Instant Pot BBQ Chicken – sweet and tangy, fall apart tender and juicy chicken. It is ready in minutes and perfect for sandwiches, salads, wraps, or to just eat with a fork!
One of my favorite meals is pulled pork. You can have it in the middle of the summer with Smoked Pork Butt or in the middle of winter with Instant Pot Country Style Ribs. It doesn’t really matter to me, just the flavor of tender and juicy pork with a delicious barbecue sauce is my kind of meal.
As soon as I started using my Instant Pot, I quickly realized how well it does at making tender and juicy chicken. It is great for Chicken Tacos because the meat stays juicy.

I always think that the crock pot dries out the chicken, no matter how much liquid you use or how short of time you cook it. But the Instant Pot does something magical to it, and I love how it turns out.
Making BBQ chicken in the instant pot could not be easier to do. I like to use a homemade sauce that comes together in just about 5 minutes. But you could use your favorite jarred sauce to cut down on the prep time even more!

How To Make Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
- In a bowl or large liquid measuring cup mix together all of the ingredients for the sauce.
- Add your chicken to the base of your Instant Pot. The beauty of this recipe is you can use fresh or frozen chicken and all that changes is a few minutes in cook time.
- Pour in a little water to ensure you don’t get the burn warning.
- And then pour the barbecue sauce over the chicken.
- Put the lid on, make sure the vent is closed, and put it under high pressure for 15 minutes. If you are using frozen set it for 20 minutes.
- Let it naturally release for 5 minutes, and then quick release to finish.
- Once the lid is unlocked, use 2 forks to shred the chicken and mix it with the sauce in the pot.
The best part about making instant pot bbq chicken is you can start with fresh or frozen chicken breasts. You can even use chicken thighs for that matter! Just make sure they are boneless or the cooking times will change.

To Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts In The Instant Pot
It will take about 20 minutes under high pressure to cook chicken from frozen. This will depend on how thick your chicken is. If you have very thin pieces that are separated, then it may take closer to 15 minutes.
But with how big chicken breasts tend to be in the store lately, most of them are probably 2 inches thick and close to a pound each, I find that 20 minutes under pressure is what you need.

How To Serve Shredded BBQ Chicken
- Hamburger Bun
- Tortilla to make a wrap
- Loaded Baked Potatoes
- Put on Salads
- Quesadillas
- Nachos
- Tacos

What Goes With BBQ Chicken
- Air Fryer Potato Wedges
- Tossed Salad
- Homemade Baked Beans
- Buttermilk Biscuits
- Cornbread
- Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken is ready in just minutes, so it is perfect for busy weeknights. You can easily double the recipe with the same cooking time, so you can have leftovers all week and turn them into something new each night.

More Chicken Dinner Recipes
- Chicken Salad
- Smoked Chicken Breast
- Instant Pot Crack Chicken
- Sour Cream Enchiladas
- Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken - sweet and tangy, fall apart tender and juicy chicken. It is ready in minutes and perfect for sandwiches, salads, wraps, or to just eat with a fork!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3/4 cup water
Barbecue Sauce
- 1 1/2 cups Ketchup
- 3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- 3 Tbsp Cider Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Spicy Brown Mustard
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Place chicken in the base of the Instant Pot. Pour in the water.
- In a small bowl whisk together all of the ingredients for the barbecue sauce. Pour over the chicken.
- Close and seal the lid for the Instant Pot. Cook under high pressure for 15 minutes. Let it naturally release for 5 minutes, and then quick release to finish.
- Remove chicken and use 2 forks to shred. Add back to the pot and toss with the sauce.
Notes
Too cook frozen chicken breasts increase the time to 20 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 340Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 129mgSodium 758mgCarbohydrates 23gFiber 0gSugar 19gProtein 48g
Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on dinnersdishesanddesserts.com should only be used as a general guideline.
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Beth
Thursday 29th of April 2021
Yummy! This is going to be a great dinner tonight! Excited to use my instant pot for so many recipes now!
Catalina
Thursday 29th of April 2021
You just gave me an awesome idea for dinner tonight! I can make so many dished with this Instant Pot chicken!
Vikki
Wednesday 28th of April 2021
Love the flavor of this chicken! BBQ for daaaaays
Jo
Wednesday 28th of April 2021
Awesome! It came out so tasty and tender, My family loves it as well!
Dorothy Reinhold
Wednesday 28th of April 2021
Already dreaming of all the ways I can use this chicken this week. This tasty chicken makes meal prep a snap!