Instant Pot BBQ Chicken! Sweet, fall-apart tender and perfect for sandwiches, salads, BBQ plates and more!
This Instant Pot BBQ Chicken makes an easy, weeknight meal you can use in so many ways! I like serving it on gluten-free buns or over rice.
It’s also delicious in a BBQ chicken salad with romaine, black beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado and dairy-free ranch (I like Tessemae’s Creamy Ranch) This chicken is versatile, easy and delicious!
The flavor of this BBQ chicken really depends on what kind of BBQ sauce you use. I used to use Sweet Baby Rays and still love the flavor – but don’t love the ingredients.
I asked a bunch of my gluten-free blogger friends what their favorite gluten-free BBQ sauce is and they all said Stubbs. (This is not sponsored – just meant to be helpful!)
Stubbs is gluten-free and doesn’t contain high-fructose corn syrup. My favorite flavor is Stubbs Sweet Sticky BBQ Sauce. You can get it for such a good price on Amazon!
I like using a combination of chicken breasts and chicken thighs for the meat. The meat turns out so much more moist this way than compared to using all chicken breasts.
I used to make BBQ chicken in the slow-cooker all the time, but now I prefer it in the instant pot. It is so easy to throw everything in and walk away. Plus it takes just a fraction of the time.
Enjoy this on toasted gluten-free buns with a side of my favorite Dairy-Free Coleslaw!
Notes about this recipe:
Use Gluten-Free Worcestershire Sauce: Not all brands are gluten-free so check the label! I use Lea and Perrins which is gluten-free.
Choose a Good BBQ Sauce: The flavor of this chicken is highly dependent on what kind of BBQ sauce you use. I love the flavor of Sweet Baby Ray’s – but lately I’ve been using Stubbs Sweet Sticky BBQ sauce (such a good price on Amazon!) because it doesn’t contain high-fructose corn syrup.
Chicken Breasts + Thighs = Yum: I like using a combination of chicken breast and thighs in this recipe. The chicken thighs keep the dish moist and delicious!
Hungry for more? Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter for all of the latest updates.
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken stock or water
- 2 lbs chicken thighs
- 1 lb chicken breast
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce
- 1/2 cup grated onion, plus juice
- 2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Place the ingredients in the instant pot in this order: chicken stock (or water), chicken, onion powder, garlic, powder, paprika, salt, BBQ sauce, grated onion, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Do NOT stir. You want the water to stay on the bottom of the pot so the instant pot comes to pressure.
- Place the lid on the instant pot making sure the valve is in the sealing position. Press manual (high pressure) and set to 15 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes. Add more BBQ sauce if desired. Shred and enjoy on sandwiches, salads, BBQ plates and more!
Katrina Elmore says
I made thus twice for my family and it was so good there was nothing left
Brit says
This was really good! Sauce a little thin, but still good. I sauteed for a bit but didn’t help much. Next time I will add some cornstarch while sauteing. Will make again!
Samantha says
Perfect recipe. This one is a keeper! Made it exactly as written, with frozen chicken breast. So good! THANK YOU!
BD says
you put the frozen chicken in the insta pot or defrosted before?
Katie Davis says
Erin, thank you! This recipe is great because it’s not super fussy – you don’t have to be exact in your measurements, and you can sub other meats (I did the chicken and I’ve done brisket, which came out divine!.)
Alli says
Is there a substitute for brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce? I just happen to not have those ingredients in my pantry and don’t know if they are needed to make the recipe work.
Erin Collins says
You can use another sweetener like regular sugar or honey. The worcestershire sauce just adds more flavor but you can skip it if needed.
Allison S Moon says
Is there a change in cooking time if you use 1.88 lvs of frozen chicken breast tenderloins?
Erin Collins says
Make sure the frozen chicken is someone broken up (and not in one big clump). You can defrost it in the microwave to break it up before adding it to the instant pot. If you do it this way the cook time will actually be the same!
Albina says
How long would I need to cook it for if I used frozen chicken?
Erin Collins says
Make sure the frozen chicken is someone broken up (and not in one big clump). You can defrost it in the microwave to break it up before adding it to the instant pot. If you do it this way the cook time will actually be the same!
Lisa says
This recipe was a big hit! So easy, moist and flavorful – will definitely be making again.
To note: I used frozen chicken breasts and still did the 15 minute cook time, omitted the brown sugar as my bbq saw was already sweet, and didn’t put in the grated onion since I made caramelized onions to go with the sandwich. I also took chicken out and shredded it (did not put back in instant pot with the remaining liquid) and just topped with more bbq sauce. So delicious!
Hunter says
Turned out really good!! Sauce was thin, but I used the sauté function to thicken it up. Thank you!!
Mary B says
If I use thawed chicken breasts will it cook the same amount of time or will it have to be changed?
Sandy Stoelinga says
This was delicious! I followed recipe exactly & served to the grandkids for lunch on mini-naan original flatbreads topped with coleslaw. Super messy & too much liquid. Next time I’ll serve on buns so liquid can soak into the bun. Can I cut back on broth & bbq sauce? I’ve made similar recipe using only breast meat and having the thigh meat really made a difference. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Shelley says
Easy & delicious. Thank you. The thighs were still frozen after a night in the fridge (the breasts sligtly) but the 15 min cook time still turned out delicious cooked chicken. It took a long time to come to pressure.. Used what bbq sauce I had on hand (mix of Sweet Baby Rays and Kraft honey bbq) so not the healthiest but worked well in a pinch.
Nelle Bean says
Easy, good flavor (I used a jarred bbq sauce and skipped the sugar and worcestershire since it was already in the sauce) but I would cut WAY down on the water/broth. It was totally runny — we treated it as soup.
Andrea Murrell says
You are my hero. Husband thinks this is better than any restaurant and is super easy for me to do. Very delicious
Alessia Ellis says
This has become one of my all time favorite easy dinners and is definitely going to become a regular meal in my house.