Easy Instant Pot BBQ Chicken is juicy, tender, and so tasty! Perfect for sandwiches, nachos, quesadillas, bowls or meal prep for the week. Use your favorite BBQ sauce!
Looking for instant pot chicken recipes? Be sure to try my instant pot chicken shawarma recipe next!
👉 This instant pot bbq chicken recipe has been a family favorite since I first shared the recipe in 2020. It was updated with new photos and step-by-step instructions in March 2025.
I absolutely love making chicken in the Instant Pot—it always stays tender and juicy, especially when cooked in BBQ sauce. Once it’s done, the chicken practically falls apart with a fork! It tastes like it’s been simmering all day, but without any of the effort. That’s my kind of meal!
This Instant Pot BBQ Chicken is the perfect weeknight meal—easy, delicious, and practically effortless! I just toss a few ingredients into the pressure cooker, let it cook, then shred it. Less prep, fewer dishes, and so much flavor!
I love serving this BBQ chicken on soft brioche buns for the ultimate pulled chicken sandwiches. Sometimes, I’ll make sliders using no knead avocado dinner rolls, paired with crispy air fryer carrot fries for the perfect meal. Dinner, done! Check out more of my favorite boneless chicken thigh recipes.
It’s perfect for batch-cooking several pounds of chicken thighs, making meal prep for the week a breeze!
Jump to:
Reasons to love it
Juicy & tender: The chicken comes out incredibly juicy and tender, as if it’s been simmering all day.
Meal prep: Make a big batch and refrigerate it for the week.
Use in plethora of ways: Use it to make bbq chicken sandwiches, nachos, salads, wraps or serve with rice.
Quick and easy: It’s mostly hands-free cooking with less cleanup since everything cooks right in the pressure cooker.
Table of contents
Ingredients you'll need
This instant pot pulled BBQ chicken recipe only requires two key ingredients—chicken and BBQ sauce. Beyond that, just add some sliced red onions, jalapeno, garlic, salt, and pepper. So simple and delicious!
Chicken: I prefer using boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they stay much more moist compared to chicken breasts. However, you can also use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or a mix of both for a tasty combination of white and dark meat.
Barbecue sauce: The flavor of this BBQ chicken really shines through based on the BBQ sauce you choose. I used my favorite Kinders BBQ sauce, but feel free to use your own favorite—it's what makes this Instant Pot BBQ chicken recipe so delicious! The sauce you pick has a big impact on the overall flavor, so go with one you love. If you enjoy this BBQ chicken, you'll definitely want to try my BBQ salmon recipe too!
How to make barbecue chicken in instant pot?
👩🍳 Pro tip: The flavor of this pulled chicken is all about the BBQ sauce you choose, so be sure to use your favorite!
How to shred chicken?
Chicken thighs coming out of your pressure cooker are pretty much falling apart without you having to do anything, so you don’t need to get fancy.
With two forks: I like using two forks because it’s quick, easy, and saves me from doing extra dishes. They work perfectly! This method gives the chicken a slightly chunkier texture, which I personally prefer over finer shreds.
With a mixer: If you're making a large batch to feed a crowd, you can use a hand mixer or stand mixer to shred the chicken into fine, uniform pieces. If that’s your preference, go ahead and use the mixer! Personally, I stick with forks to avoid extra dishes, and I love the chunkier texture it creates.
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How to serve barbecue chicken?
This is one of my favorite chicken recipes because the whole family loves it for dinner, and I can save the leftovers for a variety of lunches or dinners throughout the week. It’s also perfect for making school lunches the next day—the kids devour it every time!
Few ways to enjoy this yummy instant pot bbq chicken:
Make BBQ chicken sandwiches: Pile the it on buns, top with crunchy coleslaw, and serve with jalapeno cornbread muffins for the perfect side dish!
Make nachos: Spread tortilla chips on a baking sheet, top with shredded chicken, cheese, and any toppings you like (such as jalapeños, onions, or cilantro). Bake at 375°F until the cheese is melted and bubbly, then drizzle with extra BBQ sauce and enjoy!
Tacos: Top soft tortillas with BBQ chicken, avocado, and cilantro.
In wraps: Roll the shredded meat with lettuce, cheese, and extra sauce in a tortilla.
Over rice: Serve on a bed of rice with a side of veggies like roasted corn and air fryer baked sweet potato.
Make pizza: Spread barbecue sauce on pizza dough, then top with shredded cooked BBQ chicken, red onions, and mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400°F until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted. Garnish with cilantro and sliced jalapenos.
Storage
Leftover BBQ chicken can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months. When freezing, I like to portion it into individual servings—this makes it quick to thaw and perfect for a fast dinner or lunch. If you love this easy pulled bbq chicken then you'll love this smoked pork ribs!
Recipe tips
- Choose a good BBQ sauce! The flavor of this chicken really depends on the BBQ sauce you choose. I personally love the taste of Kinder’s BBQ sauce, but feel free to use your favorite!
- You can double the recipe to feed a crowd and cook in an 8 quart instant pot.
- Halve the recipe to feed a small family and cook in a 3 quart instapot.
Recipe FAQs
It's safe and easy to cook frozen chicken in the instant pot. For this recipe, you can use frozen chicken thighs—just increase the cook time by about 5 minutes. Make sure the thighs aren’t frozen together. As a general rule, add an extra 3-5 minutes of pressure cooking time for frozen chicken.
You can also place the frozen chicken in a ziplock bag and submerge it in water. Change the water every 30 minutes, and it will take about an hour and a half to fully defrost.
More chicken thighs recipes
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 1 small red onion, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- ½ jalapeños pepper sliced
- 1 cup barbecue sauce I used Kinder's
- ½ cup water use a little more if using a large instant pot
- ½ teaspoon salt depends on the bbq sauce
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into an instant pot and give a good mix.
- Close instant pot, making sure valve is set to seal. Press manual or high pressure and set to 10 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes.
- Release pressure and open the pot. Using tongs, remove the chicken to a large plate.
- Press the saute button, and simmer the sauce, stirring often. Reduce the liquid until thickened. In the mean time, shred the chicken using two forks.
- Return the shredded chicken to the pot and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the liquid has evaporated. Be careful not to let the chicken dry out—it should remain moist and coated in sauce.
- Enjoy on sandwiches, wraps, pizza, nachos, plates and more!(stir in more sauce if desired)
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
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Katherine | Love In My Oven
This looks sooo good Maria! So flavorful. I need to use my Instant Pot more!
M
Could you please let me know the adjustments for a 6 quart IP?
Maria Doss
Hi, I recommend following the procedure as is except adding about 1/2 cup water along with the bbq sauce (in step-2). Enjoy and wishing you a very happy new year!