This 21 Day Fix Instant Pot Maple BBQ Chicken is gluten-free, dairy-free, and so amazingly easy to make in your Instant Pot! It was a hit with my husband and the kids. Enjoy BBQ all year long with your Instant Pot. (Still need an Instant Pot? This post contains affiliate links for the one I have!)
Confession #123 – I feel guilty that I am posting yet another Instant Pot
My crock pot, on the other hand, hasn’t gotten much love from me these days.
I mean…the Instant Pot
It may have been the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
And besides being incredibly tender, these chicken thighs are so darn tasty! Just the right amount of tang and maple sweetness from the homemade BBQ sauce- the same one from my Pulled Pork. The awesome part is that instead of cooking the sauce on the stove ahead of time (and dirtying more dishes) I mixed the ingredients and threw the sauce right into the pot with the chicken.
I opted not to sear the thighs first, but you totally could. I just didn’t think it was worth the trouble this time. I just sealed the lid and set it on manual for ten minutes.
I also thought quick release was fine, but you could let it go natural if that’s your thing – thighs are super forgiving in the Instant Pot
After the ten minutes are up, the sauce needs a little thickening, so remove your chicken using a slotted spoon and set the IP back to saute. As the sauce simmers, if you want it a little thicker, just stir in some tapioca, cornstarch or thickener of your choice. I found when I doubled the recipe, I needed to do this, but with one batch it was perfect after a couple mins of simmering.
And that’s it! Enjoy delicious BBQ year round thanks to the Instant Pot!
For Slow Cooker Instructions, see the recipe card!
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This 21 Day Fix Instant Pot Maple BBQ Chicken is gluten-free, dairy-free, and so amazingly easy to make in your Instant Pot! It was a hit with my husband and the kids. Enjoy BBQ all year long with your Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 1 to 1.5 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup of coconut aminos (or sub low sodium soy sauce if not gluten-free)
- 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- sprinkle of sea or Himalayan salt and black pepper
- optional – thickener of your choice (arrowroot, tapioca, cornstarch, etc)
Instructions
- Place chicken thighs in Instant Pot.
- Mix together the remaining ingredients (besides thickener). Pour sauce over chicken.
- Set to manual for 10 minutes. After cook time, switch to quick release. Open the lid carefully once it is unlocked. Remove chicken thighs with slotted spoon and set aside.
- To thicken the BBQ sauce, set Instant Pot to saute. Stir as it simmers. If you need to thicken it more, add in your choice of thickener, one tsp at a time until desired thickness. Taste and adjust seasonings and add a touch more maple syrup for a sweeter sauce. Cover chicken with sauce and enjoy!
- For the slow cooker: Place thighs and ingredients for BBQ sauce in crock pot. Cook on low for 4 hours. After cook time is through, simmer sauce in a small saucepan over medium low heat until desired thickness. Enjoy!
Notes
1 RED, 1 tsp – I count it this way bc thighs have more fat than chicken breasts.
Weight Watchers Freestyle Points – 8 points per serving (5 if you use chicken breasts)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2/3 cup of chicken
Keywords: BBQ, chicken, instant pot, gluten-free, dinner, lunch, meal prep, dairy-free
Jennifer says
Hi there!! I think I found dinner for thursday night! One question, can I use chicken breast? Will it change the cook time?
Nancylynn says
You can…I usually save breasts for soups because they tend to get dry, but you can try – they might work well because of the sauce! I would do 12 minutes.
Megan Sprayberry says
Could I use frozen chicken breast in the Instant Pot?
Nancylynn says
Yes! I’m not the biggest fan of chicken breasts in the IP, but other people use them just fine!
Brooke says
what side dishes would you recommend putting with this recipe?
Nancylynn says
I love it with my corn and bean salad (on the blog), some kind of veggie slaw, and baked sweet potatoes or sweet potato fries! Yum!
Brooke says
how do you measure this out? Would you measure it in the red container of the portion fix containers?
Nancylynn says
Exactly!!
Jess says
I don’t know that I would call this BBQ (sorry, just being honest for anyone who might review the comments). BUT it was absolutely delicious!! I basically took the chicken out of the pot to let the sauce thicken up and I’m just picking at the chicken dipping it in the sauce. It hasn’t even made it to the table yet.
I’ve been making 1-2 recipes from your website weekly and they’ve all been keepers. Thank you for great recipes!
Nancylynn says
I appreciate your feedback and just so happy that you liked it!! I do the same thing with the sauce…sooooo yummy!!
Amy C Anderson says
I thought I had enough tomato paste but I was 1/2 cup short as I was doubling the recipe so I added a can of Rotel. I was super yummy but not BBQ enough for my Texas boys in this house. So while I was thickening up the sause I added 1 TBS of Worcestershire sauce and 1 TBS liquid smoke per recioe. It was totally amazing and very BBQ!! Thanks so much!!!
Theresa says
I made this for my family tonight. I’m not following 21 day fix but healthy no processed Foods. This was a good fit. Everyone liked it even super picky Teen 2. This one is a keeper!!
Nancylynn says
YAY!!! This is wonderful!!
Jamie Graebe says
I’m new to IP cooking! This is going to be my first “meal” tonight – yay! When you’re cooking with IP, do you use frozen meat or thaw it out first? I’ve heard both ways is an option and may just need to adjust cooking times if frozen.
Nancylynn says
Yup – you are right! You can do either! And chicken thighs are very forgiving – they won’t overcook on you. So if frozen, just a couple of minutes and you will be all set!
Ashley says
Does it have to be boneless thighs? Can i use Bone-in thighs?
Nancylynn says
That will work!
Danielle says
I find that chicken breasts come out rubbery in the IP. Do chicken thighs have a better texture?
Nancylynn says
They absolutely do!
Elissa says
This may be a repeat but if I use chicken breasts in the
Crock pot how long should I cook first ?
If frozen how long ?
Nancylynn says
Hi! You can do this in 4-6 hours on low, but frozen in the crock pot isn’t recommended.
Ally R says
Do you think the leftovers would be freezer-friendly?
Nancylynn says
Yup!
Jessie says
Can I substitute honey for maple syrup?
Nancylynn says
I do and it’s SO GOOD!
Julie says
Finally made this last night…and the leftovers tonight were equally as good!! ?????? Shared it with a bunch of friends, too.
Heidi Huber says
I am allergic to soy sauce (soy anything), and coconut is not always friendly to me. Is there something else that could be substituted for the coconut aminos/soy sauce, or would it kill the recipe to leave it out?
Nancylynn says
Tamari is awesome!
Jen says
Can I cook this for 8 hours on low in the slow cooker while at work?
Nancylynn says
Yes!
Meghan Lowery says
I want to pour this sauce on everything! I made it per the recipe only adding a little extra garlic powder (because that’s just what I do with every recipe LOL). The sauce was so tasty I will be making it with pork next time to try.
★★★★★
Nancylynn says
YAY! This makes me SO happy! Thank you for taking the time to rate and review!
Britney B says
if I were to use chicken breasts instead of thighs, would the count be just 1 red? Or does it still use a tsp for the sauce?
Nancylynn says
Just a red 🙂
Abbie says
Loved this recipe! I didn’t have chicken thighs so I read your comment about chicken breasts for 12 mins. I shredded the chicken and it was delish!! Love your recipes, Nancylynn ❤️
★★★★★
Nancylynn says
That’s AWESOME! Thank you so much, Abbie!
Payton Prather says
Could you use chicken breast for this recipe as well? If so, how long in the instant pot?
Nancylynn says
You can! I prefer Chicken Tenderloins to full breasts…but if you use full chicken breasts you can cook for 15 minutes for shredded chicken, or cook for 7 minutes with a full natural release for chicken that isn’t shredded. You can also dice the chicken breasts and cook for 5 minutes with a 10 min natural release.
healthywannabe says
Just had a question about the crockpot version… After the chicken is done, would you just remove it and pour the remaining sauce in another pan and simmer on the stove? Sorry I think that is what it is saying in the instructions just wanted to be sure. Thanks!
Nancylynn says
yes! Exactly!
Tara says
This is one of our family favorites – I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made it. With the IP, it’s ready in a flash and easy enough prep that my youngest son can help. My mom made it for dinner one night when all of the family was staying at the house over Christmas – we quadrupled the recipe and had it going in multiple crockpots.
I often go a little heavier on the chicken (I have all boys, lol) adding up to an additional pound. It has still cooked fine in the IP and there was enough sauce to go around.
★★★★★
Nancylynn says
That’s wonderful! Thank you so much!
Haley says
Im curious on how come you dont count the sauce as anything? Im a sauce person and could definitely indulge in it.
Nancylynn says
The only thing to be mindful of is the sugar content – you could count a serving size (just divide sauce equally over the meat) as two sweetener teaspoons.