Instant Pot Chicken Pulao

Chicken Pulao is a delicious Indian style one-pot chicken and rice casserole. It is a gluten-free, effortless main-course recipe that takes exactly 13 minutes in an instant pot. Serve chicken pulao with cooling mint raita and salad for a wholesome meal.

About Chicken Pulao…

Chicken Pulao is a cheat version of chicken biryani. Unlike, biryani there is not much layering or the extra effort in making the pulao. It is a simple and straightforward rice recipe.

Pilaf or pilau is a rice casserole, where the rice is cooked with other ingredients such as vegetables, mushrooms, or meat, seasoned with spices, and served as a one-pot meal.

Traditionally pulao is cooked over the stovetop in a heavy duty casserole or in a stovetop pressure cooker.

Chicken Pulao is the non-vegetarian or meat version of the regular pulao. It is also known as chicken tahari in many parts of India.

My Reasons To Love Chicken Pulao…

Notes About Ingredients…

Rice: If you are making any kind of Indian pulao or rice dish, then long grain basmati rice is the best choice. It is light, less starchy, and yields perfectly fluffy/non-sticky pulao. You can use brown rice as well for this pulao recipe.

Chicken: The juicy thighs or chicken breast are the ideal meat choices for making pulao. You can use either the boneless pieces or the bone-in ones like leg pieces. I personally, like pulao with boneless chicken pieces.

Cooking Oil: Ideally ghee (clarifying butter) is the best choice for making the pulao. But if the aroma and taste of ghee are too over-powering for you, use unsalted butter, coconut oil, or any other cooking oil.

Spices: Usually people are intimidated by the list of spices in an Indian recipe. For this pulao recipe, you need minimal whole spices (bay leaf, black cardamom, cloves) and few basic Indian spices such as garam masala, turmeric, and chili powder.

Step-By-Step Instant Pot Chicken Pulao Cooking Method:

Starting with Marination: Marinate the chicken pieces in yogurt, salt, ginger-garlic paste, red chili powder, and turmeric. Leave the chicken pieces in the marinade overnight, or for 1 – 2 days. In case of a hurry, marinate chicken at least for 30 minutes.

Soak Rice: Wash and soak basmati rice in water for 15 – 20 minutes.

Let’s Cook: Set the SAUTE mode for 10 minutes. Add cooking oil, whole spices to the inner pot. Fry for 10 – 20 seconds to release their aroma. Add sliced onion and almonds (image 3). Fry till onion turn light golden in color.

Next, add ginger-garlic paste, and fry for 10 – 20 seconds. Add marinated chicken and fry till chicken pieces turn pale white in color (image 5).

Add spices, salt, and the soaked rice without any water (image 6). Stir to combine. Saute for a minute.

Add 1 1/2 cups of water. Stir to combine (image 8). Taste, if required add more salt. Close the lid of the IP. Cancel the SAUTE mode.

Set PRESSURE COOK Mode for 3 minutes. After the set timing, open the lid, fluff the rice using a fork, cover the IP with a lid, and serve the pulao after 5 minutes.

Serving Suggestions:

Here are few side-dish suggestions that compliment chicken pulao:

Mint Raita

Chilled Masala Yogurt or Curd

Pickled Onion or Sliced Onion Salad

Indian Style Curry or Gravy Sauce

My Tried & True Tips To Make Perfect Chicken Pulao:

Use long-grain basmati rice or any other medium-grain rice with less starch for making the pulao.

The ratio of rice to water that works for me is 1: 1 1/2 Cups. Adding too much liquid to cook rice always results in a mushy and sticky pulao.

Before starting the pulao making process, wash and soak the rice in water for 15 – 20 minutes.

Juicy chicken thighs, breasts, or leg pieces are the best for making pulao. Make sure all the pieces are of the same size for even cooking.

Marinating the chicken makes it tender, more flavorsome, and reduces cooking time.

What is the difference between chicken pulao and chicken biryani?

The method of cooking is the difference! Biryani is basically a draining method of cooking, whereas pulao is done through the absorption method. 

Pulao is easy to cook and requires no layering of ingredients. On the other hand, biryani is made through a time-consuming layering process.

The vegetables or meat in the biryani are prepared separately along with spices, while the rice is par-boiled separately and layered before slow cooking them on dum.

What kind of rice is best for making chicken pulao?

The basmati rice is best suited to make chicken pulao. The long grains and aroma of the rice add that extra flavor to the pulao. People in down South also prefer using jeerage samba rice that tastes absolutely delicious too!

Can I make this pulao on the stovetop?

Yes, you can make this pulao on the stovetop. Use a heavy-duty casserole with a tight-fitting lid. Follow the same recipe instructions. Later, cover and cook the pulao over low heat till all the liquid is absorbed by the rice and chicken is tender. Once cooked, fluff the rice using a fork, and cover the pan with a lid for the next 5 minutes.

How to store chicken pulao?

Store pulao in an airtight refrigerator friendly container for 2 – 3 days. You can reheat in a microwave before serving.

More Instant Pot Recipes For You:

Instant Pot Lentil Stew

Instant Pot Mushroom Masala

Instant Pot Mushroom Pulao

Instant Pot Mulligatawny Soup

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