If you have time (optional):
Instant Pot (IP) Cooking Instructions:
- Wash rice, and soak.
- Set the Instant Pot on Sauté mode, “less” mode; add butter or vegetable oil.
- Once oil is hot, add contents of Biryani spice kit and stir for 15 sec.
- Add marinated chicken. Cook for about 10 min occasionally stirring.
- Drain rice and add it to the pot. Add 1.5 cup water and cancel Sauté mode.
- Set Instant Pot to Manual / Pressure Cook mode, 8 min with High pressure. Natural release when done.
Checkout video instructions here
The story of Chicken Biryani
The word Biryani is derived from the Persian word Birian, which means ‘fried before cooking’ and Birinj, the Persian word for rice. Many historians believe that biryani originated from Persia and was brought to India by the Mughals. There are many legends associated with the evolution of Biryani. One of the popular being the story related to Mumtaz Mahal, wife of Shah Jahan. It is believed that when Mumtaz visited the army barracks, she found that the Mughal soldiers looked undernourished. In order to provide a balanced diet to the soldiers, she asked the chefs to prepare dish with meat and rice. The dish was whipped up with spices and saffron and cooked over wood fire. Traditionally, Biryani was cooked over charcoal in in earthen pot.
