Instant Pot chicken biryani
Fragrant basmati layered over spiced yogurt chicken and sweet browned onions, all in one pot, with fresh mint and cilantro on top.
- 65 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 4
- About $2.63 a serving
- 520 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1¼ lb chicken breasts, cut into 1½-inch pieces
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1½ cups basmati rice
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup fresh mint, chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1¾ tsp salt, divided
- 1½ cups water, divided
- 2 bay leaves
Each serving has about 520 calories, 40 g protein, 62 g carbs and 11 g fat, and costs about $2.63 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No chicken breasts? Boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins work.
- No plain yogurt? Plain Greek yogurt works.
- No basmati rice? Jasmine rice or long-grain white rice works.
- No ghee? Butter works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the chicken with the yogurt, garam masala, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, garlic, ginger and 1 teaspoon of salt in a bowl. Wash your hands and board.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
the rice in a strainer until the water runs clear, then soak it in a bowl of cold water for 15 minutes and .
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Timer: 15 min
Dolly’s tip: Soaking gives you long, separate grains instead of a sticky clump.Set the Instant Pot to , the ghee, and cook the onion 8 to 10 minutes, often, until deep . Scoop out half for the top.
Sauté. Sautéing means cooking cut-up food in a little oil or butter over medium to medium-high heat, stirring now and then. It cooks things quickly and browns them lightly without burning.
How you’ll know: You hear a steady, lively sizzle, not a hiss and spit, and the edges start to soften and color.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 9 min
Dolly’s tip: Take your time here. Browned onions are where biryani gets its sweetness.Add the chicken with all its and for 3 minutes, until the outside of each piece turns pale.
Marinate. Marinating means letting food sit in a flavorful liquid, called a marinade, before you cook it. Always marinate in the fridge, and never reuse marinade from raw meat unless you boil it first.
How you’ll know: The food is coated all over, sealed in a bag or covered dish, and chilling in the fridge.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Timer: 3 min
Pour in ¼ cup of water and scrape the bottom completely clean.
Spread the rice over the chicken, tuck in the bay leaves, sprinkle on the rest of the salt, and gently pour the last 1¼ cups of water over the rice. Don’t .
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Lock the lid, turn the valve to sealing, and pressure cook on HIGH for 6 minutes.
Timer: 6 min
Let the pressure come down on its own for 10 minutes, then vent the rest and check that the biggest piece of chicken reads 165°F.
Timer: 10 min
Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Fluff gently from the edges with a fork, bringing some chicken up through the rice, then top with the saved onions, mint and cilantro.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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