Chicken Biryani

By duckieq

Ingredients

• Spices for tempering OR USE 2 TEASPOONS GARAM MASALA
• 2 tablespoons ghee or butter
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 3-4 whole cloves
• 4-5 peppercorns
• 4-5 green cardamom pods
• Veggies
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 piece ginger, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 jalapeno peppers, diced (adjust to taste)
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 6-8 sprigs mint, finely chopped
• Chicken and Rice
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup water
• salt, to taste

Preparation

Step 1

Heat ghee in your Instant Pot and when it's hot, put in all the tempering spices. Once they start to sizzle, put in the thinly sliced onion and cook until it's well-browned and crisp at the edges.
If you plan to use garam masala instead of the spices, heat ghee in your Instant Pot and when it's hot, put in the thinly sliced onion and cook until it's well-browned and crisp at the edges.
Add in the ginger, garlic, jalapenos and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Put in the bite size chicken pieces and sear gently on both sides. You need the chicken and the rice to cook together in the same time so don't leave these pieces too big and don't skip this searing step, which precooks the chicken a little bit.
Add salt to taste and mix well. Remember you need enough salt to flavor the rice you'll shortly be adding as well.
If you're using ready-made garam masala instead of whole spices, add it now and mix well.
Spread out the chicken and veggie mixture to cover the bottom of your Instant Pot.
Sprinkle the chopped cilantro and mint on top it.
Spread the rinsed, drained rice across everything. Do not stir.
Pour in the water, and gently push the rice down so it is mostly covered by the water.
Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes, and let the pressure release naturally.
Open and inhale deeply! Enjoy the true-to-tradition aroma of this dish and then either mix it gently from the bottom, or serve by scooping up a layer from top to bottom so you've served chicken, herbs, and rice in every serving.