Instant Pot Chicken Pulao

Rinse the rice thoroughly. This will take about three to four washes. Then soak the rice in cold water. This should be the first step of your prep. As the rice soaks, cut the chicken into three or four inch chunks.

Marinade the chicken with the juice of half a lime, ginger and garlic paste, salt and all the other ground spice powders.

As the chicken marinades, slice the onions and set them aside.

Combine the green chilies, cilantro and mint in a blender and blend to a fine paste.

Make a paste of the tomato if using a fresh one (you can also just chop it, I prefer a paste).

Add some oil to the Instant pot and set it on Saute mode (high). Add all the whole spices and fry them for three to four minutes (enough to brown but not burn).

At this stage, add the red onions and fry until they turn brown. Next, add the marinated chicken and the pastes. Cook until the chicken begins to brown.

Now add the rice (after draining the water it was soaking in) and add a cup of water and salt.

Change the Instant Pot’s setting to Pressure Cook and pressure cook on high for five minutes. Wait for the pressure to release naturally. Serve with chopped cilantro and lime wedges.

P.S. The pressure cooking time on Instant Pot is anywhere from five to seven minutes. If you find upon pressure releasing that the rice needs to cook longer, cook for another two minutes but not longer. We don’t want the rice to get too mushy.