Pressure Cooker Chicken Biryani: Biryanis are always a most popular food almost allover the world and particularly no doubt about India. There are so many versions of biryanis available through out the world in various names but all varies in some flavour and the basic taste is almost similar.

In India Northern part Mughalai biryani, Lucknowi Biryani are the very famous ones and in South India Hyderabadi Biryani is a spicy type of dum biryani. All these famous biryanis preparation to cooking takes time and have to be cooked carefully to get the proper taste. So today i am sharing with you an easy to make Pressure Cooker version of a 'Spicy South Indian Style Biryani'. This is the Biryani i have tried very first when i started cooking. So this will be easy for the beginners and also for the people those who feels lazy to cook on weekends ends.

Easy Chicken Biryani

Preparation Time:10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Cuisine: Indian
Serves:6

INGREDIENTS:
Chicken, cut in to big pieces- 1 kg
Basmati Rice, extra long grain- 3 cups
Oil- 5 teaspoons
Cinnamon, Clove,Cardamom- each 4 piece
Star anise-1(optional)
Bay leaves-2
Shahi Jeera (or) normal Jeera- 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander leaves, chopped- 1/2 bunch
Mint leaves, chopped- 1/2 bunch
Onion, chopped lengthwise- 2 big
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tablespoon
Tomatoes, chopped-2 medium
Green chilies, slit-4
Turmeric powder- 1/4 teaspoon
Chilli powder- 3 teaspoons (Reduce according to your spice level)
Coriander powder- 2 teaspoons
Garam masala powder- 1/2 teaspoon (Do not add much)
Curd/ yogurt, beaten- 1 cup
Ghee- 1 teaspoon
Lemon- 1/2 (optional)
Salt- to taste
Pressure Cooker Chicken Biryani

PROCEDURE:
  • I have used 5.5 litre capacity pressure cooker to make this biryani.
  • Soak the basmathi rice in water for 20 minutes that is immediately after cutting the veggies and just before start the cooking.
  • Heat oil in the pressure cooker and add the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, star anise, bay leaves and jeera; fry in oil till the nice aroma arises.
  • Add half of the chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves and fry well for fifteen seconds.
  • Now add the chopped onion with a pinch of salt till the edges of the onion colour changes to golden.
  • Add the ginger garlic paste and cook till the raw smell leaves and the aroma arises.
  • Add the chopped tomato and cook for fifteen seconds and add the green chillies and cook further for about a minute till the tomatoes starts to become mushy.
  • Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and very little garam masala powder; cook for fifteen seconds and immediately add the chicken with enough salt to cook.
  • Mix well the chicken on the prepared masala and cook for a minute.
  • Now add the yogurt and mix well to form a gravy and cook for a minute. Add half a cup of water and mix well to combine with a ladle and check for salt and close with a lid and keep the weight.
  • Pressure cook for a whistle and immediately switch off the flame and allow the steam to release. Once the steam escapes you could able to see a well cooked chicken gravy. Now on top of that add the soaked rice, 2 cups of water (Considering 1 cup of yogurt + ½ a cup of water added earlier reduced in to 1 cup of gravy). So use 2 cups water to cook the rice. (See Notes) and the remaining half portion of coriander and mint leaves and salt; mix twice with a ladle. 
  • Close with a lid and keep the weight; cook till 2 whistles on medium flame and then reduce the flame to sim and keep 2 minutes for dum (water if any to evaporate). You could transfer the pressure cooker to small burner with very low flame.
  • After that immediately switch off the pressure cooker and allow to release the steam by itself.
  • Once the steam escapes immediately open the cooker and add a teaspoon of ghee and mix twice gently with a ladle without breaking any rice.
  • If you like it, add half a lemon juice also when you add the ghee.
  • Allow the biryani to stop the cooking process by carefully transferring the biryani on to a bigger vessel or two vessels.
  • Serve with Onion raita and boiled egg.
  • Note: If you wash and use the rice directly, then use 1½ cup water to cook a cup of rice and cook for 3 whistles on medium flame and reduce flame to sim and cook for further 2 minutes. 
  • If you soak the rice for exactly 20 minutes  add 1 cup of water for a cup of rice and cook for 2 whistles and then reduce the flame to sim and keep for 2 minutes.
  • If you soak by mistake more than 30 minutes  add 1 cup water for a cup of rice and cook for a whistle and keep in sim for 2 minutes.
  • While measuring, include the water content approximately in the gravy (water and yogurt added to cook the chicken).
Pressure Cooker Chicken Biryani