Quick, easy, and flavorful, this Instant Pot BBQ Chicken recipe is perfect for serving a crowd or meal-prep. Made with seasoned chicken breasts or thighs and tangy BBQ sauce, this Instant Pot BBQ Chicken can be served in endless ways!
![Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Recipe Shredded BBQ Chicken inside Instant Pot.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Instant-Pot-BBQ-Chicken-Recipe.jpg)
My recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Breast is a recipe that I, like millions of others, turn to again and again, as it is a great basic recipe for chicken.
But when I am craving barbecue and don't want to fire up the grill to make Grilled BBQ Chicken or BBQ Chicken Burgers, I love making Instant Pot BBQ Chicken. This recipe for Instant Pot BBQ Chicken results in super tender, super juicy, super flavorful chicken that has endless uses.
Reasons to Love Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
- Fast. From start to finish this Instant Pot recipe takes about 30 minutes--even if you start with frozen chicken! That makes this a 30-minute meal perfect for any night of the week.
- Flavorful. From the dry rub to the pineapple juice to the BBQ sauce, this chicken is filled with extraordinary flavor.
- Relatively Healthy. This recipe for BBQ Chicken is gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and low in fat and calories.
- Versatile Ingredients. Not only can this recipe for Instant Pot BBQ Chicken be made with chicken breasts, chicken thighs, and fresh or frozen chicken, but it can be served in endless ways!
- Endless Options for Serving. From pizza to BBQ chicken sandwiches to topping baked potatoes to adding to cheese quesadillas, the options are limitless, just like Instant Pot Pulled Pork, when it comes to serving BBQ pulled chicken.
Ingredients for Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
![How To Make Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Ingredients for Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Labeled on counter.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/How-To-Make-Instant-Pot-BBQ-Chicken.jpg)
- Chicken: Use fresh or frozen chicken breasts or chicken thighs.
- Dry Rub: My homemade dry rub seasoning, made with kosher salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and brown sugar, adds the perfect sweet and smokey flavor to the BBQ chicken.
- Cooking Liquid: 100% pineapple juice, low-sodium chicken stock, or water.
- BBQ Sauce: Use any barbecue sauce you like. I love using my homemade BBQ sauce. It is sweet and tangy and I simply love it.
How to Make Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Coat Chicken in Dry Rub
In order to give this shredded BBQ chicken the best flavor, don't just rely on BBQ sauce to flavor the chicken. The homemade dry rub, made with sugar, salt, and spices, adds great flavor to the chicken, making this the best version of Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken.
![Instapot BBQ Chicken Chicken Breasts rubbed with dry rub on cutting board.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Instapot-BBQ-Chicken.jpg)
Use Pineapple Juice
While you can opt to use water or low-sodium chicken stock in place of the pineapple juice, using pineapple juice as your cooking liquid will help to flavor and tenderize the chicken.
![Instant Pot Shredded Chicken with BBQ Sauce Seasoned Chicken breasts in inner pot with pineapple juice.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Instant-Pot-BBQ-Shredded-Chicken.jpg)
Pressure Cook with Natural Pressure Release
After the cooking time has elapsed, do not do a quick release of pressure! This will cause your chicken to be tough and rubbery! Natural pressure release is best any time you are pressure cooking meat of any kind.
![Instant Pot Barbecue Chicken Cooked seasoned chicken inside the instant Pot.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Instant-Pot-Shredded-BBQ-Chicken.png)
Shred BBQ Chicken
To make pulled BBQ Chicken, remove the cooked chicken from the inner pot and place it into a large mixing bowl, along with ¼ cup of the cooking liquid. While this recipe produces chicken so tender that it easily shreds using nothing more than two forks, you can opt to shred your chicken using a handheld kitchen mixer on low speed or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on low to make really fast work of shredding your chicken.
![Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Recipe Shredded chicken in clear mixing bowl with 2 forks next to bowl.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Instant-Pot-BBQ-Chicken-Recipe.jpg)
Add BBQ Sauce After Pressure Cooking
Now is the time to add the BBQ Sauce of your choice. To do so before pressure cooking would not only water down its' flavor, but also could cause a burn notice to happen.
![Instant Pot Barbecue Chicken Recipe Shredded Instant Pot Chicken tossed with bbq sauce in clear mixing bowl.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Instant-Pot-Barbecue-Chicken-Recipe.jpg)
How to Serve Instant Pot Pulled Chicken
One of my favorite things about this recipe is the endless ways that Instant Pot BBQ chicken can be served. This makes this simple recipe a meal my family never tires of! Below find some of my favorite serving suggestions.
- BBQ Chicken Sandwich: Pile shredded BBQ chicken onto a bun of your choice and drizzle with additional BBQ sauce if desired. If I have it on hand, I love adding a scoop of homemade coleslaw to the sandwich for a nice creamy element.
- BBQ Chicken Stuffed Potato: Top an Instant Pot Baked Potato, Air Fryer Baked Potato, or Instant Pot Sweet Potato with a scoop of this Instant Pot BBQ chicken. Top with shredded cheese and green onions and serve a hearty all-in-one meal. Or you can use the shredded BBQ chicken as a topping for air fryer potato skins or baked potato skins.
- BBQ Chicken Quesadilla: Top a flour tortilla with a layer of shredded cheddar, add a thin layer of shredded chicken, sprinkle with another layer of shredded cheddar, and top with another tortilla. Toast in a dry skillet over medium heat until the tortillas are golden and the cheese has melted. Serve with additional barbecue sauce for dipping.
- BBQ Chicken Salad: Replace the grilled chicken with this shredded chicken in my recipe for BBQ Chicken Salad, for a delicious, quick dinner or lunch.
- BBQ Chicken Pizza. Roll 1 pound of pizza dough into a 12-inch circle. Spread a thin layer of BBQ sauce over the dough, leaving a ½" border around the edge to form a crust. Top with shredded BBQ chicken and a generous layer of shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Bake at 425 degrees F for 15-18 minutes until the cheese is melted and the crust is browned.
- Add to Mac & Cheese: Make a delicious mac and cheese bowl by topping Stovetop Mac and Cheese or Instant Pot Mac and Cheese with some of this shredded BBQ chicken.
![Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Shredded Instant Pot BBQ Chicken on bun with instant pot in background.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Instant-Pot-BBQ-Chicken.jpg)
If you enjoyed this recipe for Instant Pot Shredded BBQ Chicken, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.
![Shredded BBQ Chicken inside Instant Pot.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Shredded-BBQ-Chicken-Instant-Pot-360x360.jpg)
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or boneless, chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons dry rub recipe below
- ¾ cup 100% pineapple juice see recipe note
- ¾ cup water
- ½-1 cups BBQ sauce
Homemade Dry Rub
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar dark or light
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- â…› teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
Instructions
For the Dry Rub
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne together in a small bowl until everything is well combined.
For Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
- Pat the chicken breasts or chicken thighs dry with a paper towel and sprinkle the rub evenly over the chicken on both sides, rubbing the spice mixture into the chicken to coat. NOTE: If your chicken is frozen, skip this step and simply sprinkle the dry rub mixture over the chicken once it is in the Instant Pot.
- Add the pineapple juice and water to the inner pot. Add the seasoned chicken (or frozen chicken) to the inner pot. It is okay if your chicken is overlapping slightly. If needed, sprinkle the dry rub mixture over the chicken inside the inner pot.
- Place the lid on the inner pot and be sure the vent knob is sealed and/or the lid is locked. Set to cook on High Pressure by hitting the manual or pressure cook button and use the +/- buttons to adjust the cooking time. For Thawed/Fresh Chicken: 7 Minutes on High Pressure*For Frozen Chicken: 11 Minutes on High Pressure**If your chicken is really thick or large, increase the cooking time by 1 minute.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 10 minutes before doing a quick release of any remaining pressure. Once pressure has been released, remove the lid from the pressure cooker.
- Remove the cooked chicken from the inner pot and place it into a large mixing bowl, along with ¼ cup of the cooking liquid from inside the inner pot. Use two forks or a handheld mixer on low speed to shred the chicken, adding more liquid as needed to keep the meat nice and moist.
- Once the chicken has been shredded, add ½ cup of prepared BBQ sauce into the bowl and stir to combine, adding additional sauce as desired.
- Serve the shredded BBQ chicken as desired.
Kara
Served it on top of salad, and it was delicious! Next time I'll use it for quesadillas, that sounds amazing! (Also, thanks for the tip about using natural release on the IP.)
Kristen Chidsey
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed! And I think you will love it in quesadillas.
Sharina
This BBQ Chicken is one of the easiest and most convenient recipes I've tried! Thanks to the Instant Pot! It turned out incredibly delicious and impressive!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for sharing! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed!
Olivia
We all love BBQ chicken pizza. It was easy to make in the Instant Pot and the chicken tasted amazing on our homemade pizzas!