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This Instant Pot BBQ Chicken recipe makes easy pulled chicken in the pressure cooker in about 30 minutes. A quick dinner for busy weeknights! Your whole family will love this easy recipe, and it’s also perfect for meal prep!
Table of Contents
This easy Instant Pot BBQ chicken is one of my favorite Instant Pot recipes for a busy day. 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, especially easy chicken recipes, this one’s for you! Barbecue pulled chicken is also a big hit with the kids. Even my picky eater likes this easy dinner recipe!
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.
Plus, it’s a very versatile recipe. You can use it to make chicken sandwiches, sliders, wraps or quesadillas. You can even use the shredded meat to top nachos, baked potatoes or salads.
If you love pulled chicken, try our Instant Pot salsa verde chicken and salsa chicken — to make Instant Pot chicken tacos (delicious tacos) — and our Instant Pot Buffalo chicken and Instant Pot Buffalo chicken dip! Be sure to check out all of my Instant Pot recipes.
Ingredients
You only need a handful of simple ingredients for this Instant Pot barbecue chicken recipe. If you don’t already have them at home, you can find them in your grocery store:
- Olive oil — or non stick cooking spray to prevent the BBQ sauce from sticking
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Sea salt
- Garlic powder
- Pepper
- Your favorite barbecue sauce — Use 1 cup BBQ sauce plus more after cooking, if desired
- Water or chicken broth — to help the pressure cooker reach pressure
How to make BBQ chicken in Instant Pot
This Instant Pot shredded chicken is pretty much a dump and go dinner. First, add a little olive oil or non stick spray to the bottom of the pot.
Next, add water or broth to your electric pressure cooker. You can also add the water first, if you prefer.
Then, all you do is add the boneless skinless chicken breasts to the pressure cooker, season them and top them with your favorite BBQ sauce.
Do not stir the sauce–leave it on top of the chicken breasts. Otherwise, the sugars in the BBQ sauce could burn at the bottom of the pot.
You have to add water or chicken broth, since BBQ sauce is so thick. I tried to get away with using only a quarter cup water the first time, but I got the dreaded burn notice and had a messy pot to clean afterwards.
Half cup water works much better! If you are using an 8 quart Instant Pot, add 1 cup of water.
I have made this chicken recipe hundreds of times now, and I have never gotten another burn notice!
You can always drain the extra liquid out of the pot after pressure cooking, but if you don’t add enough liquid, the pot won’t come to pressure.
Cooking Time
Pressure cook the chicken for 10 minutes on high pressure followed by a 10 minute natural pressure release.
You can do a quick release for the remaining pressure after that or allow a full natural release.
If your chicken breasts are very thin, you can cook the chicken for 8 minutes with an 8 minute release.
When the chicken is done, I usually shred it with an electric hand mixer. You can do it with two forks, but the mixer is much faster. It’s my favorite way to shred chicken!
My kids have fun helping with this part!
You can add more BBQ sauce if you need to. I usually serve BBQ sauce on the side in case people want to add more.
And that’s all there is to it! Serve BBQ pulled chicken with Instant Pot potato salad or corn on the cob for a delicious meal.
You guys, this easy Instant Pot BBQ chicken recipe is a lifesaver, especially on crazy busy days!
Recipe Variations
You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of boneless chicken breasts, if you prefer. The cook time for boneless thighs remains the same.
Make Instant Pot BBQ chicken breasts instead of pulled chicken. Just serve the pieces whole instead of shredding them.
You can also vary the seasonings. Sometimes, I add minced onions or onion powder, brown sugar or smoked paprika or chili powder.
Use Frozen Chicken
You can also make tender Instant Pot BBQ chicken using frozen chicken breasts or frozen chicken thighs. Frozen chicken in the Instant Pot works best if it is in a single layer and not a large clump.
Pressure cook frozen chicken for 15 minutes. If you do have frozen chicken stuck together, cook it for to 20 minutes.
Be sure that the internal temperature is at least 165 degrees. If not, you can add another 5 minutes to the cooking time.
How to Store
Store any leftover BBQ chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it’ll last for about 4 days. For longer storage, freeze it an a freezer safe container.
Reheat individual portions of pressure cooker BBQ chicken in the microwave. Leftover shredded chicken tastes great sandwiched between brioche buns, as part of a BBQ chicken salad, or enjoyed on its own!
Cooking Tips
Never stir the BBQ sauce and water together before pressure cooking. This will prevent the burn notice.
If there is a lot of liquid in the pot after pressure cooking, remove some of the liquid before making pulled BBQ chicken in Instant Pot. You can add it back in while shredding if needed.
Add more BBQ sauce after you shred chicken if needed.
Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to shred chicken. It’s the easiest way!
FAQ
Not really. You need a thin liquid like water or broth along with the BBQ sauce to help the pot build pressure.
You add a little bit of BBQ sauce before cooking. You can add more BBQ sauce after pressure cooking. This is the best way to prevent the burn notice.
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 2 pounds
- 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 or 2 forks to shred chicken before serving
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe first published in 2018 and updated in 2023 with more information and tips.
I hope you enjoy easy Instant Pot barbecue chicken as much as we do! This easy weeknight meal is a family favorite chicken dish–it’s a super simple recipe that packs a tasty barbecue flavor and makes the best BBQ chicken sandwiches.
If you do try this delicious recipe, please leave a star rating and/or comment.
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Thanks for the recipe and the tip on the hand mixer! Just made this tonight and it was delicious! I used my own homemade bbq, and the flavors were wonderful! Using the hand mixer saved me 20 minutes of shredding time. I doubled the recipe since I had a party of 14 people, and this came out perfect! Paired it with Hawaiian buns and dill pickles 🙂 this recipe is a keeper!
Thank you so much, Loann! The hand mixer really does save a ton of time! 🙂
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. 🙂
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! 🙂
I doubled everything and kept the cook time the same. Got burn warning. Just opened it and got chicken off the bottom . Then put it on again for 12 minutes. 12 minute slow release. Sooooooo good!!!!
Thanks for letting us know, Patricia. Glad you liked it! 🙂
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! 🙂
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.
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. 🙂
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 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. 🙂
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. 🙂
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! 🙂