Authentic and flavorful chicken biryani ready to eat in an hour? Yes, it’s absolutely possible with an Instant Pot!
This aromatic and mouthwatering chicken biryani is a family-favorite. In fact, I think I like chicken biryani just as much – possibly more than my butter chicken. That is saying A LOT y’all. But really, what’s not to love about perfectly seasoned chicken + rice in one pot?
Check out my chicken biryani video here:
I’m sharing this recipe for the most amazing Instant Pot Chicken Biryani from my cookbook, Indian Food Under Pressure. It’s a recipe that deserves to be on the blog because I believe that everyone should be able to make authentic and delicious chicken biryani in one pot if they want to. Think: tender pieces of chicken and perfectly cooked rice all coated in a perfect blend of spices. SO GOOD.
I LOVE biryani. I’ve been eating biryani all my life and have tried so many different types of biryani. I have already shared a veggie biryani, egg biryani, shrimp biryani and a lamb/beef biryani on the blog and am so happy to be adding chicken biryani to the list!
If you are familiar with biryani, then you know it typically takes a very long time to prepare and requires dirtying several dishes. With my recipe + your handy dandy Instant Pot, you can make a one-pot recipe that is just as good as the traditional version and creates less mess! It takes just 10 minutes of prep time and can be ready-to-eat in under an hour.
This dish is easy enough to make on a weeknight and impressive enough to serve to your guests at a dinner party. So invite me over for dinner, won’t you? 😉
Instant Pot Chicken Biryani
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This flavorful chicken biryani is a family-favorite. Biryani, a well- seasoned meat and rice dish, typically takes a long time to prepare and requires dirtying several dishes but this one-pot recipe is just as good as the traditional version and creates less mess! It takes just 10 minutes of prep time and can be ready-to-eat in under an hour. It’s easy enough to make on a weeknight and impressive enough to serve to your guests at a dinner party.
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice, soaked 15-30 minutes
- 3 tablespoons ghee
- ⅓ cup cashews, halved
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins
Whole Spices
- 5 cardamom pods
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 bay leaf
- ½ cinnamon stick
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 1 ½ pounds skinless and boneless chicken thighs, cut into quarters
Ground Spices
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt, adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne, adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
Instructions
- Soak the basmati rice in cold water for 15-30 minutes. Drain, rinse and set aside.
- Press the sauté button. Add the ghee to the pot. When it melts, add the cashews and raisins. Stir-fry until the cashews begin to turn golden. Remove the cashews and raisins. Set aside.
- Add the whole spices and stir. Once they begin to sizzle add the onions. Stir-fry for 6-7 minutes or until they turn golden brown.
- Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken and stir-fry 6-7 minutes or until the outside of the chicken is no longer pink.
- Add the ground spices and mix to coat the chicken.
- Dump the rice on top of the chicken (do not mix). Add water.
- Sprinkle half the cilantro and mint on top of the rice.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 6 minutes at high pressure.
- Naturally release pressure for 10 minutes. Open the valve to release any remaining pressure.
- Discard the whole spices. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro and mint and garnish with the ghee-coated cashews and raisins.
Notes
- I love this brand of basmati rice – the rice grains are always perfectly cooked!
If you love my chicken biryani, then be sure to check out my Instant Pot Cookbook: Indian Food Under Pressure for more tasty Indian recipes!
This looks amazing, will definitely be making it next week! Sorry if this information is somewhere, I couldn’t find it – how many portions does this make?
Thanks
Hi Lizzie! I’d say it serves 4-5 🙂 Let me know what you think of it!
Why did I end up with cooked chicken and uncooked Basmati Rice? I thought maybe I needed to stir the rice into the water even though you said not to, but then I watched the video and you didn’t. Bummer! I was so excited to open the pot and eat! I’m now trying to figure out how long to recook the rice (after having to pick out all the chicken!)
I’m not sure why the rice was uncooked… you followed the times and the vent was sealed, correct? Did you fully cook the chicken while stir-frying? It sounds like there was an issue with the pot coming to pressure but that is just my guess. Please let me know if you try this again!
Did you soak the rice? This happened to me once when I forgot to soak it.
I have made this chicken biryani many times now, and it is SO good. I’ve also made your shrimp biryani and the brown rice and beef biryani, and the chicken is my favorite. Thank you for sharing your awesome recipes! I bought your cookbook, and have made several recipes, all very good. I do have a question for you – I have a slight allergy to onions and garlic and have been reading about asafetida; do you have any recipes using this as a subsitute for alliums? I would love to find a good one!
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Jess, it makes me so happy to hear that you’ve tried all of my biryani recipes (more to come, soon)! Glad you like the chicken biryani so much – thank you for letting me know! To be honest, I haven’t used hing in cooking because it’s very difficult to find a gluten-free asafoetida (although I may be getting my hands on some soon) so I’m not very familiar with it. Are you in my Instant Pot for Indian Food facebook group? Someone in there recently asked about no garlic/onion recipes and it was quite a long discussion – they discussed asafoetida as well. It may be helpful for you!
Thank you for the FB group recommendation. I’ll try it out, and do some experimentation myself!
This recipe is really good 🙂 But what I really came here to say is that I bought some gluten-free asafoetida a while back and I’ve been loving it.
It’s blended with fenugreek, so I think that’s pretty reasonable! I don’t think I can taste the fenugreek.
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That’s great to hear!! Will have to check this out, thank you 🙂
I made this tonight and it was delicious! My 7yo loved it. I couldn’t figure out what made it so spicy since I didn’t use cayenne or chili powder. Not sure if it was the paprika or Garam Masala. It was a bit spicy for my son but the flavor was so good he kept eating it anyway!!
Kristen, I’m so happy to hear that you and your kiddo liked it! As for reducing the heat next time though, try leaving out the black pepper. Garam masala already has black pepper in it so maybe the extra bit made it too spicy for him? Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
I’m so excited to try this recipe! I have ground cloves, but not whole – can i substitute that? Online it’s seems to say one teaspoon of whole cloves is 3/4 teaspoon of ground cloves. Do you think that would work, or would it change the dish too much? I also don’t have the cinnamon stick – would cinnamon powder work?
Hi Ani! I would say to just leave the cloves out — ground cloves are much stronger in my opinion and it’s really easy to overdo it. It’ll still be good even without it! As for the cinnamon, you can just add a pinch of powder. Can’t wait to hear what you think of the dish!
Would you be able to substitute brown rice and change the cook time or would that overcook the chicken?
Jon, if you want to use brown rice with this recipe then I suggest using quick cooking brown basmati rice – it takes the same amount of time as white basmati rice. I think using regular brown basmati rice could result in overcooked chicken but I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. If you try, please let me know!
I don’t eat chicken but made this for my husband and son. Now, thanks to you, our local restaurant will be losing business because they have declared that they will never be ordering from the restaurant again. The fragrance and taste was amazing and the boys said the chicken was fall-off-the-bone tender (we used drumsticks, didn’t have thighs). The only disappointing thing is that I have owned my InstantPot for over two years, and have only just now realized it can do this – all this time I had exclusively been using it only as a pressure cooker 🙁
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Varusha, haha wow!! I’m so happy o hear that they like the biryani so much!! Thank you so much for letting me know how it turned out 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of any other recipes you try with your instant pot!
This was a big hit in our household. Living in Hawaii the humidity got to some of my spices, so I had to leave out the paprika and substitute caraway seeds for the fennel, but the dish was still super delicious. My 10 year old asked for seconds and was happy is finished as her friend was being picked up so she didn’t have to share – that alone speaks volumes. Have definitely made it into our favorites rotation. Thank you!
Julie, I’m so happy to hear that you and especially your 10 year old liked this dish! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you!
If I want to increase the rice to 2 cups, will I need to increase any of the spices and cooking time? I assume I must increase the water though.
You can double the recipe by doubling all the ingredients – keep the cook time the same though. The pot will take longer to reach pressure due to more contents in the pot – so you can keep the cook time the same.
Can you freeze this?
Hi Anita, yes you can freeze it 🙂 I prefer to eat it within a few days though but freezing works too.
Sorry – urgent query~ having a party tomorrow. Can I use double the quantity in the 6 quart instant pot ?
Yes just double all the ingredients but keep the cook time the same 🙂
Thank you so much. It worked perfectly. I added a little less water about 1.5 rather than 2 cups as I noticed more water than I expected came out of the chicken.
I made the recipe the first time following the exact instructions and it turned out sooo delicious! So I decided to make it again next week and doubled everything but kept the cook time the same. When I opened the top layer of rice was still uncooked so I cooked it again (pressure 4 minutes this time). This time the top layer was cooked but looks like the layer beneath got overcooked. I hadn’t realized the layer below was cooked before. What can I do differently for double the quantity?
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I double everything but keep the cook time the same and haven’t had any issues – I’m sorry it didn’t double well for you! Are you using a 6 quart instant pot?
hi. this looks so yummy and I’m going to try it with 2 cups of rice, how long you think it takes to cook?
You can keep the cook time the same 🙂
The unofficial, national dish of Trinidad and Tobago is called Pelau. It’s a one pot rice and chicken (or whatever meat) meal. We take it to the beach for an all day “lime”, or cook it up for whatever occasion when there’s a large group hanging out. This recipe is similar to a pelau, but with deeper flavors. It doesn’t taste quite Indian, it doesn’t taste quite Trini. It hits that sweet spot in between where when I make this for my family, they will say…”I didn’t know you had such a sweet hand!” I’m not known for my cooking skills in the family. 🤣🤣❤
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Glad you liked it! 🙂
Amazing! Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe.
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Briita, I am so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you! 🙂
Thank you for this and all your recipes! It was delicious. My 7 year old gave it an 8/10 (and it’s really spicy). My kids (and I) love Indian food but I was way too intimidated to make it until I came upon your blog. Thank you!
Amy, I’m so happy to hear that you all liked the dish! 🙂 Glad you are making more Indian food!
I loved the recipe! How would you make a vegetarian/tofu biryani? Just substitute the chicken for the tofu?
Payal, I have a veggie biryani coming to the blog soon so stay tuned! I actually also posted an egg biryani recipe today if you eat eggs 🙂
I made it yesterday and it came out really good. Thank you for sharing.
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So happy to hear that, thank you Punum!!
Hey, thanks a lot for the recipe! I made it and now it tasted really good. However, it turned out more like chicken and curry mixed with rice. It wasn’t dry like Biryani is. It was very wet. Wonder what I did wrong!? 😟
Hmm it should be dry – did you add more chicken than the recipe called for by any chance? Chicken releases water as it cooks… that’s my only guess. If you can give me more details I can try to help troubleshoot!
Yes! I think I put little more chicken than you mentioned. Will try again and get back to you! Thanks a lot 🙂
Let me know how it goes! 🙂
i keep forgetting to pull chicken out of the freezer. i’m newer to instant pot. what are you throughts on frozen chicken? some bloggers say its fine to use? thanks!
Hi Ashley this was great. Could you post a chicken biryani recipe for the instant pot that uses a yogurt marinade?ped
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I will add this to my list! 🙂
The last step instructs you to “Discard the whole spices.” But the “Whole Spices” section includes several types of seeds and minced ingredients. How do you discard such things after they’ve been mixed together with everything else?
This looks pretty tasty.
Hi David, you eat the cumin and fennel seeds – I’m referring to the cardamom, cloves, bay leaf and cinnamon stick – sorry for the confusion!`
Hi this is nyla i am new to this community and also to instant pot ans its recipes. I like your biryani recipe. Plz tell ne the ratio of rice n water for intant pot. As when i cook on stove top i add 1 is to 2.for example 1 cup rice 1 and hslf cup water.somy question is what wull be ratio in instant por.
Thanks in advance
Regatds. Nyla
Hi Ashley, I made this last night, and it turned out great!! I love your biryani recipes – I tried this chicken one and the shrimp biryani. The instant pot recipe makes it so easy and efficient to make the biryanis without sacrificing taste!
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Maneesha, that is awesome!! I’m so happy to hear that you made the chicken biryani and the shrimp biryani! 🙂
Is there anyway to make crockpot biryani?
I haven’t tried this in a slow cooker but I’m sure it can be done! I don’t know the times or settings for this though… if you try, please let us know!
Hi Ashley, can the chicken biryani be made with chicken drumsticks instead of boneless chicken? If yes, what would be the cooking time? Thanks, love your recipes ❤️
Hi Swapnil, you can use chicken drumsticks but I’d suggest removing the skin as it’ll get soggy in the IP. It should cook in the same amount of time. Let me know how it goes!
This was delicious! I used brown basmati rice and about 20 minutes was a good cooking time (plus 10 minutes of the natural pressure release). I might double the raisins next time but otherwise, this was a wonderful recipe. We just moved to a rural area and we miss having an Indian restaurant nearby. I’m looking forward to working through more of your recipes as I try to learn more about Indian cooking. Thank you!
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Sarah, that’s great to hear!! Thanks for letting me (and others reading this) know how it turned out with brown basmati rice! Can’t wait to hear what you think of any other recipes you try!
Turned out amazing
So happy to hear that!
So delish!!! Thank you so much for making biryani less intimidating.
Thanks, Tina!! So happy to hear that 🙂
Would this work with boneless/skinless chickenbreast?
what rice do u use..? any particular brand. Also, r u using brown rice in this recipe, y is the color so brown? I never get that color..
I use this brand – highly recommend it! And no, I don’t use brown rice for this recipe – the color comes from the spices 🙂
I received my Instant Pot just a few days ago..after almost memorizing the manual I made this Chicken Byriani recipe as my first meal.
I order this dish every time I go to an Indian restaurant..I was happy to discover the recipe makes it even better than my favorite restaurant does.
Thanks for the recipe and looking forward to making more….I love Indian food.
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Elle, that makes me so happy to hear!! Thanks so much for letting me know how this turned out for you 🙂
This was awesome! Made a double batch with brown rice cooked for 20 minutes and 10 minutes natural pressure release. Thanks for another yummy version of chicken and rice in the instant pot for this busy mama. The 1.5 year old and 4 years old loved it too!
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Elizabeth, I’m so glad you and your kiddos loved it! And good to know that it worked well with brown rice! Thanks so much for letting me know how this turned out for you all 🙂
I received the instant pot yesterday ( I ordered it after seeing all your recipes), I made the chicken biriyani today. It’s delicious and full of flavor, the best biriyani I have made so far. I ordered your cookbook and looking forward to trying more recipes . Thank you.
Tina, that makes me so happy to hear!! Thanks so much for letting me know how the biryani turned out for you 🙂 I hope you love all the recipes you try from my book!
OH MY GOSH THIS WAS SO GOOD!!! I rarely brag about my dinners but I’ve told everyone in the office about this one. I didn’t have the “whole” version of a few spices (cinnamon, cumin, and cardamom) so I used 1/2 to 1 teaspoons of the “ground” version (eyeballed it) – still absolutely amazing recipe!!!
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I’m so happy to hear that!! Thank you for letting me know how much you liked it 🙂 And for telling others in your office too!
This is delicious. My kids gobbled up every last speck!
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Deepa, so happy to hear that your kiddos liked it!! that’s the best compliment 🙂
Love most of your recipes but sadly this is a pulao, not a biryani. I am not sure which “gharana” of biryani has cashews and raisins in it – neither the authentic Awadhi, nor the diluted Lucknow/Calcutta derivative. Also, this recipe will definitely pass as an excellent pulao, but not really biryani.
However, I will give it a go and I am sure I will love it “as a pulao”
let me know what you think after you try it…
We really loved this recipe. We like heat, so added a few sliced serrano chilies and upped the cayenne a bit. It was a perfect consistency. I also added a touch of cayenne and the cinnamon to the nuts and raisins. (Then threw the cinnamon back in per the directions. I will make this recipe again. Thanks.
Oh, and I forgot to mark the stars there. Five star all the way.
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Thank you! 🙂
Lynn, that’s so great to hear 🙂 Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you!
Just made this and it is fantastic! I reduced the chicken to 1 lb and threw in a cup of frozen peas and two carrots sliced into sticks (I borrowed from your veg biryani recipe!). Also, raisins fried in ghee – YUM.
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Elizabeth, so happy to hear that! glad you liked it! 🙂
Made this for the first time yesterday. Biryani has always seemed like too much work for me but this Instant pot Biryani turned out great and so much less work. Big hit with my family. Thank you
Maya, so happy to hear that you liked the biryani! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you and your family! 🙂
Hi! I want to make this with boneless beef stew cubes. Should I pressure for 7 minutes still? Or maybe 10?
What about yogurt? My mom says it’s a mystery to add yogurt to the meat but I didn’t see it in your recipe. How can I incorporate it?
I actually marinated my meat with 1 tablespoon yogurt and lil bit cayenne, lemon juice, and garam masala.
I have made this twice now. Today I’m planning time number three. It’s so good, so exquisitely delightful, that it makes me proud it came out of my kitchen! I haven’t found an Instant Pot curry recipe so far that has rocked my world, but this biryani recipe is one of the best meals I’ve ever made, and maybe the best. Thank you Ashley!
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Matt, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how much you like it 🙂 As for curry – is there a particular type you are looking for? My chicken bhuna masala is my current favorite: https://myheartbeets.com/chicken-bhuna-masala/ Let me know if you try that!
Oh a dry curry in the Instant Pot. I have to try it! Thank you Ashley! I just joined your Facebook group, and I’m very excited to try more recipes. I’m actually making this biryani again today.
Re: the curries, we have tried your Instant Pot butter chicken, and the one from Two Sleevers, and neither was quite like the restaurant experience for our tastes. Maybe it’s not possible with all these shortcuts? They both told my brain “this is curry!” when I ate them, but there was something missing compared to the restaurant style. I don’t know what. It’s still so wonderful to cook food that tastes authentically Indian without the long slow steps that are traditionally involved.
Matt, awesome! I’m glad you joined the group and I can’t wait to hear what you think of the bhuna if you try it! So when it comes to butter chicken, the method is mostly the same but everyone does things differently – just to confirm though, you’re definitely using the fenugreek leaves, right? Because that makes a surprisingly big difference when it comes to the flavor of butter chicken. If there’s a restaurant whose BC you really love, I suggest asking them questions about it – ask if they use a lot of heavy cream or ghee or ask if they add nuts in the butter chicken (this will give you an idea of whether they add cashew paste – some folks do this). Some restaurants will even use tandoori chicken instead of cooking chicken in the curry and call it butter chicken – that can also make a difference. I hope you’re able to achieve that butter chicken flavor you’re seeking! Keep me posted 🙂
Hi I tried the recipe today.but the rice was over cooked.first time i’m Using instant pot.don’t know what I did wrong…but the taste was yummy..is the same time frame for all IP?
Hi Rose, rice can definitely vary – I have tried several brands and they’ve worked with the timing but my absolute favorite rice is aahu barah – I link to it in the post. If you can, I’d suggest trying it with that rice 🙂 Or you can also try quick releasing pressure after 5 minutes – that may help too!
Can’t wait to make this. Do you use green cardamom pods or black?
Hi Brittany! I use green cardamom 🙂 If a recipe calls for black cardamom then I make sure to add the word black in front as it’s not very commonly used
Ok thank you. I made it with the green and it smelled amazing. Sadly it smelled much better then it tasted. I couldn’t really taste the spices. I will try adding a little extra next time.
I’m so excited to try this recipe! I don’t have cardamom pods but I have ground cardamom-will it be a problem to substitute in ground cardamom?
Also your butter chicken recipe is my husband and I’s absolute favorite dish ever!!!
Hi Kristin, if you use ground cardamom just use a pinch as it’s more concentrated than the pods. I hope you love this! Let me know what you and your hubby think!
So delicious! I’d never tried this dish before but will certainly be making it again! Husband loved it too and he is so picky I usually don’t share with him, but he was so impressed he took some over to share with neighbors.
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Kristin, I’m so happy to hear that!! Thanks for letting me know how much you guys liked it 🙂 And how nice of you to share with your neighbors – I hope they loved it too!
This was my first time ever making biryani-had heard that it was a very time consuming process so was amazed when it turned out really well. Even my teenage daughter said it was okay and she has very high standards. I used butter with a dash olive oil as it didn’t have ghee and I was a bit worried that the rice on top hadn’t cooked but when mixed it seemed fine in the end.
Anita, glad you liked it 🙂
I absolutely love this. I think the next time I make it I will leave the salt out completely. I’m not a big salt person and I don’t think it needed any. I am allergic to black pepper and so I made my own garam masala. The spices were absolutely amazing. That’s why I love Indian food. The thing I love the most is every bite had a new explosion of flavor.
I have an instant pot Ultra and I sometimes have difficulty with it burning the bottom of anything that has basmati rice in it. I made sure that I rinsed the rice very well after soaking for 30 minutes. The nice thing about this recipe is the rice is not on the bottom at all. I also lifted the chicken up a bit to let some of the water down underneath.
Thank you and I look forward to making more of your recipes.
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Melissa, I’m so glad you love this! Can’t wait to hear what you think of any other recipes that you try from my blog!
I bought your book Indian food Under Pressure online and made this last week – it was lovely and now have found your site so will be making a lot more of your recipes. What I would like to know is when you specify cashews as in your chicken Korma for the creamy cashew sauce do I buy raw or already roasted cashews.
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Ann, that’s so great to hear! I can’t wait to hear what you think of the recipes that you try 🙂 As for cashews – I use raw but roasted will work too 🙂
Hi Ashley – I tried your veg biryani and it came out awesome. I want to try the chicken biryani tomorrow. can I use breasts instead of thighs?
Hi Nayan! I’m so glad you liked the veg biryani 🙂 I haven’t tried using chicken breast in the chicken biryani so I can’t say for sure but I think it’ll turn out fine. Let me know what you think if you try it out!
Hello! Looking forward to making this recipe tomorrow! I’m a new IP user, just got one a few days ago! In the instructions it says “stir fry” when cooking. I don’t have the button on my IP…how do I go about doing so?
Hi when you press the sauté button in step 2, the pot will be hot so you can stir-fry the cashews 🙂 Can’t wait to hear what you think of this!
Is there a way to double this recipe?
Doubling everything seems to make it too watery 😞
delicious! thank you for the recipe. it’s the best chicken biriyani I’ve ever made. Appreciate it!
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Jia, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how much you liked the biryani 🙂
Hi! Im a new instant pot convert and just bought one, what size do you use for the recipes you post? mine is the 6 quart one. excited to try some of these and wanted to make sure itll be the right size:)
Hi Divya! I test all of my recipes using the 6 quart (that’s all that was out when I first bought mine lol) so try any recipe on the site 🙂 Let me know what you think!
just made it today and it looks and taste amazing! my picky 3yo and 1.5 yo daughters also agree!:)my 1st ever biriyani attempt! my family is from kerala but im born and brought up here so only now venturing into indian cooking. love that u have a mix of north and south indian recipes!!!
would i be able to double this recipe and still safely make in the 6 quart..? if so any other adjustments needed? thanks ashley!
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I am so happy to hear that your kiddos loved the biryani! That makes me so happy to hear 🙂 Yes you can double the recipe – just double the ingredients but keep the cook time the same. I can’t wait to hear what you think of any other recipes that you try!
Ashley, I just want to take the time to say how much I am obsessed with your website, especially this recipe. I was born in Hyderabad so I’m super picky about biriyani. This recipe is perfection! I’ve made it countless times. I just made the veggie version too! I also loooove your Chana Masala and chicken curries. The measurements are perfect for everything. I just ordered your IP cookbook on amazon and can’t wait for it to come. Thank you so much for everything you do!!!
Veda, that makes me so happy to hear! I’m so glad you like the biryani so much! And the chana masala and curries 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of any other recipes that you try!
You even did not mention how much chicken to add to the biryani.
Fake comments and fake recipe.
Hi, it says “1 ½ pounds skinless and boneless chicken thighs, cut into quarters” in the ingredients list right above the spices. Perhaps you missed it…
Flavor was amazing! I used the correct rice to water ratio but the basmati rice came out mushy . Any idea why? Thanks
Monica, so happy to hear that you liked the flavor 🙂 As for the rice – I have found that it really depends on the brand. I recommend the brand I use in the post but if you’re using another brand of basmati rice you may have to play around with the times – perhaps try a 5 min cook time and a 5 min npr next time? Let me know if that works better for you!
Turned out excellent! Even my 15 months old toddler loved it :). Thanks for the perfect recipe! 🙂
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There’s no better compliment than hearing that a toddler likes one of my recipes lol – thank you for sharing this with me! 🙂
Hey Ashley,
If I use drumsticks instead, how much would be the cooking time? Any idea?
This is a very good recipe and makes biryani relatively easy to make. I was wondering if you can marinate the chicken beforehand to give it even more flavor. If so, how would you suggest marinating it? Thanks again and I am going to try more of your recipes!
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How do you suggest removing the whole spices at the end? Are we seriously supposed to dig through the rice and chicken mixture, picking out cardamom pods and fennel and cloves and cumin seeds?
Hi Emily, you don’t need to remove the cumin seeds or the fennel seeds – you eat those. Here’s a post on removing (large) whole spices if you want to read more on this: https://myheartbeets.com/do-i-remove-whole-spices-before-serving-indian-food/
I are this tonight and just loved it. Thank you for posting it—it’s definitely going to be part of our rotation!
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Melissa, so happy to hear that you loved the biryani!!
Wow!!!! This dish is amazing!!!!
Gail, so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Thank you for this recipe! I have made the chicken, shrimp, and egg biriyani and all three turned out great! I love the way you format your recipes online and the exact measurements so it is very simple to follow. Your biryani recipes are definitely my favorite biriyani recipes to make!
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Chris, I’m so happy to hear that you’re enjoying all of my biryani recipes!! And thanks for the feedback on my recipe format – really great to know it’s helpful 🙂
This was delicious! My super picky husband and kids even enjoyed it. We decided it would make a great make ahead meal to pack for work lunches throughout the week! Will definitely be making this again.
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Ami, I’m so happy to hear that your whole family liked the biryani! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you guys 🙂
This dish is so absolutely delicious!!! I will definitely make it again, and again, and again!!!
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Gail, I’m so glad you liked it!! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Can you tell me how spicy this dish is? Unfortunately I can’t have much spice- the mixture sounds great, but can you suggest what to do to make this a mild dish? Thank you!
You can leave out the cayenne and it’ll be a mild dish 🙂 For any of my recipes – if you leave out cayenne or green chilis (if a recipe calls for it) then the dish will be mild. Hope that helps!
DELICIOUS! A household favorite! Thank you so much for this recipe on your blog.
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Prateeksha, that’s awesome! I’m so glad you and your family like the biryani 🙂
This is the best chicken biryani I’ve ever had – it even beats restaurants! Every one of Ashley’s recipes is a winner, but this one is definitely my favorite. It’s easy, directions are simple, and it comes out perfectly every time.
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Rachel, thank you!! I’m so happy to hear that 🙂
Hi, how do you discard the whole spices in ththe last step if they are mixed in with the chicken? Cinammon and bay leaves I can understand since they are larger, but now about the small ones like cloves, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, etc? Thanks!
HP, here is a whole post that I wrote about removing whole spices in Indian food – I hope it helps explain things 🙂 https://myheartbeets.com/do-i-remove-whole-spices-before-serving-indian-food/
I made this recipe from your book last night and I will definitely be making it again! It was so quick but still tasty. I even used frozen chicken and it still turned out perfectly.
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Subha, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂 Great to know that it worked out so well with frozen chicken!
Thank you for this recipe! It’s straightforward to make and the flavors are delicious. However, I’m having one slight problem — I’ve made it twice now, and both times the rice came out too wet and mushy. I reduced the water a bit the second time (closer to 3/4 cup) and still got the same result. I didn’t use extra chicken (which I know releases water) and I followed the recipe exactly. Could it be the brand of basmati rice I’m using (Whole Foods brand)? I’m afraid if I reduce the water any further the pot won’t come to pressure. Or maybe I should release pressure sooner? Appreciate any thoughts you might have!
Hi Diane, hmm it could be the brand, I haven’t tried whole foods basmati rice (is it the one that’s called texmati because if so I’ve seen it and I’m not even sure if it’s really basmati?) but if you prefer it then I would cook the chicken a bit more and reduce the pressure cook time to 4-5 minutes with a 5 minute quick release (which will also help get rid of any extra water). If you give that a try please let me know how it goes! I link to a brand that I really love if you are looking to try another brand of basmati! They all can be a bit different.
I just got my IP yesterday and this biriyani was the first recipe that I tried in it. I’ve never used a slow / electronic cooker. This dish was fantastic!! My 6 YO loved it. and best of all I was done in 1.5 hours : prep, cooking and clean up! As a working mom of 2, that’s an achievement for me!! Thank you, Ashley
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Jen, that’s so great to hear! And love that this was your first IP recipe! Thanks for letting me know how much you and especially your 6yo liked it!
Super recipe thank you! do you have a recipe for the gravy typically served with chicken biryani in Indian restaurants? can I use the onion masala as a base?
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Carmen, I’m so happy to hear that you like it 🙂 I’m not sure what you mean by gravy served with biryani… can you explain a bit more? Or do you know the name?
Oh my goodness. This is the most wonderful meal.
So full of flavour with just a hint of afterburn.
I just love your recipes.
They are truly amazing.
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Julie, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know how the biryani turned out for you!!
Hi,
Can 1 cup of basmati rice really serve 4-5 adults?
there’s a pound and a half of chicken with it too 🙂 But you can always double it to be safe and have leftovers!
I can burn water but have always wanted to learn to cook Chicken Biryani since tasting it at a local Indian restaurant years ago. The simplicity of the My Heart Beets recipe prompted me to give it a go. Mmmm, now that it delicious! Thank you.
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Luke, I’m so glad you made my recipe and liked it!! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Made it three times this week. Guess everyone in the family and work liked it a LOT 🙂
Great recipe!!!
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That is so awesome!! Three times in a week might be a record lol! I’m super happy to hear that 🙂
Hey Ashley- super excited to try this recipe. I don’t have an instant pot, but I do have a pressure cooker. Would you keep the pressure cook time the same?
If you’re using an electric pressure cooker then yes but if you’re using a stovetop pressure cooker I can’t say for sure – sorry!
Thanks for the recipe. I will definitely give this another try.
Suggestions/considerations:
1. You didn’t mention what sautee function you used. I used High.
2. Opt for 1/4 cinnamon stick instead of 1/2. The cinnamon flavor using 1/2 of a cinnamon stick was too overpowering for me.
3. I wouldn’t add the extra water. I didn’t add any water and it still came out a bit watery due to the juices from the chicken. Perhaps next time, I will drain some of the juices before pressure cooking OR increase the amount of rice from 1 cup to 2 cups. However, it should be noted that I used parboiled rice instead of basmati rice.
4. It’s practically impossible to remove the whole spices (especially the cloves), considering it was mixed with the chicken. I didn’t even bother.
I made this chicken biriyani today for dinner. Hassle-free, fool-proof recipe this is. Cooking biriyani was never so much fun! I call this ‘instant biriyani’. Thanks so much for this recipe. Will try out more recipes from your site.
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Mary, that’s great to hear! I’m so glad you liked the instant biryani lol 🙂 Can’t wait to hear what you think of other recipes that you try from my site!
Your recipes are great!! For chicken Briyani – can I use chicken boneless breasts cut up instead of thighs and do I have to adjust cooking time with breasts? Thanks!!
Anu, thank you! I haven’t tested it with chicken breast but I think it’ll be fine – you can shorten the sauté mode step a bit when cooking the chicken. let us know how it goes if you try!
The biryani was delicious, however the raisins got too hard when fried with the cashews, and the rice came out very sticky. Wonder if I did something wrong?
This is absolutely delicious! It’s the best Instant Pot recipe I have made. Since we don’t tolerate too much hot spice, we left out the cayenne and used 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. It was still super delicous and full of flavor. It’s a great warm, comforting meal. Thank you.
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Daniela, I’m so happy to hear that you liked the biryani so much!! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
I am excited to try this recipe!! wondering how you remove the whole spices. Do you just pick them out?
Thinking the cloves are pretty small. Thanks for your help!
I can’t wait to hear what you thin, Yvonne! I actually wrote a post all about removing whole spices if you want to learn more: https://myheartbeets.com/do-i-remove-whole-spices-before-serving-indian-food/
I am a Biriani Lover. I bought an instant pot this thanksgiving and currently trying different dishes in the pot. I tried your chicken Biriani and veg Biriani, Both came out to be perfect. like I used to do Dum. but slightly with more flavor and much faster. Thank you so much for the detailed recipes.
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Melvy, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how both biryani recipes turned out for you 🙂
Tried it. I liked how easy it was.
I did feel that something was missing.
Just so you know, the things i did different were i used
chicken breasts instead of thighs
red onions,
did’nt have cilantro
did’nt have enough fresh mint so used combination of some fresh and some organic dry mint leaves
substituted milk for water and added saffron
no cumin powder because my garam masala has it in it
thoughts? I would like to try it again….
Oh my…I’m so excited to pass on this recipe to my daughter. Her boyfriend is Pakistani, and she was looking for easy recipes to make for him that he would enjoy & appreciate. This just might be her new go to recipe! Thanks for sharing! Will let you know how it went!
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Carm, I’m so happy to hear that!! I hope they both love it!! Can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks 🙂
Great recipe. I was slightly unsure off it initially as I have tried a similar method before with good bit not great results. I am surprised that this combination works very well. Excellent recipe
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Manju, I’m so glad you liked it!
You must have added curd after you add chicken. I found more flavourful when I add fried chicken insted of raw one! Video looks great. I prefer little bit dry Biriyani 😊
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Hi, I did not use yogurt in this recipe…
If I wanted to use thighs with bones, would the cook time remain the same? Any changes to the recipe in this case?
You can keep the cook time the same 🙂 It’ll be fine!
Hi Ashley,
Thank you for demonstrating that Biryanis can be made in Instant pot without a hitch or else I would have never tried it so early into my experiment with this Smart machine :))
The biryani was tasty, almost same as I make on stovetop, the rice grains were separate and the chicken was moist and juicy!!
I faced one glitch – burn ( my first time seeing that on IP). I own a 6qt 7 in 1 model. I was cooking 4 cup rice with enough water ( rice was 817 brand Basmati rice)
with similar amount of spices as mentioned in your recipe + 3 tbsp yogurt + 2 tbsp tomato paste.
Water was 4 cups and I pushed Pressure cook for 8 minutes. Any guesses where I went wrong? Was 8 minutes too much?
Shiba
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ok, so today was the third time i’ve made this dish. I made it before the traditional way with the layering and the parchment paper and other than the nice crispy rice on the outside there is virtually no difference in deliciousness. the only change I made was doubling the recipe because it’s so freaking good. thanks for this recipe and I’ll be sure to check out your others
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Ed, that’s awesome to hear!! I’m so glad you like this recipe 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think about my other recipes!!
This recipe was wonderful: the recipe’s recommendations on cayenne and black pepper provided exactly the heat level I was looking for. I felt it had absolutely beautiful flavors (this was soooo much better than the store bought biryani mixes). I used chicken breast instead of thighs, and I did not use raisins. So glad to have come across this recipe – will be sharing with everyone I know!!!
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I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how much you enjoyed the biryani recipe 🙂
Biryani is a dish made of fish, meat, or vegetables and cooked with the flavourful rice especially with saffron. Making pot chicken biryani is very simple and quick. I generally make instant pot chicken biryani for the great taste and flavour.
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This recipe is absolutely delicious! So kid-friendly, I omitted the cayenne pepper and stuck to the rest of the recipe as is and it turned out wonderful! It was so easy to make yet it the dish looks so rich and flavorful like I have been working on it for hours. This recipe will definitely be going into my recipe box, that’s for sure !
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Renne, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know how the biryani turned out for you 🙂
Can I sub in chicken breast instead of thighs? I prefer dark meat but all I’ve got today is chicken breast. And do I need to adjust anything as far as measurements or time?
I haven’t tried it this way but I’m sure it’ll be fine – let us know how it goes!
We used breast meat and followed the recipe every step (except we doubled the recipe) and it turned out fantastic.
Hi Ashley, I tried this recipe, it was delicious!!
However, we found it very spicy, what can we change to make it more mild?
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Raj, I’m glad you liked it! To reduce the heat, you can omit the cayenne (or red chili if you’re using any) and reduce the black pepper to avoid any heat – that should do it 🙂
Hi Ashley! Excited to try this recipe. Could I double it? and if so, would I need to make any adjustments with the cooking time?
Hi Sweena! You can double the recipe by doubling the ingredients 🙂 Keep the cook time the same! Hope you love it!
I LOVE this recipe and would like to share it with my mom who has a slow-cooker but not a pressure cooker. Can you advise me how to adapt it to a slow-cooker?
Hi I make this dish all the time and it never fails to impress! Just one question though – what paprika do you use? Smoked, sweet or hot? Please advise! Thanks
I use regular paprika – sweet! 🙂
Hi Ashley, glad I found your site! I approached this biryani with a bit of trepidation. I couldn’t believe that just throwing things in the pot could come out like a ‘real’ biryani. Wow, was I surprised! It was amazing! My wife said it was the best Indian meal I’ve ever made, and I’ve been cooking Indian food for quite a few years! I can’t wait to try some more of your IP recipes, that was so good!
Just as an aside, would it work to put cardamoms and cloves in a muslin bag in the IP, to make it easier to fish out, or would that concentrate the flavors all in one spot?
Peter, I’m so happy to hear that you and your wife like this recipe! As for putting them in a muslin bag, I think that’d be fine but I haven’t tried it myself… I think it adds flavor to put the whole spices directly into the hot oil but that’s just my two cents!
This recipe is fantastic. A couple suggestions based on some comments above: (1) the highest sauté setting can get very hot very fast and sneak up on the raisins. You might try starting at the medium sauté setting or even doing the cashews/raisins separately in a small skillet. (2) If you’re worried about stray whole spices, cut a small square of cheesecloth and tie your cloves and cardamom pods in it (and other seeds if you want). The ghee will carry the flavor of the spices in the bag.
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Thanks Matt! 🙂
this is part of our weekly rotation! my malayalee father in law who never comments on ANY food even said it was good ! best part are my two toddler daughters regularly ask mama to make biryani!:) thanks for making this US born girl cook tasty kerala food!
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Divya, I’m so happy that your girls love it!! And I’m glad your FIL likes it too! It always makes me happy when Indian dads’ like my recipes lol – I feel like they’re such tough critics!
Great recipe! I have tried several different Biryani recipes and never had success so I gave up and our Biryani always came from takeout. I bought a 6qt IP a few days ago. Our first meal was the curry fish recipe in the recipe book that came with the IP. Second IP meal was this biryani and it turned out perfect. My husband followed the recipe exactly and I would not change a single thing. We will make this often!
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I’m so happy to hear that you liked my biryani recipe so much!! Thanks for letting me know how much you liked it 🙂
I cooked this recipe for a family of Irish/Canadians who have lived in London UK ( a major indian curry city) and we were blown away by how good this recipe was. Can you please tell me how I can increase the recipe to fill an 8 quart instant pot. This recipe feed 5 people comfortably but I’d like to feed as many as i can with an 8 quart. Thanks again.
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Michael, I’m so happy to hear that everyone liked the biryani so much!! Thanks for letting me know how much you liked it 🙂 I don’t have an 8 quart but I can tell you I’ve successfully doubled the recipe in my 6 quart! You can try asking this question in my facebook group (Instant Pot for Indian Food) – hopefully someone will be able to answer!
Amazing recipe! Thanks so much for sharing! Tried it today and it came out so good! I did mix the rice in the water and it came out well! What is the reason for not mixing the rice in the water?
Thanks Anne! I’m so happy to hear that! You can certainly mix it! The only reason I don’t is because traditionally biriyani is known for it’s layers – but really it doesn’t matter 🙂
I doubled the recipe and froze half (it froze really well!). My husband said that it was one of the best biryanis he is ever tasted and he eats a lot of Indian food!
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Andrea, I’m so happy to hear that you and your hubby liked it! And thank you for sharing that this chicken biryani freezes well – I’m sure it will help other readers 🙂
So is it equal parts rice:water? I know your recipe calls for 1 cup rice and 1 cup water but if I want to make it maybe 1.5 cups rice should I just do 1.5 water?
Yup equal parts 🙂
This recipe is PERFECT! Thank you so much, Ashley!
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Laura, I’m so happy to hear that you like the chicken biryani!! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for ya 🙂
My husband loves Chicken & Shrimp Biryani at Indian restaurants so I decided to give your chicken recipe a try. It turned out delicious!! I had to add more ghee and oil as I went (after adding chicken) to avoid chicken from sticking to the IP while on saute. Awesome recipe, the spice measurements are perfection.
Do you have a better measurement for the amount of garlic instead of in teaspoons? I found this tricky as I cut it up fresh. Thanks so much!
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Thank you fir this recipe, Ashley..
Made it for dinner tonight and it was a hit with my family 🙏🏼
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Radha, I’m so happy to hear that!! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you and your family 🙂
Made this yesterday – we love briyani (any kind) – but our daughter has a life threatening dairy-protein allergy. This was the first recipe that I have seen that didn’t require marinating the meat in yogurt. We loved it and our daughter even went back for a 2nd helping (she is a picky eater too). Really easy & quick to make. And super yummy too.
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I’m so glad you and your family liked the biryani 🙂 Also, just so you know – if a dish calls for marinating in yogurt – you can always use dairy-free yogurt or canned coconut milk (the thick creamy part at the top works best). Hope that helps!
Just made the chicken biryani and it was perfect! Thank you so much for the recipe.
Just curious- what does soaking the rice actually do? When I make rice on the stove I typically cook with extra water and then drain it when the rice is done instead of letting the rice absorb all the water like most American dishes use. Is this kind of the same concept by soaking it?
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Jom I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how the biryani turned out for you 🙂 So that’s a great question! The type of rice you’re using really makes a difference when it comes to weather to soak or not. I actually wrote about why to soak basmati rice in this basmati post recipe if you want to check that out here: https://myheartbeets.com/perfect-instant-pot-basmati-rice/ Hope that helps explain things!
Hi Ashey
I’m looking forward to cooking this recipe tonight, I’m new to the insta pot cooking and wanted to ask if the cook times would change if I used a bone in cut up whole chicken?
This looks delicious, but I laughed out loud at the “10 minutes of prep time.” Now THAT is a video I’d like to see!
Thanks Rob! There’s a video in the post – it’s one of those short videos though so doesn’t show the dish being made in real time. That said, I think you’ll be surprised at how quickly you can prep this! The part that takes the longest is measuring out the spices and putting them in a bowl. Make it and let me know!