Instant Pot Chicken Biriyani

This recipe is delicious and my kids loved it. I marinated the chicken the night before and modified the recipe slightly because one of my daughters is allergic to eggs and dairy. I also could not find uncooked Basmati rice so I had to use Uncle Ben’s cooked basmati rice. I used 1 cup of water instead of 3 cups of water.

 

Here is what I did:

1)     Marinated the chicken overnight.

2)     Heated olive oil and caramelized onions for about 10-15 minutes.

3)     Added all of the chicken and marinade along with 2 bay leaves and cooked for a few minutes.

4)     Added rice on top and 1 cup of water with 2 teaspoons of salt

5)     Cooked for 6 minutes at high pressure and then did quick release.

 

Instant Pot Chicken Biriyani (~from Ministry of Curry)

 

Ingredients

Marinade

·        2 teaspoon garam masala Add 3 tsp for spicier Biryani (used 2 teaspoons)

·        1 tablespoon ginger grated

·        1 tablespoon garlic minced

·        1 tablespoon red chili powder

·        1/2 teaspoon turmeric

·        ¼ cup mint leaves (omitted)

·        ¼ cup chopped cilantro (omitted)

·        2 tbsp lemon juice

·        0.75 cup plain yogurt (used coconut milk )

·        2 teaspoon kosher salt

·        2 pounds whole bone in chicken skinless cut into 12 pieces (If using chicken thighs cut into 2 inch pieces) (used 2.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs)

Remaining Ingredients

·        3 cups Extra long grain Basmati rice (had to use cooked Basmati rice)

·        3 tablespoons ghee divided (used olive oil)

·        2 large yellow onions thinly sliced

·        2 bay leaves

·        2 teaspoon salt

·        1 teaspoon saffron mixed in 1 tbsp warm milk (omitted)

·        6 boiled and shelled eggs optional (omitted)

·        1 jalapeno sliced into 8 wedges optional for extra spicy ** (omitted)

Raita (omitted)

·        2 cup plain yogurt

·        1 medium yellow onions finely diced

·        2 tomatoes diced

·        1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

·        1 tablespoon cilantro chopped

Instructions

1.                Make 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.

2.                While the chicken is marinating, wash and soak the basmati rice in water. Keep aside for 20 mins.

3.                Turn the Instant Pot to Saute(Hi). After the ‘hot’ sign displays, add 2 tbsp of ghee and add thinly sliced onions. Cook stirring frequently for 10 mins or until the onions are golden brown and caramelized. Take out half of the onion and keep aside for garnishing the biryani.

4.                Add 1 tbsp of 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 pressure valve to sealing. Select Manual/Pressure Cook 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.

5.                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.

6.                Drain the rice and gently pour over the chicken. Add 2 tsp of salt. Add 3 cups of water. Close the Instant Pot and turn pressure valve to sealing. Select Manual/Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 6 minutes. Follow with Quick release.

7.                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 silicon spatula to gently mix will also prevent the rice grains from breaking.

8.                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 sautéing of the onions.. This will help the Instant Pot come to pressure and also prevent “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, stove top in a non-stick pan.  This will speed up the process and also will prevent the stainless steel insert getting scorched which may lead to “BURN” notice on the newer Instant Pot’s.

·        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