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
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- ½ 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
Video
Notes
Nutrition
I hope you enjoy easy Instant Pot BBQ chicken as much as we do!
Rebecca says
Thank you so much for this recipe. We just made it tonight and it is delicious. This was the very first thing (outside of the water test) we have ever made in the Instant Pot. They way you wrote your recipe made it easy to follow and we felt confident with each step; you took most of the scariness out of this first experience. Awesome by the way that you included information on cooking at higher altitudes - living above 6,000 FT makes cooking interesting sometimes.
The flavor is fantastic! The BBQ chicken can be used in so many different ways; which is good because there are only two of us. This is definitely a repeat recipe.
Finally, as so many have mentioned here, BRILLIANT idea on using a blender to shred the chicken. I don't know if you came up with that idea, but I'm giving you full credit. Thank you again!
Dee says
Thank you SO much, for the wonderful review, Rebecca! You've made my day!
Sharon Wolverton says
Sounds great, including the hand mixer gem! I'm going to make it today but am doubling the recipe. Is the cook time still the same?
Dee says
So sorry I didn't get a chance to reply earlier. The cook time remains the same.
Michelle R says
Hi can i use frozen chicken for this? Thanks
Dee says
Yes! I cook frozen chicken for 15 minutes if thin and 20 minutes for thicker pieces. It might be a little watery, but you can drain out some of the liquid and add more sauce before serving.
Gina says
Who knew you can get such tender and flavorful chicken in an instant pot?!
Cory says
This recipe is great for when you need to quickly whip something up for dinner! Using the hand mixer is genius!
Dee says
Thanks, Cory! We love shredding chicken with the mixer!
Cayenne says
Oh my God!! The Kitchen Aid was the best idea I have seen in a long time. Thank you for the tip!!
Dee says
Thanks! So glad you liked the BBQ chicken!
Alexa says
Is the 10 minute natural release necessary? I usually do quick release when I make chicken in the insta pot. Thank you for the recipe, excited to try!!
Dee says
I always do the 10 minute natural release to help prevent chicken from drying out, but if you normally do a quick release, you can stick with that method. It's not essential to the actual recipe.
Sharon says
What about using a 10 quart Duo Nova? Do you add even more water? Thanks!
Dee says
You just need to have the minimum amount of thin liquid for that model to reach pressure, which includes liquid released from the chicken. I'm not sure what it is for the 10 quart, but I add 1/2 cup water for the 6 and 1 cup for the 8 quart and allow the chicken to release the remaining liquid. You can always add more BBQ sauce at the end to thicken the sauce. Hope this helps.
Emily says
I have been making bbq shredded chicken for over 20 years and it never occurred to me to use a hand mixer. You, M'am, are a genius. Thank you for that tip. The chicken was shredded perfectly and uniformly in under a minute.
Dee says
Thanks, Emily! The mixer makes it sooo easy.
Jean Hamblin says
Made this exactly like the recipe and it is very good! Keeper for sure.
Dee says
Thank you so much, Jean. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Nancy says
Can I triple this recipe?
Dee says
Yes -- as long as you have room in the IP. 🙂
BB says
Great recipe! Did 4 thick chicken breasts, 10 minute, 20 natural release (I totally spaced out) and it came out great. It did come out watery but I used a fork to drain it a bit. Kids loved it husband had a second serving so this is definitely a staple now. Oh and the hand mixer, you’re a genius!
Dee says
Aww, thanks -- but it does help! Thanks for the sweet comment!
Jessica says
Big hit with the kids.
Dee says
Thank you so much, Jessica. So happy they liked it!
TJ Ford says
Not sure what I'm doing wrong, but I always get the "food burn" warning when I put meat directly into the pot without the trivet. I used the trivet after getting the warning and everything came out fine. Any suggestions on what I might need to do differently to avoid that?
Dee says
It could be several things. Some of the newer models are more sensitive. There could be residue on the bottom of the pot, which triggers the warning. The sauce may have stuck to the bottom of the pot. You can try adding the water first, and then, the chicken and remaining ingredients next time. Also, try to make sure the sauce is only on the chicken. You can also add the sauce after pressure cooking if that's easier. Hope this helps! 🙂
Lisa says
This was super good!! Only thing is it was a little more liquidy than I expected!! So I drained the chicken afterwards, shredded it and poured some sweet baby rays over the chicken! Super delicious.
Dee says
Thanks for sharing, Lisa. I'm glad you liked it!
TN says
HAND MIXER SHREDDING TECHNIQUE FOR THE WIN!
Sarah says
Do I need to adjust the cooking time if I'm using thin sliced chicken breasts?
Dee says
It depends how thin they are, but I sometimes do 8 minutes with 8 minutes slow releases when they're really thin, and they come out perfect.
Victor says
Really liked the recipe as the chicken was delicious.
Dee says
Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the BBQ chicken!
Elena says
Do you the weight of the 3 breasts approximately? I’m using 2 breasts and need to adjust the ingredients.
Dee says
I usually have around 1.5 pounds of chicken, sometimes 2.
Nik says
I tried this last night for my two kids and it was hit! So quick and easy.
Dee says
So glad you all liked it. Thanks, Nik!
Lori Bizjak says
This was easy and delicious! I wanted thicker BBQ sauce so I set the instapot to sauté and added cornstarch to thicken it.
Dee says
Thanks, Lori! So glad you enjoyed it!
SUZANNE HARLEN says
Fantastic! Was easy and delicious. Great dish for a crowd.
Dee says
Thanks, Susan! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Billie says
It wasn't bad but if you are not a fan of garlic, I recommend doing a half of a teaspoon
Kait says
Hi there,
Do you need to keep the trivet in while cooking this recipe?
Dee says
The chicken goes directly in the pot -- no need to use the trivet.