Chicken Biryani

We've tested the best biryani recipes to bring this to your table in minutes!  Your guests will never know that you didn’t spend hours at the stove.
 
Prepare the chicken with a spicy marinade, layer the rice and lentils, add your water and you're good to do!  Open the lid and smell the aromas, fluff the rice and see the perfectly tender chicken pieces.  What a way to treat your whole family and a bunch of friends; because there is plenty to go around.

 Marinade: 
1 cup double cream plain yoghurt 
2 tsp garam masala  
1 tsp turmeric 
1 tsp chilli powder  
1 Tbsp ginger, grated 
1 Tbsp garlic, minced 
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped 
¼ cup fresh coriander, chopped 
2 Tbsp lemon juice 
1 tsp salt 
+- 800g deboned, skinless chicken pieces (thighs, drumsticks or chicken breasts) cut into large 4cm size pieces  
 
Remaining Ingredients: 
3 Tbsp ghee or neutral oil, divided  
1 tsp garam masala 
2 large onions, finely sliced into half moons  
2 bay leaves 
2 cinnamon sticks 
2 cups long grain Basmati rice 
1 cup pre-soaked (min 6 hours) green or brown lentils (or 1 tin of cooked lentils added at the end) 
2 tsp salt 
2 cups / 500ml water 
 
Raita 
2 cups double cream plain yoghurt 
½ onion, finely diced 
2 tomatoes, diced 
½ tsp salt 
¼ cup coriander, roughly chopped 
 
To serve: 
 
Raita and fresh coriander  
 
Method:  
  
Make marinade: 
Combine yoghurt with garam masala, turmeric, chilli powder, ginger, garlic, turmeric, mint, coriander, lemon juice and salt. Mix. Add chicken pieces and coat evenly with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 
 
Meanwhile, rinse the basmati rice well until water runs clear. Soak for 20 min and strain. 
 
Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté and push again to More. Once the ‘Hot’ sign displays, add 2 tbsp of ghee or oil and add onions and garam masala. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 mins or until the onions are golden brown and well caramelized. Remove half of the caramelised onions and keep aside for garnishing the biryani. 
 
Turn the Sauté function to “Less” and add the other 1 tbsp of ghee or oil to the inner pot.  Add the bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, marinated chicken and all of the marinade.  Stir well and sauté for 2 – 3 minutes. Deglaze the inner pot well using a spatula, making sure nothing is sticking to the bottom. This is an important step that will prevent the possible “BURN” signal during pressure cooking. Push Cancel. 
 
Drain the pre-soaked lentils and rice. Mix them together.  
 
Spoon the lentil and rice mix gently over the chicken in an even layer.  
Sprinkle over 2 tsp of salt. Pour the remaining water evenly over the rice and around the sides of the inner pot. Make sure the rice and lentils are submerged by giving the pot a gentle shake. Do not stir.  
 
For chicken breasts, or boneless thighs – Secure the lid, move the Sealing Vent up and select Pressure Cook, adjust time to 4 minutes. Allow a 5 min Natural Release and then Manually Release the remaining pressure.   
 
For chicken on bone – Secure the lid, move Sealing Vent up. Select Pressure Cook and adjust the time to 6 minutes. Allow a 5 min Natural Release and then Manually Release the remaining pressure.   
 
Once the pin drops, open the Instant Pot. Fluff the layer of rice and lentils with a fork. Switch to a rubber spatula and then gently mix them together with the chicken on the bottom of the pot.  
 
Garnish with the remaining caramelized onions and fresh coriander.  
Serve with raita and lemon wedges. 
 
Raita 
To make the raita, combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk well. Set aside in the fridge until serving.  
 
This recipe makes medium spicy Biryani. For more heat add additional fresh chilli or more chilli powder into the marinade.  
 
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 Pots. 

Tips:
Always scrape down the inner pot thoroughly before adding the rice, lentils etc.
Pour water evenly across the ingredients, pushing rice mix gently down, but DO NOT stir before the pressure cook cycle