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Authentic Indian chicken biryani prepared in an Instant Pot.
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5 from 2 votes

Healthy Instant Pot Chicken Biryani

Make flavorful Instant Pot chicken biryani at home using this simple & easy-to-follow recipe. Indian biryani made easy with authentic flavors.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Time to build pressure10 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Lunch / Dinner
Cuisine: Indian, Indian Inspired
Servings: 4
Calories: 351kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

  • 1 ½ lb chicken thighs cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 large onions thinly sliced
  • ½ cup yogurt
  • 2 tablespoon biryani masala
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala optional for more flavors
  • 2-3 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • ½” ginger peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
  • cup loosely packed mint leaves
  • 1 tablespoon oil or ghee
  • salt

Rice Preparation

  • 2 cup basmati rice
  • 2 ½ cup warm water
  • 4-5 green cardamom
  • 4-5 cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick

Instructions

  • Soak the rice in water with green cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon for 20-30 min.
  • In a small bowl, prepare marinade using yogurt, biryani masala, garam masala, finely chopped garlic and ginger, lemon juice, chopped cilantro, mint, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, mix this marinade with chicken and keep it aside. Save some fresh herbs to use later on.
  • Heat oil or ghee on high saute mode in the Instant Pot.
  • Saute sliced onions for about 10 mins or until golden brown in color.
  • Add marinated chicken and cook for about 10 min.
  • Add soaked rice along with water and spices. Gently mix with chicken.
  • Then add chopped tomato, a few threads of saffron (optional), remaining chopped mint, and cilantro.
  • Cover the pot, turn off the saute mode and cook the mixture on LOW PRESSURE for 5 min. Once the timer is off, release the pressure and keep the biryani covered for 20 min to develop the flavors. Do not open the lid after releasing the pressure. Serve warm.

Notes

  1. You may notice a slight brownish layer on the bottom of the IP while caramelizing the onion. While cooking the marinated chicken, simply scrape the bottom surface using a spatula to deglaze the pot. It will help to avoid getting burnt signals on the IP while cooking the biryani. 
  2. After removing the pressure manually, do not open the lid but keep the valve in the vent position to avoid building up steam and overcooking the rice.
  3. Before serving, gently fluff and mix the rice to avoid breaking the rice grains. 
  4. If you have pre-made fried onions use them instead of caramelizing onion and skip step no. 4 above. Just add fried onions to the chicken while cooking. It will save you time. Most of the time I use healthy air fried onions in this recipe instead of sautéing it.

Nutrition

Calories: 351kcal