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    Home > Instant Pot Recipes

    Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe

    Published: Sep 9, 2021 by Valya's Taste of Home · 20 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe is totally effortless but tastes like a thousand bucks! The pot pressurizes the meat to a super tender texture and really simmers in the delicious flavor that tastes like it took hours to make. Simple, quick, scrumptious, and voila! Dinner is served!

    Being used to cooking long and detail-intensive recipes (especially traditional ones), the idea of making a good meal with so little work was a curious one. Can you cook a meal both tasty and near-instant? Turns out, you can folks. I've occasionally used a Crock-Pot but this little trick is something else. My kids gave me an Instant Pot for Mother's Day a while back, so I set it out to try it out!

    BBQ Pulled Chicken, BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich, delicious, easy dinner, Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe, homegrown cucumbers, Insta-pot, Instant Pot dish, kid-approved dinner, kid-friendly dinner, organic avocado, organic chicken breast, organic leaf lettuce, quick and easy recipe

    I made this recipe for the first time while trying out this wonderful appliance at the same time, and didn't know exactly what to expect. I literally threw everything into the pot, sealed it and that was it? On with my day. Just minutes later, dinner was more than halfway done. I was pleasantly surprised by how fast and easy it all was.

    The kids absolutely adored that evening's meal! A recipe like this is also perfect for busy weeknights or hot summer days. Who wants to spend hours in the kitchen when there are a plethora of other things you’d rather be doing? Spend more quality parent time with the kids outdoors; playing, swimming, or gardening?

    Table of Contents
    • 📋 Recipe Ingredients
    • 🔪 Recipe Instructions
    • ⏲️ Cooking Time
    • Recipe Card
    • 🥘 Similar recipes
    • Comments

    📋 Recipe Ingredients

    • Organic chicken breasts
    BBQ Pulled Chicken, BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich, delicious, easy dinner, Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe, homegrown cucumbers, Insta-pot, Instant Pot dish, kid-approved dinner, kid-friendly dinner, organic avocado, organic chicken breast, organic leaf lettuce, quick and easy recipe

    Seasoning Ingredients

    • Smoked paprika
    • Garlic salt
    • Salt
    • Mrs. Dash seasoning
    • Black ground pepper
    • Cumin
    • Cold water
    • BBQ sauce
    BBQ Pulled Chicken, BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich, delicious, easy dinner, Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe, homegrown cucumbers, Insta-pot, Instant Pot dish, kid-approved dinner, kid-friendly dinner, organic avocado, organic chicken breast, organic leaf lettuce, quick and easy recipe

    BBQ Chicken Sandwich Ingredients

    • Bread buns
    BBQ Pulled Chicken, BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich, delicious, easy dinner, Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe, homegrown cucumbers, Insta-pot, Instant Pot dish, kid-approved dinner, kid-friendly dinner, organic avocado, organic chicken breast, organic leaf lettuce, quick and easy recipe

    Topping Ingredients

    • Organic leaf lettuce
    • American cheese
    • Organic avocado
    • Cucumbers
    BBQ Pulled Chicken, BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich, delicious, easy dinner, Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe, homegrown cucumbers, Insta-pot, Instant Pot dish, kid-approved dinner, kid-friendly dinner, organic avocado, organic chicken breast, organic leaf lettuce, quick and easy recipe

    Instant Pot

    BBQ Pulled Chicken, BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich, delicious, easy dinner, Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe, homegrown cucumbers, Insta-pot, Instant Pot dish, kid-approved dinner, kid-friendly dinner, organic avocado, organic chicken breast, organic leaf lettuce, quick and easy recipe

    🔪 Recipe Instructions

    How to Make Pulled BBQ Chicken

    Measure out all the seasoning ingredients, mix together well, and set aside until ready for use.

    BBQ Pulled Chicken, BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich, delicious, easy dinner, Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe, homegrown cucumbers, Insta-pot, Instant Pot dish, kid-approved dinner, kid-friendly dinner, organic avocado, organic chicken breast, organic leaf lettuce, quick and easy recipe

    Trim the fat of chicken breasts, rinse and place them into a glass bowl. Sprinkle with prepared seasoning, add 1 cup BBQ sauce, and mix everything to combine.

    BBQ Pulled Chicken, BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich, delicious, easy dinner, Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe, homegrown cucumbers, Insta-pot, Instant Pot dish, kid-approved dinner, kid-friendly dinner, organic avocado, organic chicken breast, organic leaf lettuce, quick and easy recipe

    ⏲️ Cooking Time

    Add ½ cup water to Instant pot, place coated with seasoning and BBQ sauce chicken. Turn the instant pot on, press on the Poultry button, adjust to high pressure and set it to 20 minutes timer. Close instant pot with lid, turn the valve to “Sealing” and it will start heating automatically (this takes about 15 minutes and the light will say “ON”). Then the instant pot will beep when heated and a 20-minute cooking time will start.

    BBQ Pulled Chicken, BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich, delicious, easy dinner, Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe, homegrown cucumbers, Insta-pot, Instant Pot dish, kid-approved dinner, kid-friendly dinner, organic avocado, organic chicken breast, organic leaf lettuce, quick and easy recipe

    After the chicken is done cooking the timer will beep. Using a kitchen glove turn the valve to “Venting” (do not lean over the instant pot or the coming out steam will burn your face). After the steam is released, open the lid, press “Sauté” to adjust the timer to 20 minutes.

    BBQ Pulled Chicken, BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich, delicious, easy dinner, Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe, homegrown cucumbers, Insta-pot, Instant Pot dish, kid-approved dinner, kid-friendly dinner, organic avocado, organic chicken breast, organic leaf lettuce, quick and easy recipe

    While the chicken is in “Sauté” mode, get one cooked chicken breast out of the pot, place it onto a plate, pull or shred the meat apart and transfer it back to the pot. Repeat that with all 6 chicken breasts and you should hear the sizzling/sautéing sound. Stir every 5 minutes so the meat doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pot.

    BBQ Pulled Chicken, BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich, delicious, easy dinner, Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe, homegrown cucumbers, Insta-pot, Instant Pot dish, kid-approved dinner, kid-friendly dinner, organic avocado, organic chicken breast, organic leaf lettuce, quick and easy recipe

    After 15 minutes of sautéing add another cup of BBQ sauce, stir it in and let it sauté for another 5 minutes the cycle will turn off and switch to “Keep Warm” mode (I turn the instant pot off and serve the meat over buns, tacos, pasta or rice).

    BBQ Pulled Chicken, BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich, delicious, easy dinner, Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe, homegrown cucumbers, Insta-pot, Instant Pot dish, kid-approved dinner, kid-friendly dinner, organic avocado, organic chicken breast, organic leaf lettuce, quick and easy recipe

    How to Assemble BBQ Chicken Sandwich Assembling

    While the chicken is cooking and sautéing I prepare everything for sandwiches. Toast buns, rinse, paper towel dry, and slice vegetables.

    Finally, place cheese on the bottom of the bun, then add 1 cup of shredded chicken, top it with sliced cucumbers, avocado, and leaf lettuce (you can choose any vegetables of your choice to put into the sandwich), then place the bun on top of the sandwich and enjoy!

    BBQ Pulled Chicken, BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich, delicious, easy dinner, Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe, homegrown cucumbers, Insta-pot, Instant Pot dish, kid-approved dinner, kid-friendly dinner, organic avocado, organic chicken breast, organic leaf lettuce, quick and easy recipe

    NOTE: This Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe makes 12 sandwiches (even dough I showed only 4 sandwiches in the post). You can make as many as you need and use leftovers the next day on tacos, salads, etc... You may as well freeze leftovers to make more sandwiches later on.

    BBQ Pulled Chicken, BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich, delicious, easy dinner, Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe, homegrown cucumbers, Insta-pot, Instant Pot dish, kid-approved dinner, kid-friendly dinner, organic avocado, organic chicken breast, organic leaf lettuce, quick and easy recipe

    Use any bread or buns of your choice for this pulled BBQ chicken recipe. Also, it's great to serve over salad, mashed potato, pasta, or rice.

    BBQ Pulled Chicken, BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich, delicious, easy dinner, Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe, homegrown cucumbers, Insta-pot, Instant Pot dish, kid-approved dinner, kid-friendly dinner, organic avocado, organic chicken breast, organic leaf lettuce, quick and easy recipe

    If you make this Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe, please share a picture with me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. Tag with #valyastasteofhome. I’d love to see your creations! 

    Recipe Card

    BBQ Pulled Chicken, BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich, delicious, easy dinner, Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe, homegrown cucumbers, Insta-pot, Instant Pot dish, kid approved dinner, kid friendly dinner, organic avocado, organic chicken breast, organic leaf lettuce, quick and easy recipe

    Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe

    This Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe is totally effortless but tastes like a thousand bucks! The pot pressurizes the meat to a super tender texture and really simmers in the delicious flavor that tastes like it took hours to make. Simple, quick, scrumptious and voila! Dinner is served! 
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Keyword: BBQ Pulled Chicken Breast Recipe, Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken, instant pot barbecue chicken, kid friendly dinner recipe
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Author: Valya's Taste of Home

    Ingredients

    • 6 large – organic chicken breasts

    Seasoning Ingredients

    • 2 tbsp. – smoked paprika
    • 1 tbsp. – garlic salt
    • 1 tsp. – salt
    • 1 tsp. – Mrs. Dash seasoning
    • ½ tsp. – black ground pepper
    • ½ tsp. – cumin
    • ½ cup – cold water
    • 1 cup – BBQ sauce + 1 cup after sautéing
    • 4 – bread buns

    BBQ Chicken Sandwich Topping Ingredients

    • 4 – organic leaf lettuce
    • 4 slices - American cheese
    • 1 medium – organic avocado
    • 2 – cucumbers (I used homegrown cucumbers)
    • Instant Pot

    Instructions

    How to Make Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken

    • Measure out all the seasoning ingredients, mix together well and set aside until ready for use.
    • Trim fat of chicken breasts, rinse and place them into a glass bowl. Sprinkle with prepared seasoning, add 1 cup BBQ sauce, and mix everything to combine.
    • Add ½ cup water to instant pot, place coated with seasoning and BBQ sauce chicken. Turn the instant pot on, press on Poultry button, adjust to high pressure and set to 20 minutes timer. Close instant pot with lid, turn the valve to “Sealing” and it will start heating automatically (this takes about 15 minutes and the light will say “ON”). Then the instant pot will beep when heated and 20-minute cooking time will start.
    • After the chicken is done cooking the timer will beep. Using kitchen glove turn the valve to “Venting” (do not lean over the instant pot or the coming out steam will burn your face). After the steam is released, open the lid, press “Sauté” adjust the timer to 20 minutes.
    • While the chicken is at “Sauté” mode, get one cooked chicken breast out of the pot, place it onto a plate, pull or shred the meat apart and transfer it back to the pot. Repeat that with all 6 chicken breasts and you should hear the sizzling/sautéing sound. Stir every 5 minutes so the meat doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pot.
    • After 15 minutes of sautéing add another cup of BBQ sauce, stir it in and let it sauté for another 5 minutes the cycle will turn off and switch to “Keep Warm” mode (I turn the instant pot off and serve the meat over buns, tacos, pasta or rice).

    How to Assemble BBQ Chicken Sandwices

    • While the chicken is cooking and sautéing I prepare everything for sandwiches. Toast buns, rinse, paper towel dry and slice vegetables.
    • Place cheese on the bottom of the bun, then add 1 cup of shredded chicken, top it with sliced cucumbers, avocado and leaf lettuce (you can choose any vegetables of your choice to put into the sandwich), then place bun on top of the sandwich and enjoy!

    Notes

    • This Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe makes 12 sandwiches (even dough I showed only 4 sandwiches in the post). You can make as many as you need and use leftovers the next day on tacos, salads, etc... You may as well freeze leftovers to make more sandwiches later on. 
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    BBQ Pulled Chicken, BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich, delicious, easy dinner, Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe, homegrown cucumbers, Insta-pot, Instant Pot dish, kid-approved dinner, kid-friendly dinner, organic avocado, organic chicken breast, organic leaf lettuce, quick and easy recipe

    🥘 Similar recipes

    • Instant Pot Creamy Mashed Potatoes Recipe
    • Easy Instant Pot Roast Beef Recipe
    • Instant Pot Garlic Parmesan Ranch Potatoes Recipe

    Check out the DINNER archive for more dinner recipes.

    BBQ Pulled Chicken, BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich, delicious, easy dinner, Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe, homegrown cucumbers, Insta-pot, Instant Pot dish, kid-approved dinner, kid-friendly dinner, organic avocado, organic chicken breast, organic leaf lettuce, quick and easy recipe

    Kitchen items I used in making this recipe:

    (If you need any of these items, simply click on the picture to order. This post may contain affiliate links which won't change your price but will share some commission.)

    Love this Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe? Save and Pin on Pinterest!

    BBQ Pulled Chicken, BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich, delicious, easy dinner, Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe, homegrown cucumbers, Insta-pot, Instant Pot dish, kid-approved dinner, kid-friendly dinner, organic avocado, organic chicken breast, organic leaf lettuce, quick and easy recipe
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    Comments

    1. Olga says

      July 29, 2019 at 4:39 pm

      5 stars
      Just made this using a slow cooker and my family loved it!

      Reply
      • Valya of Valya's Taste of Home says

        July 29, 2019 at 5:11 pm

        I'm so glad to hear that! Thank you for the amazing review! 🙂

        Reply
    2. jessica says

      April 17, 2019 at 7:55 am

      Would you recommend freezing it after its been cooked for later use? as i think i will have some left overs. Thanks

      Reply
      • Valya of Valya's Taste of Home says

        April 17, 2019 at 4:04 pm

        I’ve never froze it before. But this chicken is great for couple of days after it was made and can be served over salad.

        Reply
    3. Susan says

      January 23, 2019 at 5:50 am

      What’s the estimated pounds of chicken used?

      Reply
      • Valya of Valya's Taste of Home says

        January 24, 2019 at 7:59 pm

        About 5 lbs. of chicken breast.

        Reply
    4. Jill Woodcock says

      August 23, 2018 at 5:20 am

      I’m cooking for a party. If I double or triple the recipe what should the cook time be?

      Reply
      • Valya of Valya's Taste of Home says

        August 23, 2018 at 8:42 am

        If you double the recipe I would add 10 more minuets of cooking time.

        Reply
    5. Juli Textor says

      August 17, 2018 at 11:58 am

      I have the 8 quart InstaPot. I thought I was supposed to have 3 cups of liquid to safely use the InstaPot. How do I accommodate for that with this recipe?

      Reply
      • Valya of Valya's Taste of Home says

        August 17, 2018 at 1:34 pm

        Use as much liquid as instructed in the recipe. You do not need 3 cups of liquid to safely use the instant pot, or maybe I understood you wrong...

        Reply
    6. Miranda says

      July 26, 2018 at 12:51 pm

      Would the cooking time be the same if I just use two or three breast instead of 6?

      Reply
      • Valya of Valya's Taste of Home says

        July 26, 2018 at 10:18 pm

        I would think so but have not tried it.

        Reply
    7. Peter's Food Adventures says

      June 26, 2018 at 7:15 am

      5 stars
      I dont have an Instant Pot, but this looks delicious and easy to make! Maybe I should get one if its this easy! 🙂

      Reply
      • www.valyastasteofhome.com says

        June 26, 2018 at 9:37 am

        Thanks Peter! I was pleasantly surprised how easy and quick it is to make meals with instant pot. My slow cooker will probably retire, lol. 😀

        Reply
    8. Melissa Griffiths says

      June 25, 2018 at 5:10 pm

      Looooove my Instant Pot for quick dinners like this that make it seem like they took much longer! The buns you used look so good, too!

      Reply
      • www.valyastasteofhome.com says

        June 25, 2018 at 10:27 pm

        I know! Instant pot is a life saver! I’m so in love with it, lol. Thank you for stopping by! 🙂

        Reply
    9. Everly says

      June 04, 2018 at 11:25 am

      5 stars
      I tried this recipe and it was BOMB! NEw family favorite! Thx.

      Reply
      • www.valyastasteofhome.com says

        June 04, 2018 at 11:47 am

        I’m so happy to hear that! My kids ask me to make it over and over again! ? Thank you for such an amazing review! 🙂

        Reply
    10. Karly says

      June 03, 2018 at 12:38 pm

      Love how super easy this is with the instant pot!

      Reply
      • www.valyastasteofhome.com says

        June 03, 2018 at 11:36 pm

        Yes, for sure! This bbq chicken takes 5 hours on high in slow cooker to reach same results. What a difference! Love my instant pot!

        Reply

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    A food blogger, recipe developer, photographer, editor, and author behind Valya’s Taste of Home website. Sharing family-proven tasty recipes with step-by-step photos and videos. Read more...

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