Instant Pot Chicken Pulao
This quick and easy Instant Pot Chicken Pulao recipe requires just 25 minutes of prep time and results in tender boneless chicken and perfectly cooked rice.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups 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 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 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
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.
Video
Notes
Note 1: Triple wash the basmati rice to remove starches and encourage the grains to separate once cooked.
Note 2: The original recipe called for 1 3/4 cup water. After hearing from some readers that the rice turned out mushy, I decreased the water to 1 1/2 cups after testing that it works.
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 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 579kcal | Carbohydrates: 77g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 1423mg | Potassium: 441mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 58IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg