Instant Pot BBQ Chicken! Sweet, fall-apart tender and perfect for sandwiches, salads, BBQ plates and more!
This Instant Pot BBQ Chicken is an easy recipe you can make for a weeknight meal. You can use in so many ways!
I like serving it on buns for chicken sandwiches or for a delicious meal over rice. It is also one of my favorite recipe for meal prep!
It’s also delicious in a BBQ chicken salad with romaine, black beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado and ranch dressing. This chicken is versatile, easy and delicious!
However you serve it, this easy instant pot barbecue chicken is one of my favorite recipes for busy weeknights!
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Ingredients You’ll Need
This recipe uses a combination of boneless chicken breasts and boneless thighs. I like the texture when
Onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, brown sugar and grated onion give this chicken delicious flavor.
The flavor of this BBQ chicken really depends on what kind of BBQ sauce you use. Use your favorite bbq sauce for this instant pot bbq chicken recipe!
How to Make Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
This instant pot pulled chicken can be made in 4 easy steps.
- Place the ingredients in the instant pot in this order: chicken broth (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 the cook time to 15 minutes.
- Let the pressure natural release for 10 minutes. Then quick release the venting position to remove the remaining pressure.
- Remove the cooked chicken and shred it. Reduce the liquid by pressing the “saute” button and simmering the sauce until thickened if necessary. Add the shredded meat back into the sauce.
Note: This recipe has been updated since the video was published. In recent years I’ve recommended add a cup of water or chicken broth, not stirring, removing the chicken and reducing the liquid, then adding the chicken back in. This ensures the instant pot doesn’t give you the dreaded burn notice!
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.
For an allergy-friendly meal, enjoy this on toasted gluten-free buns with a side of my favorite Dairy-Free Coleslaw!
Expert Tips and Tricks
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. Use your favorite barbecue sauce!
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!
More Instant Pot Recipes
I hope you like this recipe as much as we do! If you try it be sure to leave me a comment/rating below. I’d love to hear from you!
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Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken stock or water
- 2 lbs chicken thighs
- 1 lb chicken breast
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups BBQ sauce
- ½ 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. Then quick release the venting position to release the remaining pressure and open the pot.
- Remove the chicken and shred it. If necessary, reduce the liquid by pressing the "saute" button and simmering the sauce, stirring often, until thickened. Add the chicken back to the sauce before serving.
- Add more BBQ sauce if desired. Shred and enjoy on sandwiches, salads, BBQ plates and more!
Sarah says
Love this recipe! Have made it multiple times, but wondering if I need to modify the recipe if I want to use my crockpot instead of my instant pot? Maybe leave out the water/chicken broth?
Thanks!
Erin Collins says
This recipe works great in the crockpot! I would reduce the water to 1/2 cup and cook on low for 4 hours.
patty says
hi erin, i’ve been making your recipe for a few years – it is absolutely the best pulled chicken. question – can it be made ahead and frozen? if not – how far ahead can it be made and stored? thanks!
Angela C says
I made this for our twins’ football camp this afternoon – it was a huge hit! The kids devoured all of it. Thanks for a great recipe!
Erin Collins says
I’m so glad it turned out for you! Happy summer!
Mary Derkowski says
This is our favorite chicken recipe! Just finished putting the lid on the instapot and can’t wait to eat it again! Thank you for this recipe! I am about to share this on facebook with my friends so they can enjoy it also!
Erin Collins says
I’m so glad you enjoy it! Thanks for the comment and for sharing 🙂
Taylor says
How long do I cook if I double or triple the recipe?
Erin Collins says
The cook time will remain the same if you double or triple the recipe!
Paula says
Do you use th emetal grate in the bottom or just water, then chicken?
Rachel says
My picky eater toddler was loving this! That in and of itself makes this a 5 star dish. I don’t usually care for BBQ, but I loved the flavor, and my husband had 3rds… so yeah. Really flavourful, delicious meal. And not hard to make either.
Judy N. says
I made this tonight. This was fabulous!! My son ate 3 sandwiches and my husband ate 4. So easy and tasty!!
Erin Collins says
I’m so glad it turned out for you! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Melanie Hubbert says
I made this last night and it was a big hit! Everyone in my family LOVED this recipe! Will definitely add this to my rotation of favorites!
Ash says
Really delicious recipe! I added some more salt, pepper, bbq sauce and a teaspoon of cornstarch at the end to thicken up my sauce but even without it it was pretty damn close to if you were to make it in the slow cooker!
Daphne Hinds says
Thank goodness I didn’t have any trouble with a burn notice. I have to say this recipe makes the BEST BBQ chicken sandwiches me and my family have ever had! I will never use another recipe. These are incredible!!!!!
Kenya Curtiss says
I made this and it was delicious. We made broccoli and Monterey Jack cheese baked potatoes with the shredded bbq chicken on top and more cheese. A big green salad and it was a slam dunk!
Thank you❤️
Brooke says
Should I use the grate to raise the chicken above the bottom? And when you say not to stir does that mean to only coat the top half of chicken on the bbq sauce?
Jason Owens says
Super easy and very tasty recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Erin Collins says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!