Instant Pot Chicken Pulao (Quick & Easy)
Pulao, also spelled Pilau, is a delicately flavored rice dish popular in Pakistani and Indian cooking. This Instant Pot Chicken Pulao recipe requires 25 minutes of prep time and results in tender boneless (or bone-in) chicken and perfectly cooked rice.
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“I tried this today for dinner and it turned out amazing! This isn’t the first of your recipes I’ve tried and as always, it didn’t fail.”
Quratulain
What is Chicken Pulao?
Pulao may not be as famous as biryani, but it holds significance just the same. I remember whenever my mom made it, I’d stand over the stove sneaking just one bite before dinner, and then another, and another. Meat, rice, and aromatic whole spices all woven together so beautifully to create a magnificent composition. It’s utterly satisfying.
This Instant Pot Chicken Pulao is a weeknight version of the more elaborate yakhni pulao, in which meat is slowly simmered to create a stock (yakhni) which is used to cook the rice. (For a mutton version, check out my Mutton Pulao.) That’s not to say you’re missing out on the flavors of classic pulao. The techniques here are still the same – deeply brown onions, seared meat, and rice perfumed with whole spices.
How to prevent soggy rice when making Instant Pot Pulao
Unlike Chana Pulao and Matar Pulao, Chicken Pulao has the added water content of chicken and a tomato. This makes it more likely for rice to become mushy.
After posting the original recipe, I noticed some people still had mushy rich, which meant that my rice may have been a bit more resilient to the extra water content. Recently, I tweaked the recipe and reduced the water content, which will hopefully allow this recipe to work for everyone.
Remember, IP rice should remain fluffy and moist, with each grain separated just like a traditional pulao. Here are a some tips to prevent soggy rice:
- Use aged, long-grain basmati rice. While I can’t be sure all rice will cook to perfection with this method (you may have to do a little trial and error), most aged, long-grain basmati rice will work wonderfully in this recipe. I use Royal Chef’s Secret brand.
- The recipe calls to soak the rice for 15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. If that’s not how long you normally soak it, try soaking the rice for a shorter period of time.
- After cooking the rice, allow it to naturally release pressure as directed in the recipe. You’ll notice that it’ll get even less moist as time goes on.
- All the ingredients are measured specifically to prevent soggy rice. Use a small tomato as directed in the recipe so the moisture doesn’t cause sogginess. If you prefer pulao without a tomato, feel free to omit it.
- If you rinse your chicken, pat it dry with a paper towel before adding it in.
- Lastly, use a rice paddle or small plate to remove the rice promptly from the Instant Pot and place on the serving dish.
Using Bone-in or Boneless Chicken for Pulao
For this recipe, I use chicken thighs or chicken tenders – the little strips of meat attached to the underside of the chicken breast. If you don’t have them, you can also use chicken breast.
I’ve had many people report success with using bone-in chicken. As long as bone-in chicken pieces are small, the recipe works with bone-in chicken as well. If you’re using larger bone-in pieces, first pressure cook the chicken for 6 minutes before adding the rice. Be sure to sauté bone-in chicken a little longer to ensure no extra moisture will be released while cooking.
What to serve with Chicken Pulao
Chicken pulao is a wonderful one-pot meal that’s traditionally paired with raita or yogurt. Kachumber Salad or fresh, crunchy vegetables such as sliced onions, carrots, or cucumbers are ideal to add crunch and texture. I love making some Shami kabab, Chapli Kabab or Aloo ki Tikki as a side when serving pulao.
More tips on making chicken pulao in the Instant Pot:
- This recipe moves quickly once the onions have browned. Before you begin cooking, have all ingredients (especially the spices) prepped and ready to go.
- As always with South Asian recipes, be sure to pick out and discard the whole spices while you eat. If you don’t want to bite into the whole spices at all, place them in a spice bag or cheesecloth bundle. I don’t recommend grinding them because they may become overpowering.
- Triple wash the basmati rice to remove starches and encourage the grains to separate once cooked.
- You can also add cubed potatoes: Cube 1/2 of a medium russet potato into 1/2-inch cubes. Decrease the chicken to 10-11 oz and add the potatoes along with the chicken.
More Instant Pot recipes you’ll love:
- Instant Pot Shami Kebab (with stovetop instructions)
- Instant Pot Maash ki Dal
- Instant Pot Kadhi
- Instant Pot Nihari
- Instant Pot Butter Chicken
- Chana Pulao (Chickpea Pilaf)
For more ideas, check out my Instant Pot Pakistani Recipes Roundup!
Instant Pot Chicken Pulao
Watch the Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (285 g) aged, long grain basmati rice
- 2 tbsp neutral oil, such as grapeseed or avocado
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 small (1 large) bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 1 2-inch piece cinnamon stick
- 1 small black cardamom, optional
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp coriander seeds, crushed
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 3/4 inch piece ginger, crushed
- 1 lb boneless chicken (I prefer thighs or tenders but you may use breast), cubed into 1” pieces
- 1 small (50 g) tomato, finely chopped
- 1-2 green chili peppers, whole or chopped
- 1 1/2 cups water, (See Note 2)
- 2 ¼ tsp kosher salt, divided (or to taste)
- small handful chopped cilantro and/or mint
Equipment
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash (See Note 1) the rice and soak it in water for 15 minutes. Then drain and set aside. I usually start pulao preparation while the rice is soaking.
- Select the high Sauté setting on the Instant Pot. Once hot, add the oil, ghee, and thinly sliced onion. Sauté, stirring often, until the onions are golden brown (~8-10 minutes). Deglaze the pan with a tablespoon of water. The color of the onions will determine the color of the rice so you want to get them even and golden brown.
- Add the whole spices, garlic, and ginger and sauté for another minute or until the raw smell disappears. Add the chicken and ¼ tsp of the salt and continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes until the color of the chicken changes. Add the tomato and green chili pepper and sauté until the tomato softens, about 2 minutes.
- Add the rice, remaining salt, and water and stir to combine. Scrape the sides of the pot and gently press down the rice to make everything is submerged in the water.
- Cancel the Sauté setting, secure the lid, and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Pressure-cook on high setting for 6 minutes. Let naturally release for 15 minutes. Then manually release any remaining pressure by moving the Pressure Release to Venting. Sprinkle the cilantro/mint on top.
- Using a rice paddle or small plastic plate, gently transfer the rice on to a serving platter. Serve with raita or yogurt.
Notes
- Use aged, long-grain basmati rice. While I can’t be sure all rice will cook to perfection with this method (you may have to do a little trial and error), most aged, long-grain basmati rice will work wonderfully in this recipe. I use Royal Chef’s Secret brand.
- The recipe calls to soak the rice for 15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. If that’s not how long you normally soak it, try soaking the rice for a shorter period of time.
- After cooking the rice, allow it to naturally release pressure as directed in the recipe. You’ll notice that it’ll get even less moist as time goes on.
- All the ingredients are measured specifically to prevent soggy rice. Use a small tomato as directed in the recipe so the moisture doesn’t cause sogginess. If your tomato is watery, sauté it longer to remove any excess moisture.
- If you rinse your chicken, pat it dry with a paper towel before adding it in.
- Lastly, use a rice paddle or small plate to remove the rice promptly from the Instant Pot and place on the serving dish.
146 Comments on “Instant Pot Chicken Pulao (Quick & Easy)”
Oh my goodness!! They tuned out perfectly! This was my very first time making rice in an instant pot and let me tell you, I am not the best cook. I’m still learning and was shocked to see the results when I opened my pot. Thank you so much for making it easy on those of us who are beginners! A must try!
That’s wonderful to hear! So glad Izzah’s recipe turned out well for you and thank you for sharing a picture 🙂 It looks delicious!
I’ve never made pilau in an instant pot, was feeling nervous but as soon as I followed the instructions step by step and opened the pot, I was relieved to see rice came out well, and the spices taste was perfect. Thank you for this easy recipe!
Yay! We are so happy to hear the Pulao turned out well 🙂
What if i make it in a stovetop pressure cooker? Do I leave it on high for all 6 minutes? A lot of steam was coming out so i;m not sure if i should lower the heat or not?
Hmm..I haven’t tested this with a stovetop pressure cooker so I can’t speak to the exact cook times. I do know that stovetop pressure cooking generally takes less time than electric, so I assume it will be less than 6 min. I would definitely reduce the heat for rice. Hope that helps and would love to hear if you try it out!
I don’t know what I did but the bottom was burnt and rice was smushy, but it tasted great! I don’t know if I should leave it on high til it whistles then bring it down to medium for a few mins? I’ve never used the pressure cooker for rice, just meat like goat so I don’t inow. Maybe use less water too next time? It was releasing a lot of steam when I had it on high
I think it’s a good idea to keep it on low. I’d consult Youtube for tips on stovetop pressure cooking rice. The trial & error is a natural part of cooking. I’m sure you’ll figure it out! 🙂
I’m looking forward to trying this chicken pulao recipe. I have a question about adjusting the quantities for a higher protein diet: if I want to double the amount of chicken while keeping the rice quantity the same, do you have any tips or adjustments to recommend? Should I alter the spice amounts or cooking time? Thanks for any advice you can share!
I don’t think you’ll need to add more water considering the chicken releases its own moisture. I do think you’ll need more salt, possibly more spices – I’d just be generous when you’re adding them. No change in cook time. Hope that helps and would love to hear how it turns out!
This recipe is so quick and delicious. I can never seem to get the rice to water ratio right. I’ve found that if I set the instant pot to the steam setting, with the lid off, and keep an eye on it it dries up the extra moisture.
Outstanding recipe. Followed it with the exact measurements but didn’t have green chili or cardomen so used black pepper and chili flakes to taste.
Turned out exactly how I’d expect a chicken pulao to taste. Authentic tasting!
I made sure I soaked the rice and reduced the amount of water. I think with the basmati I used, wasn’t a long à grain so either required a shorter cook time or less water. It was only slightly stodgy with the rice I used but still perfectly delcious. I used an instapot for the cook and the bottom of the rice only slightly got dark but not burnt. Mixed it in and it was lovely!
I’d definitely make this again.
Hi Timur, Love the substitutions! We are so happy to hear you enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Salaam,
Did anyone try using whole chicken pulao in instant pot? Will that work with this recipe.
Walaykumasalaam Zehra! Please see this link for instructions on how to make this pulao with bone-in chicken: Using Boneless or Bone-In Chicken for Pulao
The rice still turned mushy. As per IP basmati rice is 1:1 so then for 1.5 cup rice and the chicken it should be less than 1.5 cup water. And I also feel 15mins NR is too long to keep rice in the pot.