Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken is tender, saucy shredded chicken made from boneless thighs and breasts cooked right under barbecue sauce with grated onion, a little brown sugar and Worcestershire. The meat pulls into soft, juicy shreds coated in a sweet, tangy, glossy sauce. Make it on a busy weeknight for sandwiches with coleslaw and pickles, or for a backyard cookout. It serves 6.
How to make it: Pour the stock into the pot, add the chicken and spices, and pour the barbecue sauce on top without stirring. Cook 15 minutes at high pressure, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then shred the chicken and stir it back into the thickened sauce.
Why You’ll Love It
- Mostly hands-off: the time at pressure and the natural release do most of the work while you set the table.
- Tender and saucy: the chicken cooks in the sauce, then goes back into it after shredding.
- No grill needed: barbecue flavor on the table in any season, with no outdoor cooking.
- Freezes well: a batch in the freezer turns into quick sandwiches, quesadillas and rice bowls later.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken thighs and breasts: Two pounds of boneless, skinless thighs and one pound of boneless, skinless breasts, 3 pounds in all. Put them in whole; they shred after cooking.
Chicken stock: One cup. Plain water works in its place.
Barbecue sauce: 1 1/2 cups of your favorite store-bought sauce goes into the pot.
Grated onion, brown sugar and Worcestershire: Half a cup of grated onion with all of its juice, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar (up to 3 if you like a sweeter sauce) and 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce season the bottled sauce as it cooks.
Spices: Half a teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and salt, sprinkled straight over the chicken.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken stock, or water
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce, plus more for serving if you like
- 1/2 cup onion, grated, with its juice
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, up to 3 tablespoons for a sweeter sauce
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
How to Make Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken
1. Layer the pot. Pour the chicken stock into the inner pot of the electric pressure cooker. Add the chicken thighs and breasts, then sprinkle the onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and salt over the chicken.
2. Top with the sauce. Pour the barbecue sauce over the chicken, then add the grated onion with its juice, the brown sugar and the Worcestershire sauce. Do not stir: the stock has to stay on the bottom so the pot can come to pressure.
3. Pressure cook. Lock the lid and turn the valve to sealing. Cook on manual (high pressure) for 15 minutes. The pot takes a few minutes to come to pressure before the countdown starts.
4. Release the pressure. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then turn the valve to venting to release the rest. Open the lid once the pin drops.
5. Check and shred. Check the thickest piece with a food thermometer: it must read at least 165°F. If it is lower, lock the lid and pressure cook 5 minutes more. Move the chicken to a bowl or cutting board and shred it with two forks or a hand mixer.
6. Thicken the sauce. If the sauce in the pot looks thin, press sauté and simmer it, stirring often, until it thickens.
7. Return the chicken. Stir the shredded chicken back into the sauce, add more barbecue sauce if you like, and serve.
Pressure Cooking Time and How to Avoid the Burn Warning
The timer counts only the minutes at pressure. Before that, the pot needs a few minutes to build pressure, and after it comes the natural release, so plan on the full half hour plus a little time to thicken the sauce.
Each line of this chart is its own batch, with its own chicken and liquid, so cook by the line that matches what is in your pot:
| Batch | Time at high pressure | Then |
|---|---|---|
| This recipe: 2 pounds thighs and 1 pound breasts | 15 minutes | 10-minute natural release |
| Pantry basics in Variations: 3 breasts, about 2 pounds | 10 minutes | 10-minute natural release |
| Pantry basics with very thin breasts | 8 minutes | 8-minute release |
Changing the mix of thighs and breasts? Keep the same time, and let the thermometer check in step 5 have the final word.
Liquid on the bottom, sauce on top. Barbecue sauce is too thick to count as the cooking liquid. The pot needs a thin liquid like stock or water to build pressure, and that liquid has to stay underneath. Stirred together, the sugary sauce can scorch on the bottom and bring up the burn warning, so leave the layers alone until the lid comes off.
Use enough liquid. A quarter cup of water is not enough. Half a cup works for about 2 pounds of chicken, and an 8-quart pot calls for a full cup. This recipe uses 1 cup of stock for 3 pounds. If the liquid does not cover the bottom of your pot, add a little more stock.
Grease the pot first (optional). A tablespoon of olive oil or a coat of nonstick spray on the bottom of the empty pot keeps the sauce from sticking.
Thicken after, not before. All that liquid stays in the pot after cooking, so the sauce may look thin when you open the lid. Lift the chicken out, press sauté and let the sauce bubble for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, while you shred. If you would rather skip that step, spoon off some of the liquid and add a little back while shredding if the chicken looks dry.
Tips for Success
Can I cook it from frozen chicken?
Yes, but make the 2-pound Pantry basics batch in Variations, because the frozen times are for that batch, not this 3-pound pot. Frozen breasts or thighs take 15 minutes at high pressure there, or up to 20 if they are frozen together in one big clump, so spread them in a single layer if you can. Check the temperature as in step 5, and if it falls short, add another 5 minutes.
How saucy should it be?
That is up to you. Taste after shredding and stir in more barbecue sauce if you want it wetter. Set a bowl of extra sauce on the table too, so everyone can add their own.
Variations
- Smoky spice rub: in place of the spices in step 1, mix 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and sprinkle it over the chicken.
- Pantry basics: 1 tablespoon olive oil in the pot, 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds), 1/2 cup water, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1 cup barbecue sauce poured on top. Cook 10 minutes at high pressure with a 10-minute natural release.
- BBQ chicken breasts: skip the shredding and serve the pieces whole.
- More seasoning: add minced onion, smoked paprika or 1/2 teaspoon chili powder with the other spices.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. The chicken freezes well in a freezer-safe container, which makes it handy for meal prep. Thaw it in the refrigerator, then reheat single portions covered in the microwave until they reach 165°F. Do not reheat it in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Pile the chicken on soft buns with coleslaw and pickles, or spoon it over baked potatoes. For a full BBQ plate, add a bowl of old-fashioned mac and cheese, a cold pasta salad and a spoonful of creamy corn casserole. If you like barbecue chicken made other ways, try baked barbecue chicken thighs with onions from the oven or slow cooker chicken and baked beans. For another quick pressure cooker dinner, there is pressure cooker beef stew.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does pulled chicken take in an electric pressure cooker?
About 30 minutes on the recipe card for this 3-pound batch: 5 minutes to load the pot, 15 at high pressure and a 10-minute natural release. Add the few minutes the pot takes to come to pressure, and 5 to 10 minutes on sauté if you thicken the sauce.
Is an electric pressure cooker good for shredding chicken?
Yes. The chicken comes out tender enough to pull apart with two forks, and a hand mixer is faster still. Breasts shred the most easily; thighs take a little more effort. Shred the meat while the sauce thickens on sauté, and both are ready at the same time.
Do I have to wait for the natural release?
Give it the 10 minutes in step 4, then release the rest by hand. If you are in no hurry, you can also let the pressure come down fully on its own.
What can I make with leftover BBQ pulled chicken?
Sliders, wraps, quesadillas, tacos, nachos, rice bowls, pizza, stuffed baked potatoes or a BBQ chicken salad. It is just as good on its own.
Final Notes
Pick up the buns and coleslaw before you start, so dinner is on the table as soon as the chicken is shredded. If you have a question or make this, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken
Want This Recipe Later?
We'll send this recipe straight to your inbox.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken stock or water
- 2 pounds chicken thighs boneless, skinless
- 1 pound chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce plus more for serving if you like
- 1/2 cup onion grated, with its juice
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar up to 3 tablespoons for a sweeter sauce
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Pour the chicken stock into the inner pot of the electric pressure cooker. Add the chicken thighs and breasts, then sprinkle the onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and salt over the chicken.
- Pour the barbecue sauce over the chicken, then add the grated onion with its juice, the brown sugar and the Worcestershire sauce. Do not stir: the stock has to stay on the bottom so the pot can come to pressure.
- Lock the lid and turn the valve to sealing. Cook on manual (high pressure) for 15 minutes. The pot takes a few minutes to come to pressure before the countdown starts.
- Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then turn the valve to venting to release the rest. Open the lid once the pin drops.
- Check the thickest piece with a food thermometer: it must read at least 165°F. If it is lower, lock the lid and pressure cook 5 minutes more. Move the chicken to a bowl or cutting board and shred it with two forks or a hand mixer.
- If the sauce in the pot looks thin, press sauté and simmer it, stirring often, until it thickens.
- Stir the shredded chicken back into the sauce, add more barbecue sauce if you like, and serve.
