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Home > Gluten-Free Dinner Recipes > Instant Pot Recipes > Instant Pot BBQ Chicken

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken

LAST UPDATED: August 10, 2020 PUBLISHED: May 9, 2018 167 Comments
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Instant Pot BBQ Chicken! Sweet, fall-apart tender and perfect for sandwiches, salads, BBQ plates and more!

close up shot of bbq chicken in instant pot

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!

 

bbq chicken served on bun with coleslaw

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!

 

overhead shot of bbq chicken in instant pot with white background

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!

 image for pinterest - overhead shot of bbq chicken in instant pot with white background

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!

 

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bbq chicken in instant pot with marble background and blue striped towel

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken

Author: Erin Collins
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 30 mins
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken! Sweet, fall-apart tender and perfect for sandwiches, salads, BBQ plates and more!
4.84 from 56 votes
Servings: 6 servings
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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!

Recipe Notes

This recipe was UPDATED in June 2019 with new instructions to prevent the instant pot from burning on the bottom. By adding 1 cup of chicken stock to the bottom of the pot and not stirring it should come to pressure and not burn regardless of the thickness of your BBQ sauce. 
Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
Amount Per Serving
Calories 564 Calories from Fat 243
% Daily Value*
Fat 27g42%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Cholesterol 196mg65%
Sodium 1153mg50%
Potassium 791mg23%
Carbohydrates 35g12%
Sugar 28g31%
Protein 41g82%
Vitamin A 385IU8%
Vitamin C 2.6mg3%
Calcium 48mg5%
Iron 1.9mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
NUTRITION INFORMATION:
Calories: 564kcal
Erin of Meaningful Eats

Hi, I'm Erin!

BS Food Science, MS Nutrition
I believe you can make amazing, gluten-free food with everyday ingredients that everyone will enjoy. I'm here to share my tried-and-true recipes with you! More About Erin

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Katrina Elmore says

    September 01, 2020 at 10:28 am

    5 stars
    I made thus twice for my family and it was so good there was nothing left

    Reply
  2. Brit says

    September 02, 2020 at 7:20 pm

    4 stars
    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!

    Reply
  3. Samantha says

    September 03, 2020 at 6:46 pm

    5 stars
    Perfect recipe. This one is a keeper! Made it exactly as written, with frozen chicken breast. So good! THANK YOU!

    Reply
    • BD says

      December 09, 2020 at 1:57 pm

      you put the frozen chicken in the insta pot or defrosted before?

      Reply
  4. Katie Davis says

    September 04, 2020 at 4:17 am

    5 stars
    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!.)

    Reply
  5. Alli says

    September 09, 2020 at 2:04 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Erin Collins says

      September 16, 2020 at 8:53 am

      You can use another sweetener like regular sugar or honey. The worcestershire sauce just adds more flavor but you can skip it if needed.

      Reply
  6. Allison S Moon says

    October 21, 2020 at 3:20 pm

    Is there a change in cooking time if you use 1.88 lvs of frozen chicken breast tenderloins?

    Reply
    • Erin Collins says

      November 18, 2020 at 9:19 am

      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!

      Reply
  7. Albina says

    October 27, 2020 at 11:25 am

    How long would I need to cook it for if I used frozen chicken?

    Reply
    • Erin Collins says

      November 18, 2020 at 9:19 am

      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!

      Reply
  8. Lisa says

    November 01, 2020 at 5:11 am

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
  9. Hunter says

    November 16, 2020 at 8:04 pm

    5 stars
    Turned out really good!! Sauce was thin, but I used the sauté function to thicken it up. Thank you!!

    Reply
  10. Mary B says

    December 09, 2020 at 8:20 am

    If I use thawed chicken breasts will it cook the same amount of time or will it have to be changed?

    Reply
  11. Sandy Stoelinga says

    December 10, 2020 at 8:10 pm

    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.

    Reply
  12. Shelley says

    December 14, 2020 at 6:45 am

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
  13. Nelle Bean says

    January 07, 2021 at 6:53 pm

    4 stars
    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.

    Reply
  14. Andrea Murrell says

    January 11, 2021 at 3:55 pm

    5 stars
    You are my hero. Husband thinks this is better than any restaurant and is super easy for me to do. Very delicious

    Reply
  15. Alessia Ellis says

    January 13, 2021 at 10:58 am

    5 stars
    This has become one of my all time favorite easy dinners and is definitely going to become a regular meal in my house.

    Reply
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Erin of Meaningful Eats

Hi, I'm Erin!

BS Food Science, MS Nutrition
I believe you can make amazing, gluten-free food with everyday ingredients that everyone will enjoy. I'm here to share my tried-and-true recipes with you! More About Erin

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Join my free email list to receive this Gluten-Free Dinners cookbook!

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