Barbeque Pulled Chicken (Easy Instant Pot Recipe!)
This Instant Pot Barbeque Chicken Recipe is incredibly tender, juicy, packed with flavor, and super easy to make! It's the perfect meal for busy weeknights.
Servings 10
Ingredients
- 6 large organic chicken breasts
Seasoning Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp. garlic salt
- 1 tsp. sea 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 Pulled Chicken Sandwich Topping Ingredients
- 4 organic leaf lettuce
- 4 slices cheddar cheese
- 1 organic avocado
- 2 cucumbers (I used homegrown cucumbers)
- Instant Pot
Instructions
How to Prepare Instant Pot Barbecue Pulled Chicken
- Start by measuring out all the seasoning ingredients, mix them well together, and set aside until ready for use.
- Next, trim the fat from the boneless chicken breasts, then rinse and place them into a glass bowl. Sprinkle them with the prepared seasoning, add 1 cup of BBQ sauce, and mix everything to combine.
How to Cook Instant Pot Barbecue Pulled Chicken
- Add ½ cup water to the instant pot, then place the coated and seasoned chicken in it. You can also use chicken broth instead of water.
- Turn the instant pot on, press the Poultry button, adjust it to high pressure, and set the timer to 20 minutes.
- Close the instant pot with the lid, turn the valve to the sealing position, and it will start heating automatically. This process takes about 15 minutes and the light will say “ON”, refer to your product manual if you need help.
- The instant pot will beep when heated and a 20-minute cooking time will start.
- After the chicken is done cooking, the timer will beep.
- Using a kitchen glove, turn the valve to the venting position. Make sure not to lean over the instant pot or the coming out steam will burn your face.
- After the steam is released, drain any excess liquid out of the pot.
- Next, press “Sauté” to adjust the timer to 20 minutes.
- 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 with forks 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.
- Your delicious Instant Pot Barbeque Chicken is ready to be served! For an extra tip, I've included instructions on exactly how you can make a delicious pulled BBQ chicken sandwich from these.
How to Assemble Instant Pot Barbecue Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
- While the chicken is cooking and sautéing I usually prep everything for sandwiches.
- Start by toasting the buns, then rinse and dry the vegetables with a paper towel before slicing them.
- Place cheese on the bottom of the bun, then add 1 cup of shredded chicken, and top it with sliced cucumbers, avocado, and leaf lettuce.
- You can add any other vegetables you like to the sandwich as well. Place the bun on top of the sandwich and enjoy!
Notes
- This Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Pulled 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.