Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
This post may contain affiliate links.
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken is easy to make with chicken breasts, directly from the freezer or refrigerator, plus a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce. Use it to make different recipes throughout the week, from pasta for dinner, to wraps for lunch!
The very first recipe I posted after joining the Instant Pot revolution in January was a simple recipe for Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken. Seriously it’s buffalo sauce + chicken y’all, so simple! The thing I love about it is that you can make a big ol’ Instant Pot of it at the beginning of the week and use it for different recipes throughout the week.
With everything from Buffalo Chicken Taco Cups to Buffalo Chicken Cheesy Penne, it’s like you’re getting an entirely new meal every night, but made in no time with the Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken you made earlier in the week!
I now took this concept and made Instant Pot BBQ Chicken. Same simple two ingredient recipe, chicken breasts + bbq sauce, made into so many meal possibilities throughout the week!
Can you cook frozen chicken in the Instant Pot?
Yes! For this BBQ Chicken recipe, I took chicken breasts straight from the freezer and added them to the Instant Pot with the BBQ sauce. Using the poultry setting on the Instant Pot, the chicken was cooked completely through, tender and perfect for shredding!
Instant Pot Chicken for Beginners
This Instant Pot BBQ Chicken is perfect for beginners. It’s literally two steps, add chicken and bbq sauce to instant pot, cover and press the poultry button to cook.
Instant Pot Chicken for Wraps
This Instant Pot BBQ Chicken, as well as the Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken I mentioned earlier, are both perfect for adding to wraps for a quick and easy lunch that both kids and adults will love!
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
For every pound of chicken, you’ll want to add ¾ cup of bbq sauce to the Instant Pot. For this recipe, I used two pounds of chicken and 1 ½ cups bbq sauce.
Depending on how many recipes you want to prep for the week, you might want to make more chicken. Each pound of chicken will yield approximately 3 cups of shredded bbq chicken. I’ve listed how many cups of bbq chicken you’ll need for each recipe below. You can use this guide to determine how much Instant Pot BBQ Chicken you’ll need to make for a weekly menu of bbq chicken goodness!
What to make with Instant Pot BBQ Chicken:
- BBQ Chicken Mac & Cheese
- You’ll need: 2 cups bbq chicken
- Serves 4-6
- Time to make: 20 minutes
- BBQ Chicken Salad Sliders – great for summer BBQ’s, picnics or beach days!
- You’ll need: 2 cups bbq chicken
- Serves 12 sliders
- Time to make: 10 minutes
- BBQ Chicken Peach Cheddar Quesadillas
- You’ll need: 2 cups bbq chicken (sub for the grilled BBQ chicken)
- Serves 4
- Time to make: 45 minutes
- Baked Spaghetti with BBQ Chicken & Bacon
- You’ll need: 2 cups bbq chicken
- Serves 4-6
- Time to make: 45 minutes
- Instant Pot Baked BBQ Chicken Ranch Wraps (recipe coming soon!)
- You’ll need: 2 cups bbq chicken
- Serves 4
- Time to make: 20 minutes
- Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Pizza
- You’ll need: 1 cup bbq chicken
- Serves 4
- Time to make: 29 minutes
- Recipe: Start with your favorite dough, top with 1 cup of bbq chicken, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and sliced red onions, bake for 15 minutes at 400°F, top with fresh cilantro.
- Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Tacos
- You’ll need: 2 cups bbq chicken
- Serves 4
- Time to make: 10 minutes
- Recipe: Add the Instant Pot BBQ Chicken to your favorite corn or flour tortillas or crunchy taco shells with shredded cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes. Drizzle with ranch dressing if you’d like.
With these 7 handy recipes, you’ve got a recipe for every day of the week to make for lunch or dinner!
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 12 oz BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Add the chicken and bbq sauce to an Instant Pot.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the steam release is set to “sealing”.
- Press the poultry button and allow the chicken to pressure cook.
- When the Instant Pot beeps 3 times, it's done cooking. Wait 15 minutes for the Instant Pot to cool down before removing the lid.
- Once the lid is removed, shred the chicken with two forks and toss with the bbq sauce.
- Remove from the Instant Pot and serve immediately with your favorite bbq chicken recipe, or place in a plastic container in the refrigerator for later use.
Nutrition Facts
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
14 Comments on “Instant Pot BBQ Chicken”
I am worried about getting the burn signal. Can I pressure cook the chicken with chicken broth. And then shred and add the bbq sauce after? Seems simple enough.
Yes, you can definitely do that also Chrystal!
Hi would this recipe work for an eight quart instapot? Im worried about the dreaded burn signal as well, i did see you recommended a 1/2 cup of chicken brother does the broth mix okay is the bbq sauce?
Hi Jennifer, yes, this recipe will work in an 8 quart Instant Pot. You can add the chicken broth if you’re worried about the burn signal. It will thin out the BBQ sauce slightly, but the flavor will still be great!
Great recipe for our Instant Pot!
What is the difference between using the poultry setting vs manual setting?
Hi Chrissy, it does the same thing so you can use either setting!
I have made this twice now, both times I have received a Burn signal. How can I fix this so next time it does not burn????
Hi Makayla, I’m so sorry you’re having that issue. My recommendation would be to add a 1/2 cup of chicken broth to the Instant Pot, it may not be getting enough liquid and that’s why you’re receiving the burn notice.
Love this easy to prepare recipe!
I just received an Instant Pot, so it was nice to find a great and easy recipe , it turn out great.
Now I HAVE to get a one pot
I have an IP-LUX that has no Poultry button. How does that equate when using the Manual button? Did you dice the chicken or put them in whole? Thank you!
Hi Angela, that would equate to manual on high for 15 minutes. I left the chicken breasts whole. Enjoy!