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 (5- Steps)
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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Zahrah Zawahir says
I made this chicken version a couple weeks ago and it was delicious! I’d like to try it with lamb - can you recommend cook times and any other tips you can think of? Thank you - love your site!
Archana says
Same cook times will work with lamb too.
Alice Brown says
Can I use 2lbs. chicken breast (boneless and skinless) and do I need to adjust the time on my Mealthy Pot?
Thanks.
Alice Brown
Archana says
Yes you can. Same cook time on mealthy.
Deepika says
Hi I love to try this recipe today:) does the pressure level should be at high or low level
Archana says
High Pressure 🙂
Lakshmi says
Tried this recipe today with chicken breast and was an instant hit! Was very easy to make as well . Thank you!
Hazel says
This was absolutely delicious!! I used the ceramic insert for the IP - so it didn’t brown the bottom of the pot as much! It was so wonderfully delicious! Khoopch chaan!!!
Archana says
Thank you!
Diviya says
Hi, great recipe of biryani! This is my go to recipe.
But I always have an issue, my chicken doesnt stay on the bone. Each time I finish the recipe I find bones and chicken gets completely separated.
Should I reduce the cooking time of the chicken alone to 2 or 3 mins?
Suzanne says
I've made this twice already and it was a hit both times. I'm making it again this evening.:-)
I just wanted to thank you for the recipe and also to let you know that the link you have for your cookbook actually goes to an Instant Pot. I did find the book on Amazon, but thought I'd let you know. 🙂
Thanks again for a great recipe that my family REALLY enjoys!
Archana says
Thank you I will fix that!
Jas says
I am going to make this recipe for tomorrow’s lunch. I adjusted the serving to 4. In the ingredients it says 1.5 cup rice but no mention of how much water. In the directions on step 8 it says 3 cups water. Should I use 3 cups for 1.5 cup rice or 1.5 cup water?
Archana says
1:1 rice to water ratio
ANUSUYA JEYAKUMAR says
Hi
I made the biryani as per measures.
It came out good but the color was very light.used saffron as well
any suggestions
Thanks
Archana says
I use Kashmiri red chili powder and that adds a nice color
Farah says
Hi, I tried this recipe and everything was great except after soaking the rice and draining completely and adding 3 cups of water , my end result had the rice too soft and mushy. What should I do next time to get a better texture to my rice ? Less water? But how much less?
Archana says
Make sure to pat dry chicken before marinating. If your rice is new it may not need as much water, Add just enough water do that the rice is fully submerged under liquids.
Farah says
Thank you. So I’ll use just enough water to submerge the rice , should I still soak the rice ahead of time?
Archana says
Yes that makes sure you rice is light and fluffy
Alina says
Hi Archana,
Thank you for your wonderful recipes. I recently bought your cookbook and everything I have made has been easy, delicious and somewhat adaptable to things we have on hand (with limited visits to the market). I wanted to know how to possibly half this recipe for a smaller quantity. I live alone and sometimes have my partner or a friend over for dinner. While I don't mind leftovers, the quantity is too much for just us. What adjustments would I make?
Thank you again
Archana says
Hi Alina, Thank you for your kind words and your support with the cookbook. I will love a review from you on amazon. You can half all the ingredients except the pressure cook time will be the same. It will come to pressure much faster 🙂
Rudy says
Hi Archana,
First time trying out briyani in my fews day old all-in-one, and thought I'd give your recipe a go! Have some noob questions. Is there are particular reason the chicken has to be skinless, maybe something to do with the instant pot, or just preference for less fat? Secondly, would it be possible to mix breast cuts and drumsticks in the same cook, or do they have different ideal cooking times? Thanks!
Archana says
Hi Rudy, So with most Indian cooking we remove the skin. For Biryani it helps marinate the chicken better if its skinless. Also if you are using breast cut along with drumstick, you can simply sauté them intially instead of pressure cooking and then layer rice and pressure cook. I would also allow 5 to 10 min pressure release with breast meat as sometimes it tends to get dry with quick release.
Tara says
Hi Archana- does this freeze well?
Archana says
yes! It freezes well.
Tanuja says
Hi Archana
I have made this recipe and really liked it. However just one suggestion in your ingredients/proportions list. While the ingredients automatically adjust depending on the serving size (Serves 8, or 4, etc), because the
quantity of water required is not in the ingredient list, but in the body of the recipe, it remains at 3 cups for every variation. That causes some confusion about the rice:water ratio. Could be an easy fix if you add quantity of water to list of ingredients so that it adjusts automatically. Just a suggestion. Thanks!
Archana says
Sounds good! I will modify it.
S says
If I want to add potatoes, would I need to adjust the water? Should I fry the potatoes first?
Archana says
Add cubes potatoes with some salt before layering over the rice. It will be perfect!
Pooja Kabotra says
Excellent recipe!! best instant pot biryani recipe that i have tried. Thank you for making it so easy for us! Would it be possible to add some steps to the biryani that will make it look more like a traditional biryani- like adding some plain white rice and the red food coloring rice, to make it the 3 color rice look?
The flavor is there, but if i could also make it look like real biryani (not pulao) and fool my guests, that would be great! =)
Aarti Anand says
Excellent recipe, thank you. I make it at least once a week!
A says
Hello!
I’m just wondering what type of yogurt you use, is it Greek Plain or just regular plain?
Archana says
Plain full fat yogurt
Kim says
Can I use medium grain sona masoori if I'm out of long grain basmati?
Archana says
Yes! It will taste great just the texture will be a bit different
Rav says
Hi Archana,
Thank you for the recipe. Can I use brown rice to make this? If yes, how much water should I use and for how long I should cook it for?
Archana says
check out for brown rice chicken biryani on the blog!