Instant Pot Chicken Pulao

5 from 110 votes

Instant Pot chicken pulao is a delicious one-pot meal that combines tender chicken with fragrant rice and aromatic spices. Made with moist chicken pieces, this Indian-style chicken and rice casserole is a flavorful and satisfying dish that can be prepared in 20 minutes. The rice is cooked to perfection, and the subtle flavors from the whole spices perfectly complement the tender chicken, making it a hit with the whole family.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings:

Calories: 406kcal

Author: Shilpa Kerur

Ingredients

For the marination:

4 chicken drumsticks
¼ cup yogurt
1 inch ginger grated
3 cloves garlic grated
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon salt

For the pulao:

1 cup Basmati rice
2 tablespoon ghee (use store-bought or homemade ghee)
1 large onion thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
4 cloves
4 cardamom
1 black cardamom
1-2 small cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon garam masala (use store-bought or homemade garam masala)
½-1 teaspoon salt adjust as per taste
¼ cup cilantro

Instructions

Prep and marinate:

Wash the Basmati rice thoroughly and soak it in water for 20-30 minutes.
In a small bowl, add yogurt, ginger, garlic, turmeric, salt, and chili powder. Mix well.
Add the chicken and mix well. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes.

Make the pulao:

Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and add ghee.
Once it heats, add the whole spices (bay leaf, green cardamom, clove, black cardamom, and cinnamon). Saute for a few seconds.
Add onions and fry until the onion is golden.
Add the marinated chicken pieces and mix well. Cover and saute for 5 minutes.
Drain the water from the soaked Basmati rice and add the rice.
Add garam masala, salt, and one cup of water and mix well.
Close the lid of the Instant Pot and seal the vent. Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook mode for 5 minutes.
Do a quick release of the pressure. Open the lid and gently fluff up the rice. Garnish with cilantro (coriander leaves).
Serve hot with raita.

Video

Notes

Use Basmati rice or a good variety of long grain rice to make this pilaf. When cooked correctly, the grains will be separate, non-lumpy, and will stick to each other.

Wash the Basmati rice thoroughly in running water until the water runs clear. Then, soak it for 20-30 minutes. Soaking the rice is an important step while making any kind of pulao. Washing and soaking the rice will help to remove excess starch from it and achieve a non-sticky texture to the pulao.

The water to rice ratio for this Instant Pot chicken pulao is 1:1. Adding more than this amount will make the rice sticky and mushy.

The whole spices are important to make the best-tasting pulao. You may skip the ones you don't have access to them but it will definitely change the taste of the final dish. You can also add one teaspoon of cumin seeds along with other spices.

Nutrition