Instant Pot Chicken Biryani

Name: Instant Pot Chicken Biryani
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 44 min
Total time: 1 h 4 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 2 lb (900 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1½-inch (4 cm) pieces, kept refrigerated until marinating; ½ cup (120 g) plain whole-milk yogurt, cold from the refrigerator, whisked smooth; 2 tbsp (30 g) ginger-garlic paste; 2 tsp (4 g) garam masala; 2 tsp (5 g) Kashmiri chili powder; ½ tsp (1 g) ground turmeric; 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice; 1 tsp (6 g) fine sea salt; 3 tbsp (45 g) ghee; 2 whole (1 g) dried bay leaves; 1 stick (2-inch) (5 g) cinnamon stick; 4 whole (1 g) green cardamom pods, lightly cracked; 4 whole (½ g) whole cloves; 1 tsp (2 g) cumin seeds; 2 large (about 11 oz total) (300 g) large yellow onions, halved and sliced into thin half-moons about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick; 2 whole (10 g) green chiles (serrano or Indian), slit lengthwise; 2 medium (about 10 oz total) (300 g) ripe tomatoes, finely chopped; ¼ cup (60 ml) water; 2 cups (400 g) aged basmati rice, rinsed in several changes of cold water until the water runs nearly clear, soaked in cold water 30 minutes, then drained well for 5 minutes; 1½ cups (360 ml) water; 1½ tsp (9 g) fine sea salt, divided: ½ tsp for the onions, 1 tsp for the rice layer; ½ cup, packed (15 g) fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped; ½ cup, packed (20 g) fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, tender stems included; ¼ tsp (a generous pinch) (0.1 g) saffron threads, crumbled; 2 tbsp (30 ml) whole milk, warmed until steaming, not boiling; 1 tbsp (15 g) ghee, melted

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Yogurt-marinated chicken thighs, a jammy onion-tomato masala and long-grain basmati are layered in one pot and pressure cooked, so the rice turns out fluffy and fragrant with saffron, mint and cilantro. All the depth of a stovetop dum biryani in about an hour of work.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 44 min
Wait: 45 min
Total: 1 hr 49 min
Makes: About 8 cups (6 generous servings) from a 6-quart Instant Pot

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Ingredients

6 servings

For the chicken marinade
2 lb (900 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1½-inch (4 cm) pieces, kept refrigerated until marinating
½ cup (120 g) plain whole-milk yogurt, cold from the refrigerator, whisked smooth
2 tbsp (30 g) ginger-garlic paste
2 tsp (4 g) garam masala
2 tsp (5 g) Kashmiri chili powder
½ tsp (1 g) ground turmeric
1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
1 tsp (6 g) fine sea salt
For the masala base
3 tbsp (45 g) ghee
2 whole (1 g) dried bay leaves
1 stick (2-inch) (5 g) cinnamon stick
4 whole (1 g) green cardamom pods, lightly cracked
4 whole (0.5 g) whole cloves
1 tsp (2 g) cumin seeds
2 large (about 11 oz total) (300 g) large yellow onions, halved and sliced into thin half-moons about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick
2 whole (10 g) green chiles (serrano or Indian), slit lengthwise
2 medium (about 10 oz total) (300 g) ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
¼ cup (60 ml) water
For the rice layer
2 cups (400 g) aged basmati rice, rinsed in several changes of cold water until the water runs nearly clear, soaked in cold water 30 minutes, then drained well for 5 minutes
1½ cups (360 ml) water
1½ tsp (9 g) fine sea salt, divided: ½ tsp for the onions, 1 tsp for the rice layer
½ cup, packed (15 g) fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
½ cup, packed (20 g) fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, tender stems included
¼ tsp (a generous pinch) (0.1 g) saffron threads, crumbled
2 tbsp (30 ml) whole milk, warmed until steaming, not boiling
1 tbsp (15 g) ghee, melted

Equipment (7)

6-quart (5.7 L) Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker
Large bowl for marinating
Fine-mesh sieve for rinsing and draining the rice
Wooden or silicone spatula (for scraping the pot bottom)
Instant-read thermometer
Small bowl for the saffron milk
Shallow airtight containers (2 inches / 5 cm deep or less) for leftovers

Steps

Before you start

Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator and soak the rice at the same time; both need 30 minutes, so start them together. Raw chicken must never sit at room temperature.
Use a 6-quart (5.7 L) Instant Pot or similar. Do not double this recipe in a 6-quart pot, because the rice layer will be too deep to cook evenly.
Use aged long-grain basmati and rinse it well. Starchy rice sticks to the pot base and triggers the Burn notice.
Warm the milk and steep the saffron in it while the chicken marinates so the color is deep by the time you layer.
Plan to serve within 2 hours of cooking, and have shallow containers ready for leftovers.

1
Marinate the chicken
- In a large bowl, combine the cold chicken pieces with the cold yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, garam masala, Kashmiri chili powder, turmeric, lemon juice and 1 tsp (6 g) marinade salt.
- Mix with your hands until every piece is evenly coated.
- Cover and refrigerate (40°F / 4°C or below) for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
- Do not leave it out at room temperature, and do not warm it up before cooking; it goes straight from the refrigerator into the hot pot.
- While it marinates, warm the milk until steaming, then crumble the saffron into it and set aside at room temperature to steep.
- Do the rice step below during this same 30 minutes.
- Wash your hands and bowl after handling the raw chicken.
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Ready when: Chicken is evenly coated in a thick, brick-red marinade with no dry spots
Tip: No need to wipe off excess yogurt; it tenderizes the thighs and thickens the sauce.
2
Rinse and soak rice
- Place the basmati in a large bowl and cover with cold water.
- Swish gently with your fingers, pour off the cloudy water, and repeat 4 to 5 times until the water runs almost clear.
- Cover with fresh cold water and let it soak for 30 minutes while the chicken marinates (this wait overlaps with the previous step).
- Drain in a fine-mesh sieve and let it sit for 5 minutes so the grains are damp, not dripping.
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Ready when: Grains look opaque white and break easily when pressed between your fingers
Tip: Handle the soaked grains gently; they are fragile and snap easily.
3
Brown the onions
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté on the highest setting (Sauté More) and let it heat for 2 minutes.
- Add the 3 tbsp (45 g) ghee, then the bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and cumin seeds.
- Stir for 30 seconds until the cumin sizzles and smells toasty.
- Add the sliced onions and ½ tsp of the 1½ tsp rice-layer salt, then cook, stirring every minute or so, for 8 to 10 minutes until deep golden brown.
- Scoop out about ⅓ of the onions onto a plate and reserve for topping.
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Ready when: Onions are deep golden brown with darker crisp edges and reduced to about a third of their volume
Tip: If the onions start to scorch before they soften, add 1 tbsp water and scrape the bottom. Dark brown is good; black and bitter is not.
4
Cook the tomato masala
- Add the slit green chiles and chopped tomatoes to the remaining onions.
- Cook, stirring and mashing the tomatoes with the spatula, for 5 to 6 minutes until they collapse into a thick, jammy paste and the ghee begins to separate around the edges.
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Ready when: Tomatoes have broken down into a thick paste and a thin film of orange-red ghee shows at the edges
Tip: Press the Adjust button to drop to the normal Sauté level if the paste spatters or sticks.
5
Add chicken and deglaze
- Take the chicken straight from the refrigerator and add it with all of its marinade.
- Stir for 4 to 5 minutes until the chicken turns opaque on the outside (the cold chicken needs a little longer to sear).
- Pour in the ¼ cup (60 ml) water and scrape the bottom of the pot thoroughly with the spatula to lift every browned bit.
- Press Cancel to turn the pot off.
- Spread the chicken into an even layer.
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Ready when: Chicken is opaque on the outside and the pot bottom is smooth with no stuck-on bits
Tip: A fully scraped bottom is the best way to avoid the Burn notice. Do this before adding any rice.
6
Layer the rice
- Scatter half of the mint and half of the cilantro over the chicken.
- Spread the drained rice over the top in an even layer without stirring or pressing.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1 tsp of the rice-layer salt over the rice.
- Slowly pour the 1½ cups (360 ml) water down the side of the pot so you do not disturb the layers.
- Drizzle the saffron milk and the melted ghee over the rice, then top with the remaining mint and cilantro.
- The rice should sit on top of the chicken, only partly submerged.
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Ready when: Rice forms a flat, even layer on top with the water level just below the surface of the rice
Tip: Do not stir after adding the rice. Mixing lets the rice settle on the bottom, where it scorches.
7
Pressure cook
- Lock the lid and turn the steam valve to Sealing.
- Select Pressure Cook (Manual) on High and set the time to 5 minutes.
- The pot takes about 12 minutes to come to pressure before the countdown begins.
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Ready when: Display counts down from 5 minutes to 0 and the pot beeps
Tip: If you see a Burn notice, press Cancel, release pressure, stir the bottom and add ¼ cup (60 ml) water before restarting.
8
Natural release
- When the cooking time ends, leave the pot alone for a 10-minute natural release.
- After 10 minutes, carefully turn the valve to Venting to release any remaining steam.
- Keep your hands and face away from the vent.
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Ready when: Float valve drops down and the lid unlocks easily
Tip: Quick-releasing right away can cause starchy foam to spurt from the vent and leaves the rice wet.
9
Rest and check
- Open the lid away from you.
- Do not stir.
- Re-cover the pot with the lid resting loosely on top and let it stand for 5 minutes so the steam redistributes.
- Insert an instant-read thermometer into a few chicken pieces under the rice; they should read at least 165°F (74°C).
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Ready when: Rice grains are long, separate and tender with no hard white center; chicken reads 165°F (74°C) or higher
Tip: If rice is still slightly firm, close the lid and let it steam on Keep Warm for another 5 minutes.
10
Fluff and serve
- Using a fork or flat spatula, gently fold the rice down through the chicken and masala from the edges to the center, lifting from the bottom so you get distinct streaks of white, saffron-yellow and red.
- Top with the reserved browned onions and serve hot with raita and sliced cucumber.
- Serve within 2 hours of the end of cooking; do not leave the pot sitting out.
- Within 1 hour, divide any leftovers into shallow containers (2 inches / 5 cm deep or less) and refrigerate.
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Ready when: Rice is fluffy and streaked with masala; no wet pockets of sauce remain at the bottom
Tip: Fold gently; stirring hard breaks the long basmati grains. Rice can carry heat-resistant bacterial spores, so cooling it quickly in shallow containers matters.

Good to know

Tips

Keep the layers intact: chicken on the bottom, rice on top, water poured gently. Stirring is the number one cause of a Burn notice.
Use measured water only. The chicken and tomatoes release liquid, so the standard 1:1 rice-to-water ratio would make mushy rice.
Brown the onions properly; deeply golden onions give biryani its sweet, savory depth.
For a spicier biryani, add 1 more slit green chile or another ½ tsp chili powder. For a milder one, halve the chili powder and remove the green chile seeds.

Make ahead

"Marinate the chicken covered in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours; cook it straight from the refrigerator. Slice the onions and chop the herbs the day before and refrigerate in separate airtight containers. Soak and drain the rice just before assembly."

Storage & reheating

"Serve within 2 hours of cooking. Within 1 hour, divide leftovers into shallow airtight containers (2 inches / 5 cm deep or less) so they chill fast, then refrigerate at 40°F (4°C) or below. Refrigerate for up to 2 days (best eaten within 1 day), or freeze in portions for up to 2 months. Do not leave at room temperature. Thaw frozen portions overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat a single portion in the microwave, covered, with 1 tbsp water per cup for 1½ to 2 minutes, stirring halfway, until steaming hot (165°F / 74°C) throughout. Reheat only once."

Substitutions

boneless, skinless chicken thighs → bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks. Use about 1.2 kg bone-in pieces and increase the pressure cooking time to 7 minutes; check that they reach 175°F (80°C).
ghee → half neutral oil and half unsalted butter. You lose some nutty flavor but the browning works the same.
saffron threads → ½ tsp turmeric and 1 tbsp rose water. Gives color and aroma; the flavor will be different from true saffron.
plain whole-milk yogurt → full-fat Greek yogurt thinned with 1 tbsp water. Use the same weight, cold and whisked smooth. Avoid low-fat yogurt, which can split.