This Instant Pot BBQ Chicken recipe makes easy pulled chicken in the pressure cooker in about 30 minutes with minimal prep. A quick dinner for busy days!
This easy Instant Pot BBQ chicken is one of my favorite Instant Pot recipes for busy days. Seriously, this recipe is incredibly simple and makes the best pulled chicken in just 30 minutes. If you’re looking for quick and easy dinner recipes, this one’s for you!
I have an awesome recipe for pulled BBQ chicken in the Crock-Pot , but making BBQ chicken in the pressure cooker is so much faster. And since I don’t always plan ahead, this is why I love Instant Pot dinner recipes. Well, one reason, anyway!
Barbecue pulled chicken is also a big hit with the kids. Even my picky eater likes it!
Plus, it’s a very versatile recipe. You can use it to make chicken sandwiches, sliders, wraps or quesadillas. You can even use the meat to top nachos, baked potatoes or salads. You get the picture, right?
How to make pulled BBQ chicken in the Instant Pot
This Instant Pot shredded chicken is pretty much a dump and go dinner. All you do is add the boneless, skinless chicken breasts to the pressure cooker, season them and top them with your favorite BBQ sauce.
You’ll have to add water, since BBQ sauce is so thick. I tried to get away with using only a quarter cup of water, but I had a messy pot to clean afterwards. Half a cup works much better!
When the chicken is done, I usually shred it with a hand mixer. You can do it with two forks, but the mixer is much faster. My kids have fun helping with this part!
And that’s all there is to it! You guys, this Instant Pot BBQ chicken is a lifesaver, especially on crazy busy days!
Looking for more easy Instant Pot chicken recipes?
Recipe for Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Add olive oil to inner pot of pressure cooker, and place chicken in pot
- Add water, and sprinkle sea salt, garlic powder and pepper over chicken, then pour BBQ sauce over chicken. Do not stir!
- Place lid on pot, turn vent to Sealing position, and hit PRESSURE COOK for 10 minutes. Pot will take a few minutes to pressurize, and chicken will cook for 10 minutes
- After pot beeps, allow a 10 minute natural release, then do a quick release to release remaining pressure. When pin drops, remove lid, and use hand mixer to shred chicken before serving
Notes
Nutrition
I hope you enjoy easy Instant Pot BBQ chicken as much as we do!
Anything instant pot you just cannot beat, and this is no exception!
Thanks, Amanda. My family just loves this pulled chicken! 🙂
Does the cooking time change with frozen chicken?
I haven’t made it with frozen chicken, but people who have said it just takes longer to reach pressure. You can always add a couple of minutes if you want.
This chicken looks so juicy!
It turned out exactly the way we like it! 🙂
I need to try this immediately, it looks so good!
Thanks, Erin. I hope you like it! 🙂
So easy and delicious! My family would love this!
What a great a chicken dish! Have to make this one!
What great instant pot recipe! A must make for my family is for sure!
That looks so good! Amazing dinner idea!
I keep pinning all these wonderful recipes, thinking someday I might actually get an Instant Pot, this recipe sure looks good! Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday.
Miz Helen
Thanks, Miz Helen! You would probably love cooking with an Instant Pot!
How many lbs of chicken do you think you use for the 3 chicken breasts? The chicken breasts I have are almost 1 lb each.
I usually aim for around 2 pounds when making chicken. Usually, I have to ask the butcher for the right size and weight. 🙂
You have a butcher!?! We buy ours from Costco so they come in a pack and they are usually pretty huge.
I was just going to ask you about weight because size is so relative.
Going to make this tonight!
I used to make this in a slow cooker, but this is even better! Our slow cooker always seemed to cook fast too.
I want to make chili as well soon.
Thanks!
Our Frys/Kroger has a butcher, and you can usually pick out individual cuts of meat — They’re usually smaller than the ones that come in the packs. Usually, I try to get around 2 pounds. Hope you like it! 🙂
Came across this recipe and wanted to try it! I just got an Instant Pot, and this is the second time using it. I usually make BBQ shredded chicken in my crock pot, but my husband said “try your Instant Pot instead”, so here we go! Keeping my fingers crossed for a yummy meal!
I hope you like it, Suzie. This is one of our favorites! 🙂
Question! If I double the recipe, do you think I need to chance anything with the cook time? Thank you in advance! Cannot WAIT to make this our group-dinners go-to!
The cook time should stay the same. I hope you enjoy it, Brittany! 🙂
Would the cook time change if I’m going to use frozen chicken breasts? I am new when it comes to using an instant pot. But I’m excited to try this recipe!
I haven’t made it with frozen chicken, but usually the pot just takes longer to come to pressure, and the cook time remains the same. You can always cook for about 5 minutes longer if the chicken isn’t done. 🙂
This was flippin delicious. I made it exactly as you said and the whole family raved. Served it on small corn tortillas with coleslaw and cilantro. I never have good luck with chicken in the slow cooker, I think it gets too dry. This was perfectly cooked! Maybe I’m a simpleton but I chuckled a little when I saw that you shredded with the hand mixer however, decided I’d better follow what you do and got it out. I can’t wait to see what else I can shred with that thing! I never would have thought to shred chicken with it. It was messy, but well worth it. Thanks!!
So glad you liked it, Liv! I love using the hand mixer to shred chicken — so easy. 🙂
I am so excited to try this tonight! Just wondering – why do you say ‘do not stir’ after the BBQ sauce is entered? I’ll be sure to follow your directions but curious what happens if you do stir at that step.
Looks so good – can’t wait to try!
Hi Deb. Sometimes, if you stir heavy sauces like tomato or BBQ, you might get the burn notice from the sugars in the sauce. That’s why you want to add those sauces last, on the top of whatever you’re making. You can stir it in after the pressure cooking and use the Saute function to reduce and thicken the sauce after that.
I made this last night and followed your directions and it was PERFECT! I only had 1 cup of BBQ sauce so I substituted some vinegar and beer instead then simmered the leftover sauce on the saute function like you suggested. Thanks for the inspiration!
Yea! SO glad you liked it, Deb! 🙂
This is the second time I’ve used my instant pot and this was outstanding. I love dump and go recipes like this. This chicken was so tender and I never would have thought a hand mixer would shred this so all. My toddler loved his sandwich and I couldn’t get enough too. This is definitely going into our weekly rotation!
Thanks so much, Sherry! I love using my hand mixer to shred chicken — so easy. 🙂
Tried this and got the burn notice. I’m super disappointed as this happens every time I try using bbq sauce. I didn’t stir it in. Any ideas on what went wrong?
The only time I have ever gotten the burn notice when using a thick sauce was when I used too much sauce and didn’t add enough water, although it still came to pressure. I try to make sure the sauce is right on top of the chicken so it doesn’t spread too much. Also, you can get the burn notice if there is any residue or build-up on the bottom of the pot from previous meals. Not saying there is, but it’s just something to consider. Maybe it’s something in the sauce itself? I understand how frustrating this can be — hope this helps.
I just made this for dinner tonight. It was the first thing I have made with my new Instant Pot. I was terrified to use it (lol) so I really appreciate your simple but detailed cooking instructions. The chicken turned out phenomenal! It shredded like a breeze (I use my hand mixer too!) and was so tender and flavorful! I will definitely be making this again and again. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Lisa. I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I’ve made this a few times and absolutely love it! I’m planning on making it again for a party this weekend, with 25 guests. I’m wondering what I would need to do to modify- triple all of the ingredients, even the water? Adjust the cooking time? Thanks!
I’ve never made a huge batch of this, but the cooking time and water should stay the same. I would at least double the ingredients — just be careful with the BBQ sauce. You can always add more when you’re shredding it, but you don’t want to add too much in case it’s too thick for pressure cooking. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
So, if I’m using an 8 qt instapot, would i use 1 cup of water or 1 1/2 cups of water? I wasn’t sure according to the notes.
I would use 1 1/2 cups for the 8 quart. You can always add more BBQ sauce after cooking. 🙂