Chicken Pulao Recipe Pressure Cooker Pulao

About Pulao

Chicken Pulao is a cheat version of chicken biryani. Unlike biryani, there is not much layering or extra effort in making the pulao. It is a delicious Indian-style one-pot chicken and rice casserole. It is also known as chicken tahari or murgh pulao in Northern India. Pilaf or pilau is a one-pot dish 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 a pressure cooker. But I love using my instant pot for cooking various Indian pulao. One, it saves me a lot of time. Second, the texture of the pulao turns out too good. More Reasons To Love Chicken Pulao

Ingredients Required

For Chicken Marinade: Step 1 is to marinate the chicken for the pulao. The marination process makes the chicken tender, juicy and the flavor of spices is penetrated deep within. Step 2 is to pressure cook the pulao. The rice, chicken, and masala, all are cooked together to make a delicious bowl of pulao. Chicken: The bone-in chicken pieces like leg pieces and thighs are the ideal meat choices for making pulao. You can use the boneless chicken pieces as well. Paste A: This is a dry spicy mix of – black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves, and mace. Paste B: This is a wet paste of – ginger, garlic, green chili, and water. Curd: It tenderizes the chicken. Make sure to use plain, thick curd or yogurt. Spices: Red Chili Powder, Coriander Powder, Salt For Pulao 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. Cooking Oil: Ideally ghee (clarifying butter) is the best choice. But if the aroma and taste of ghee are too over-powering for you, use unsalted butter, coconut oil, or vegetable oil. Spices: For this pulao recipe, you need minimal whole spices – bay leaf, cinnamon, and star anise. Other Ingredients: Onion, Salt, Mint Leaves, Fresh Coriander Leaves, Green Chili, Water

How To Cook

Step 1) Start with making Paste A and Paste B. Set them aside in two separate bowls. Clean, wash and pat dry the chicken pieces. Marinade the chicken pieces with curd, Paste A, Paste B, red chili powder, coriander powder, and salt. Let the chicken sit in the marinade for at least 1 hour. And maximum overnight. Step 2) Clean, wash, and soak the basmati rice in water for 30 minutes. Let’s Cook: Set the SAUTE mode for 10 minutes. Add oil and whole spices to the inner pot. Fry for 10 – 20 seconds to release their aroma. Add sliced onion. Fry till the onion turns light golden. Next, add marinated chicken and fry till chicken pieces turn pale white (image 5). Add spices, salt, and the soaked rice without any water (image 6). Stir to combine. Saute for a minute. Add 1 ¼ cups of water, mint leaves, coriander leaves, and green chili. Stir to combine. Close the lid of the IP. Cancel the SAUTE mode. Set PRESSURE COOK Mode for 5 minutes. After the set timing, do the NPR. Open the lid, fluff the rice using a fork, cover the IP with a lid, and serve the pulao after 5 minutes.

Watch Pulao Video

Serving Suggestion

Here are a few side-dish suggestions that compliment chicken pulao: Masala Curd Mint Raita or Green Boondi Raita Pickled Onion or Kachumber Salad Indian Style Curry or Gravy Sauce