What is Chicken Pulao?
Pulao may not be as famous as biryani, but it holds significance just the same. I remember whenever my mom made it, I’d stand over the stove sneaking just one bite before dinner, and then another, and another. Meat, rice, and aromatic whole spices all woven together so beautifully to create a magnificent composition. It’s utterly satisfying. Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, get recipes & tips every week! This Instant Pot Chicken Pulao is a weeknight version of the more elaborate yakhni pulao, in which meat is slowly simmered to create a stock (yakhni) which is used to cook the rice. (For a mutton version, check out my Mutton Pulao.) That’s not to say you’re missing out on the flavors of classic pulao. The techniques here are still the same – deeply brown onions, seared meat, and rice perfumed with whole spices.
How to prevent soggy rice when making Instant Pot Pulao
Unlike Chana Pulao and Matar Pulao, Chicken Pulao has the added water content of chicken and a tomato. This makes it more likely for rice to become mushy. After posting the original recipe, I noticed some people still had mushy rich, which meant that my rice may have been a bit more resilient to the extra water content. Recently, I tweaked the recipe and reduced the water content, which will hopefully allow this recipe to work for everyone. Remember, IP rice should remain fluffy and moist, with each grain separated just like a traditional pulao. Here are a some tips to prevent soggy rice:
Using Bone-in or Boneless Chicken for Pulao
For this recipe, I use chicken thighs or chicken tenders – the little strips of meat attached to the underside of the chicken breast. If you don’t have them, you can also use chicken breast. I’ve had many people report success with using bone-in chicken. As long as bone-in chicken pieces are small, the recipe works with bone-in chicken as well. If you’re using larger bone-in pieces, first pressure cook the chicken for 6 minutes before adding the rice. Be sure to sauté bone-in chicken a little longer to ensure no extra moisture will be released while cooking.
What to serve with Chicken Pulao
Chicken pulao is a wonderful one-pot meal that’s traditionally paired with raita or yogurt. Kachumber Salad or fresh, crunchy vegetables such as sliced onions, carrots, or cucumbers are ideal to add crunch and texture. I love making some Shami kabab, Chapli Kabab or Aloo ki Tikki as a side when serving pulao.
More tips on making chicken pulao in the Instant Pot:
This recipe moves quickly once the onions have browned. Before you begin cooking, have all ingredients (especially the spices) prepped and ready to go. As always with South Asian recipes, be sure to pick out and discard the whole spices while you eat. If you don’t want to bite into the whole spices at all, place them in a spice bag or cheesecloth bundle. I don’t recommend grinding them because they may become overpowering. Triple wash the basmati rice to remove starches and encourage the grains to separate once cooked. You can also add cubed potatoes: Cube 1/2 of a medium russet potato into 1/2-inch cubes. Decrease the chicken to 10-11 oz and add the potatoes along with the chicken.
More Instant Pot recipes you’ll love:
Instant Pot Shami Kebab (with stovetop instructions) Instant Pot Maash ki Dal Instant Pot Kadhi Instant Pot Nihari Instant Pot Butter Chicken Chana Pulao (Chickpea Pilaf)
For more ideas, check out my Instant Pot Pakistani Recipes Roundup!
