One Pot Wonder! Chicken Biryani Recipe In Cooker

Don’t believe anyone who says that biryani can only be cooked in an earthen pot. You can cook it in a pressure cooker without compromising the taste and aroma. Below are some tips and an easy-to-follow recipe waiting for you

It is said that biryani is one of the most difficult dishes to cook. A person has to ace the marination of meat, cooking of rice, and balancing of spices. Not just that, one must understand how heat distributes through the surface of a pan to cook everything together in a sealed clay pot. But what if someone tells you that you can cook chicken biryani in one pot and in a pressure cooker?

Many people will laugh, but a little bit of technique and patience is needed to make a delicious batch of biryani in a cooker. From understanding the water-to-rice ratio to learning the basics of marination, you will emerge a pro in making this rice-based delicacy after reading this article. Sit with your journal to take notes!

Tips To Cook Chicken Biryani In A Pressure Cooker

Marinate

Since you will be cooking in one pot, it is essential to marinate the meat featuring diagonal cuts. The mixture will tenderise it, ensuring a faster cooking time. You curd as the base for the marinade and add aromatics like ginger-garlic paste, and spices, including turmeric, coriander powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, and lemon juice for the acidity. After an hour, you will notice how soft the meat becomes, and it will have absorbed all the flavours from the blend.

Use Basmati Rice

While cooking chicken biryani in a pressure cooker, use long-grain basmati rice for fluffiness and texture. It will make the biryani non-sticky, which is essential for the mouthfeel. Also, this variety of grain is known to absorb flavours. Hence, all the juice that the chicken will release during cooking will be absorbed by the rice along with the notes of the marinade.

Don’t Mix, Layer

Even when you are cooking biryani in a pressure cooker, don’t forget to layer the ingredients, just like you would do in a clay pot. Make sure you add crispy fried brown onions after each layer of rice and resist mixing the ingredients. If you try to toss the ingredients together, the rice won’t be fluffy, but the grains will become soggy and break. Allow the ingredients to sit in the heat of the pressure cooker. This is when grains will absorb the earthy notes of whole spices and flavours from the meat.

Cook On Medium Heat

Ingredients of biryani should be cooked on medium heat to prevent burning and overcooking. If you keep the flame high, the masala will stick to the surface and burn, the scent of which will ruin the dining experience. If you keep the flame low, there is a chance that you might end up overcooking or undercooking the meat, both of which will ruin the texture.

Rest Before Serving

When the biryani is ready, let the pressure release naturally. Allow the ingredients to cool off for 10 minutes before opening the lid. It will allow the flavours to settle, and the rice also firms up. When you open it, the grains will be separated, and some will have coated the meat. Make sure to open the lid when everyone is seated so they can also enjoy the aroma, leaving them drooling.

Recipe For Chicken Biryani In Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

For Biryani

1 tomato

2 green chillies

2 cups Basmati rice

3 tbsp oil

3.5 cups water

1 bay leaf

4 cloves

1-inch cinnamon stick

2 green cardamoms

1 star anise

Salt to taste

2 onions

For Marinade

1 cup yoghurt

500 grams of chicken

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tsp garam masala

½ lemon

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

Chopped mint and coriander leaves

Preparation

Start by combining all the ingredients for the marinade, and after massaging the boneless chicken pieces with the blend, keep it aside for 30-60 minutes. You can make sharp and shallow diagonal cuts, at least half an inch apart, so the meat can absorb all the flavours from spices. 

Heat ghee in the pressure cooker and saute all the whole spices until they are fragrant. It will not take more than 1-2 minutes to extract the earthy notes and warmth from whole spices on a medium-high flame.

Fry onions until they are golden brown and keep them aside. When you are frying onions, keep the flame medium high or low, they might burn on high flame.

Cook tomatoes and green chillies. Once the veggies soften, add the marinated chicken to the pressure cooker. Keep stirring in between and wait for the ingredients to release oil. You will notice oil on the surface, and it will be rustic red, courtesy of the spices.

After cooking the meat for 5-7 minutes, add mint and coriander leaves for fresh notes.

Sprinkle salt and biryani masala and cook everything for another 4-5 minutes. The cue to add rice will be when oil is floating on the top. 

Add soaked rice into the cooker along with water. Make sure the water-to-rice ratio is 1:1. Since the blend will be watery, you can also add just a cup of water. It will prevent the grains from turning soggy.

Cook on a medium flame until you hear a whistle, turn the flame low. If you keep the flame low initially, you will end up undercooking the ingredients. If the flame is high, the chances of burning chicken and rice will be high.

After 5 minutes, turn off the heat. Let the chicken cook in the heat of the pressure cooker, and it will also allow grains to absorb tangy, spicy, earthy, and fragrant notes from the meat. 

Open the cooker after 10-15 minutes in front of everyone. The aroma will make it irresistible for them to avoid the cooker directly.