Instant Pot BBQ Chicken is a quick and easy weeknight meal. Serve it on a low carb tortilla, over some cauliflower rice, or on your favorite keto bread or bun for a tasty sandwich. Reheat the leftovers for easy meal prep.

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken in a blue and white baking dish

Why This Will Be Your New Go-To Weeknight Meal

Fast. Make a meal your whole family will love in under 30 minutes.
Easy. An incredibly simple pour and cook recipe that is perfect for busy weeknights.
Gluten Free. A naturally gluten free meal without any specialty ingredients.
Low Carb. Only 1 net carb per serving.

There's nothing I love more than firing up the grill and cooking up some delicious BBQ chicken. But sometimes, the weather doesn't cooperate, or I just don't have the time to tend to a grill for hours on end.

That's where the Instant Pot comes in. It makes incredibly tender and juicy chicken with all of that luscious BBQ flavor you love without stepping foot outdoors.

Ingredients You'll Need

Chicken Breast
BBQ Sauce
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder

How To Make Instant Pot BBQ Chicken

Chop up your chicken breasts into 1" chunks.
Add the diced chicken, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and water to the Instant Pot liner and stir.
Drizzle the BBQ sauce over the top of the chicken. DO NOT STIR.
Secure the lid of your Instant Pot and cook under high pressure for 10 minutes.
Allow the pressure to manually release for 10 minutes and then quickly release all remaining pressure.
Remove the cooked chicken chunks from the Instant Pot and shred them using two forks.
Press saute on your Instant Pot and return the shredded chicken to the Instant Pot liner.
Allow the chicken to simmer until the excess moisture has evaporated from the Pot. Add additional BBQ sauce if desired.
Serve and enjoy!

Variations

Make it a sandwich. Add this Instant Pot BBQ chicken to a bun or your favorite Keto Bread for a tasty and filling bite.
Jazz up your next salad. So long boring salads. For an added boost of protein, top your next salad with a hearty portion of this shredded BBQ Chicken.
Use chicken thighs. Not a fan of chicken breasts or only have chicken thighs in your fridge? This recipe is just as tasty and maybe even more juicy when made with chicken thighs instead.

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken with a wooden serving spoon in it

Does BBQ Sauce Count As Liquid In The Instant Pot?

Eventhough BBQ sauce is a liquid, it's not a thin liquid. For your Instant Pot to come up to pressure, you will need a thin liquid in the liner along with it.

For this recipe, I recommend adding either water or chicken broth to the Instant Pot before cooking to prevent a burn notice. This will make the BBQ sauce a bit thinner when it is immediately finished cooking, but don't worry. I have a way to remedy that if you follow the finishing instructions as written.

Do You Put BBQ Sauce On Chicken Before Cooking?

For this Instant Pot BBQ Chicken recipe, the answer is a "Yes, but--"

Layering your foods while cooking them in the Instant Pot can be very important to ensure you don't get a burn notice. Any thick liquids, or ingredients that are high in sugar have a tendency to cause this.

BBQ sauce is both thick and high in sugar (depending on the brand you choose). So, for this Instant Pot BBQ Chicken recipe, layering is required.

When it is time to put all of your ingredients into the Instant Pot, make sure the BBQ sauce is the last thing you add and that you DO NOT stir everything before securing the lid and cooking it under high pressure. This will allow all of the tasty flavors of the bbq sauce to cook into your chicken without throwing a burn notice and ruining dinner.

Why Does Chicken Get Rubbery In The Instant Pot?

If you've noticed your chicken getting rubbery when you cook it in the Instant Pot, there is probably one of two things that you can adjust to make it turn out more tender.

The first thing to consider is whether or not you're allowing the pressure to release naturally or if you're quickly releasing the pressure from the Pot once the cooking time is complete (read more on QPR vs. NPR).

You should always use a natural pressure release for at least 10 minutes before you release the remaining pressure in your pot. If you don't allow this extra time, the chicken may come out rubbery.

The second thing that you may be guilty of is cooking chicken for too long. For chicken breast, you only need to cook it for 10 minutes under high pressure. I know this doesn't seem like a long time for something to come to temp and be tender, but I assure you, it is.

If you're still weary of this not being enough time, give it a shot just once and use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature before shredding it. As long as it reaches a minimum of 165F, it's completely safe to eat.

How Long Does It Last?

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken is the meal that keeps on giving. Not only is it guaranteed to be a hit the day you make it, but it makes a tasty wrap, sandwich, or salad topper for days to come.

For the best bite, I suggest storing any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoying them within 3-4 days of preparing them.

More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes

The Instant Pot is such a versatile kitchen appliance, and I love being able to use it to make all sorts of chicken dishes, including BBQ chicken. If you're like me, check out some of these other incredibly simple and tasty Instant Pot chicken recipes:

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Pin with text overlay

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