This is one of my favourite childhood dishes that my grandmother used to make whenever we had large family gatherings. I never quite learned how to do her version of it though.
One day, I was a short of time and thought, why not try making biryani in the instant pot?
It actually turned out better than expected. The trickiest bit is getting the rice and water ratio just right. If you’re not sure, go with less water initially and add more at the end if needed.
While some may prefer to make their own biryani spice blend, I’ve chosen to use a biryani mix which you can find at a local Indian food market, or if not, you can also order it online.
Feel free to use your own biryani spice blend if you have it.
Instant Pot Chicken Biryani
Allow 5 - 10 mins to marinade your meat or vegetables. The main biryani dish can be prepped and cooked in under 1 hour.
Equipment
- Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus Any Instant Pot will do. Alternative settings are given.
- Laziza Bombay Biryani Seasoning Mix Any biryani spice mix can be used
Ingredients
Marinade
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- ½ lemon squeezed
- 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 250 ml (1 cup) dairy-free plain yoghurt
Main Dish
- 4 tbsp Cooking oil or fat Use any oil or fat of your choice. I like to use beef fat (tallow).
- 1 large onion
- 1 knob ginger chopped finely or minced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 kg (2 lbs.) of meat chicken, lamb or mutton
- 1 chicken stock cube can substitute for sea salt if preferred
- 500 g (2 ½ cups) basmati rice
- 1 litre water
- ½ packet biryani spice mix can be your own spice blend or
Instructions
Marinade Your Meat 1 - 2 Days Before Cooking
- Combine all marinade ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix together.
- Cut your meat into smaller chunks and add to the mixing bowl.
- Mix everything together so the meat is completely coated in the marinade.
- Cover the bowl with cling film or foil and place in the fridge for 1 - 2 days.
Main Dish
- Add your cooking oil (or fat) to the Instant Pot, then select the 'sauté' function and set it to 'high'.
- Add the onions, garlic and biryani spice mix into the pot and cook the spices for 5 mins or more to release flavours.
- Next, add the chicken and sauté for about 10 or 15 minutes with all the spices. Add extra oil to the pot if it starts to get too dry.
- Then, add the sugar, chicken stock cube and salt. Then add the water. (Ensure stock cube is fully dissolved).
- Now press 'cancel' to turn off saute. And press the 'pressure cook' button on your instant pot. Select the 'poultry' setting and press 'start.' (If you don't have these settings, select 'custom' and set to pressure cook for 10 minutes on the 'high' setting. If you like your chicken very tender, you can extend the time for a little longer until the chicken is cooked to your preference.)
- Once chicken is cooked, add washed rice. Set your instant pot to 'rice/grain' setting and select 'white rice'. Press 'Start'.(Alternatively, you can set to 'custom' and pressure cook on 'low' for approximately 12 minutes.)
- When finished, check the rice is completely cooked. All Done!
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