Instant Pot Chicken Biryani

Name: Instant Pot Chicken Biryani
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: ½ cup plain yogurt; 1 tablespoon ginger paste; 1 tablespoon garlic paste; Juice of 2 lemons; 1 tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder or paprika; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 2 teaspoons garam masala; ½ teaspoon turmeric powder; 2 pounds chicken, bone-in; 3 cups basmati rice, soaked, rinsed, and divided; ¼ cup ghee, divided; 3 medium onions, thinly sliced; 1 tablespoon cumin seeds; 5 green cardamom pods; 1 star anise; 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder or red chili powder; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon coriander powder; 2 bay leaves; 2 teaspoons kosher salt

Recipe by Jordan Avery · Updated May 2026

Instant Pot Chicken

This fragrant chicken and rice dish comes together fast in your Instant Pot, packed with layers of warm spices, sweet caramelized onions, and fresh herbs.

⏱ 30 mins

Indian

Servings 8

Ingredients

½ cupplain yogurt

1 tablespoonginger paste

1 tablespoongarlic paste

Juice of 2 lemons

1 tablespoonKashmiri chili powder or paprika

2 teaspoonskosher salt

2 teaspoonsgaram masala

½ teaspoonturmeric powder

2 poundschicken, bone-in

3 cupsbasmati rice, soaked, rinsed, and divided

¼ cupghee, divided

3 mediumonions, thinly sliced

1 tablespooncumin seeds

5 greencardamom pods

1 staranise

1 teaspoonKashmiri chili powder or red chili powder

1 teaspoonground cumin

1 teaspooncoriander powder

2 bayleaves

2 teaspoonskosher salt

Nutrition

514 caloriesCalories

Per serving · Values are estimates

Instructions

In a bowl, mix together all the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken pieces and toss until they're evenly coated. Cover the bowl and let it sit in the fridge for 6 to 24 hours, or at least 30 minutes if you're in a hurry.

Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear. Then soak it in fresh water for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Turn on the Instant Pot to sauté mode and melt the ghee in the pot. Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring often, for about 20 minutes until they turn deep golden brown. Scoop out half of the onions with a slotted spoon and set them aside for later.

If the pot looks dry, add a little more ghee. Toss in the cumin seeds, cardamom pods, and star anise, and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant.

Place the marinated chicken (with all its juices) into the pot. Sprinkle in the chili powder, ground cumin, and coriander powder, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken starts to change color.

Pour in 2 to 3 tablespoons of warm water and scrape the bottom of the pot to lift up any browned bits. Add the bay leaves, lock the lid, and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Quickly release the pressure when it's done.

Drain the soaked rice. Cook 1 cup of rice with 1 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of salt in a rice cooker or pot until tender, or skip this step and cook all the rice in the Instant Pot later.

Remove the lid from the Instant Pot. Stir in 2 cups of uncooked rice, 2 cups of water, and 1 teaspoon of salt, making sure nothing is stuck to the bottom. Lock the lid back on and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Quickly release the pressure.

In a serving dish, spread a layer of the chicken and biryani mixture from the pot. Top it with some of the plain cooked rice and a handful of the reserved caramelized onions. Repeat the layers one more time. Finish with extra crispy onions and fresh cilantro on top.