Could I possibly double the chicken quantity from 2 to 4 pounds as well as the rice amount. For an extended family the Chicken Biryani servings will not be adequate. Using home made Garam Masala as opposed to store bought makes a world of difference.
Thank you and keep up the good work.
Archana says
I would say yes in a 8 QT. Might be too
Much for a 6 qt and yes home made masala is the best!! So many other amazing recipes you can use it also
Lena A says
I love this recipe and your vegetable biryani one as well. When I made this, I cooked the drumsticks alone for 4 mins then added the rice and water on top and deglazed the pot. However, I still got the burn notice. I think it was because all the marinade and chicken were at the bottom. Would it be possible to stir the rice, water and chicken together so that the marinade isn't at the bottom?
Archana says
Yes you can stir in the rice. Or before you add stir the chicken/deglaze the pot once again
aman gola says
i love this recipe
Archana says
thank you
Tammy says
Your instruction 5(a) says to cook the chicken for 4 minutes. Do I need to add any water to cook the chicken?
Archana says
Hi Tammy, Chicken releases lot of water and also the liquids from marinate are enough for pressure cooking. No additional water is needed.
Olivia says
Hi. I was wondering if you used dried mint or fresh mint leaves?
Archana says
Hi Olivia, fresh Mint leaves
Nicole says
Hi! I love your recipes! I commented on your vindaloo recipe previously. We brought our 4 year old daughter home from India. Her favorites are chicken biriyani. As I'm headed back to work I'm looking for freezer meals. Do you think we could freeze this meal or will the rice get funky? Would you recommend just making the chicken ? I would love any advice for freezer meals I can prep on the instapot. We are so missing the amazing food we had in India and want to continue eating similar foods when I go back to work!
Archana says
Hi Nicole! Thank you for your kind words! So happy to hear about your daughter and kudos to you for making all these yummy Indian meals for her. You can definitely freeze chicken biryani and for that matter most fully cooked Indian meals. I would freeze in smaller portions and then allow then to thaw in the refrigerator.
shelina says
Hi Archana! Thank you for the recipes! Two questions:
I like adding potatoes to my chicken biryani. Does the water ratio change? Since potatoes release water?
Also, I find that my biryani dries up a bit the next day...anything I can do to prevent that?
Thanks,
Shelina
Archana says
you can add potatoes along with the rice.Try to reheat in the Instant Pot using steam option and pot in pot method. This should prevent drying.
Farah says
Hello!
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Can I caramelize the onions and fry the chicken in a sperate pot, and then put everything in the instant pot to pressure cook?
Archana says
Hi Farah! Yes you can do that. You will then pressure cook for 6 mins
Navya says
Hi Archana,
When you pressure cook the chicken in instant pot,do you use high pressure or low pressure?Which brand of basmati rice did you use for this specific reciepe.
Regards,
Navya.
Archana says
High pressure. I use Kohinoor extra long grain basmati rice
Michael says
Could I use boneless chicken (like smaller cubes of boneless chicken breast)?
Archana says
Yes! You do not need to pressure cook just chicken in that case. I have the details in the recipe post
Cynthia says
Hi ...I love the recipe & followed it exactly... but somehow my rice came out a little soft... over cooked.
Could you kindly help me out by letting me know gms of rice & ml of water used? Thanks in advance
Archana says
Make sure the chicken is pat dried. Depending on the variety of rice it may need more or less water. Basically I use the same cup to measure rice and water and with rice that is soaked 1:1 ratio works best for me. Feel free to reduce the water by 1/4 to 1/2 cup
Karen says
Hi! I love your recipes! Just wanted to ask....Are you sure that 10 minutes total is enough time for bone-in chicken drumsticks? Even with NPR, that seems too short, as I've always done bone-in chicken for 20-22 minutes in the instant pot.
Thanks. Appreciate your thoughts...:)
Archana says
Yes! 10 mins works great for drumsticks.
Karen says
Wow, this was spectacular! I will definitely make this again. Thank you!
Archana says
Thank you for the feedback Karen!
siva says
hi,
thanks for the recipe. can you please let me know if we should consider the amount of water already in ip before adding 1:1 water and rice? i measured the water content after cooking chicken and added less water accordingly to cook rice. but the rice was completely undercooked. thanks for replying.
Archana says
Hi Siva, I have always added 1:1 water ratio. So you may want to try the exact measurements from the recipe. Also make sure rice is soaked and when you add it in the Instant Pot, make sure its submerged under the liquids.
Anjali says
Hi, after cooking the chicken for 4 mins, I opened the pot and there was a lot of water in there. Should I still use 3 cups of water with rice? Or can I use some of the water that is already in the pot from chicken and marinade?
Archana says
Assuming you had pat dried the chicken the water released by the chicken is fine. You can go ahead and add 3 cups of water to the rice.
Jamie D. says
This recipe sounds fabulous and I'd love to make it, but I don't have an instant pot. Do you have instructions for another cooking method? Thanks.
Archana says
I will update the recipe soon with stovetop instructions
Dr_LHA says
Made this tonight and my family loved it. Only issue was that they wanted way more chicken, and I ended up with a lot of left over rice (which won’t go to waste, as it’s delicious). I might take a cup of rice out and add a pound more chicken next time to feed my protein hungry offspring.
I’m from the UK and love biriyanis, so I’m happy to say that this really hit the spot!
Heather says
This marinade is so lovely - any recommendations for ways to use it for veggies?
Archana says
Here is my vegetable biryani recipe - https://ministryofcurry.com/vegetable-paneer-biryani-instant-pot/
Srinivas says
Thanks it is very useful