Instant Pot Brown Rice Chicken Biryani

This Brown Rice Chicken Biryani is a healthier version of my popular Chicken Biryani. It is cooked with brown basmati rice, chicken breasts, fresh herbs, and warm aromatic spices. Served with cooling raita, this is a fav feel good comfort food!

After posting my Instant Pot Chicken Biryani recipe, I received so many questions on how to make this with brown rice. My initial thinking was that it is not going to work out with the flavors and the textures of the chicken and Rice cooking together.

Then I started experimenting with brown rice. The more I started cooking with it, the more I figured out that soaking it can drastically change the cooking time, especially with an Instant Pot. After a few tries, I was able to come up with this recipe that has tender, cooked chicken with perfectly cooked brown rice.

I would have never thought of making Biryani with brown rice if not for you guys, so THANK YOU!! This delicious biryani is now on repeat in my kitchen.

Ingredients Overview

• Brown Rice – brown basmati or jasmine rice
• Chicken – I have used lean chicken breasts in this recipe. Chicken thighs or drumsticks also work well.
• Aromatics – yellow onion, fresh ginger, and garlic
• Spices – bay leaves, cumin seeds, whole black peppercorns, turmeric, red chili powder, and garam masala. You can always add more spices such as whole cloves, star anise, and cardamom if you like
• Yogurt – plain unsweetened yogurt works as a perfect base for the marinade

Serving

Serve with yogurt based raita, boiled egg, and a fresh lime wedge! I love serving Mango Lassi or homemade lemonade with this Biryani. It can also be refrigerated for up to 5 days. To reheat, simply microwave.

Pro Tips for the Best Brown Rice Chicken Biryani

• Soak the brown rice for 3 hours in warm water.
• Pat dry the chicken before marinating to avoid excess liquids. Marinate chicken breasts for at least 2-3 hours. Chicken can also be marinated overnight or for up to 12 hours
• Use plain full fat yogurt for the marinade.
• Use fresh garam masala. Homemade garam masala works the best!
• Make sure all of the rice is under the liquids before closing the Instant Pot.
• It is normal for the top layer of the rice to look a bit undercooked. Simply fluff the top layer and then gently mix the biryani with a silicone spatula.
• This recipe makes medium spicy Biryani. For extra spicy, add jalapeno. OR add another teaspoon of garam masala to the chicken.
• Lastly, although the Sauté function on the Instant Pot works great for true one pot cooking, you can also caramelize the onions using a stovetop in a non stick pan. OR you can also air fry the onions. This will speed up the process and also prevent the stainless steel insert from getting scorched, which may lead to a "BURN" notice on the newer Instant Pots.
• Allow natural pressure release so the rice continues to cook and the chicken breasts cook tender and juicy
• Chicken drumsticks or chicken thighs can also be used in this recipe with the same pressure cook time

How to avoid the BURN

• Make sure your recipe has enough thin liquids
• Make sure that the liquids have not evaporated by the time you close the lid
• Make sure the sealing ring is on and properly secured. If your sealing ring has become loose, place it in the freezer for an hour.
• Lastly, deglaze the pot. In this recipe, after the onions are sautéed, the bottom of the pot may get browned. So it is important to remove this browning, which is called deglazing the pot. Turn the sauté mode off, and either using some of the marinated chicken or 2 tablespoons of water, scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spatula. This will remove any browned bits from the sautéing of the onions. This is an important step, especially for Biryani recipes, and will help the Instant Pot come to pressure and also prevent the "BURN" signal.

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You may also like this related recipe: https://hospitalitycareerprofile.com/food-recipes/indian-breakfast/speedy-indian-chicken-seekh-kebabs-sheet-pan

Notes

** This recipe makes medium spicy Biryani. For extra spicy, add jalapeno. OR add another teaspoon of garam masala to the chicken.

You can replace chicken breasts with bone-in chicken pieces, chicken thighs, or drumsticks for the same cook time.

How to make brown rice biryani with Lamb:

Marinade the lamb using the same ingredients as the chicken. Here are 2 options to adjust cook time for Lamb Biryani:

• Pressure Cook the marinated lamb for 20-25 mins on the meat/stew setting. Then add the soaked brown rice and follow the remaining recipe.
• Pressure Cook the marinated lamb for 15 mins on the meat/stew setting. Then add unsoaked brown rice, with an extra ½ cup of water, and cook for 20 mins with natural pressure release.