This Instant Pot BBQ Chicken is juicy, tender, and oh so saucy thanks to my Pot-in-Pot cooking hack! No need to water down the sauce, this BBQ Chicken comes out perfectly pulled and full of yummy BBQ flavor without the dreaded burn message. No instant pot? I have slow cooker directions for you, too! Serve with my yummy no mayo cilantro lime coleslaw!
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It’s summer and that makes me crave all things BBQ…especially BBQ chicken. But with my kids home, sometimes grilling out for dinner just doesn’t happen. That’s why I love making BBQ chicken, or any shredded chicken, in my Instant Pot. I can set it and forget it…and even make it with frozen chicken if I forget to thaw it out beforehand!
This recipe for shredded chicken in the Instant Pot uses my favorite homemade Maple BBQ Sauce and I love serving it with my favorite, no mayo cilantro lime coleslaw. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you might know it from my Flank Steak Tacos!
Table of Contents
BBQ Chicken in the Instant Pot and the Burn Message
BBQ sauce is one of those ingredients that can trigger the Instant Pot Burn Message because of how thick it is…the sauce isn’t thin enough to build the pressure properly and can burn at the bottom of the pot. One solution is to add water to BBQ Chicken recipes like this one. Except, when I add even a little bit of water, my sauce gets thin.
I like a nice, thick BBQ sauce for my pulled chicken and I wanted this dinner to be quick and easy for those busy summer days. I didn’t want to have to thicken the sauce after.
So, my solution? Use the Pot-in-Pot method for cooking the chicken right in the sauce!
What is the Pot in Pot Cooking in the Instant Pot?
Pot-in-Pot method of Instant Pot cooking means you put an instant pot safe dish, like my favorite porcelain casserole dish, on your trivet inside your instant pot and cook your food in the dish instead of in the main pot.
- First, add water to the bottom of the inner cooking pot. This water is used to build the pressure in the pot.
- Then place the trivet inside to keep the dish off the bottom of the pot. I also love this handy sling– makes it even easier to remove while hot!
- Finally, place the instant pot safe dish containing your food on top of the trivet or sling.
I have used the Pot-in-Pot Instant Pot Cooking to make Instant Pot Baked Oatmeal, desserts like Healthy Instant Pot Peach Crisp, and for cooking rice in meals like this Instant Pot Asian Chicken and rice.
I wasn’t sure how it would work with chicken.
This Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken was a success in Pot-in-Pot! It came out perfectly shreddable!
Take a look at this how perfect this saucy it is! No need to thicken the sauce afterwards -just plate your instant pot shredded chicken and go!
Tips for Making BBQ Shredded Chicken in the Instant Pot
- This recipe is for pulled chicken breast, but you can also use chicken thighs. For all instant pot chicken breast recipes, especially shredded chicken in the instant pot, I prefer to use chicken tenderloins because I feel like they come out more tender, but you could also use chicken breasts just cut into strips or cut a little smaller.
- Naturally releasing your chicken will also help it to not dry out. Wait at least ten minutes after cook time for more tender chicken.
- For pot-in-pot cooking, any oven safe baking dish that can fit in your instant pot will work fine. I bought this dish and love it, but check your kitchen to see what you have! If you don’t have a sling, you can make handles with foil to help you get your hot dish out.
- Make your homemade BBQ sauce first and mix it well before placing over the chicken. This would also work with store bought sauce. If you want to use a store bought BBQ sauce, look for one very low in sugar like this one.
- After cook time, shred your chicken with a fork (my go-to), or use this handy hack to shred your chicken using a mixer!
- No Instant Pot? That’s ok! You can use a Slow Cooker or Crock Pot to make this chicken!
What if my Chicken is Frozen?
One of the best things about the Instant Pot is you can cook chicken from frozen, which is a lifesaver for busy people everywhere.
For this Pulled BBQ Chicken, you can definitely use frozen chicken. If your chicken is just slightly frozen, follow the same cook time but be sure to do a full natural release.
If your chicken is a frozen solid block, add an additional 5-10 minutes depending on your thickness. Thicker chicken, add 10 minutes. Thinner chicken or tenderloins, you should be good just adding 5 minutes.
What can I serve this Instant Pot BBQ Chicken with?
I love serving it without a bun and with some cilantro lime coleslaw and corn on the cob on the side, but you could make it with lots of different delicious sides like:
Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salad
Instant Pot Loaded Cauliflower Mash
21 Day Fix Cauliflower Rice with Lime and Cilantro
It’s also awesome for meal prep and delicious in wraps, on a salad, in a pizza…the options are endless!
Love BBQ recipes? Check out these posts:
21 Day Fix Instant Pot Maple BBQ Chicken (Slow Cooker Option)
21 Day Fix Pulled Pork with Maple BBQ Sauce {Crock Pot/Instant Pot}
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken [Crock Pot Option]
Ingredients
For the Homemade BBQ Sauce:
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos can sub low sodium soy sauce if not gluten-free
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- Sprinkle sea or Himalayan salt and black pepper
For the Chicken:
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- Sprinkle pepper
- 1 -2 pounds boneless skinless chicken tenderloins or chicken breasts cut into smaller strips or chunks
For the Slaw:
- 3 tablespoons cilantro
- 4 cups coleslaw mix or chop your own cabbage
- 1/4 red onion cut into skinny strips
- ½-1 jalapeno diced and seeds removed
- 4 teaspoons maple syrup or honey
- Juice from 2 limes
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Sprinkle of salt
Instructions
Instant Pot:
- Mix ingredients for Homemade BBQ Sauce. Set aside.
- Spray or brush chicken with olive oil spray and season with garlic powder, salt, paprika and pepper. Place chicken in an Instant Pot safe bowl. Pour BBQ sauce over chicken and cover with foil.
- Put ½ cup of water at the bottom of the instant pot and use a sling to lower the chicken inside the pot.
- Set to manual/pressure cook for 15 minutes. After cook time, do a full natural release (about 10 minutes).
- Shred chicken in the sauce.
Slow Cooker:
- Mix ingredients for Homemade BBQ Sauce. Set aside.
- Spray or brush chicken with olive oil spray and season with garlic powder, salt, smoked paprika and pepper. Place Chicken in Crock Pot.
- Cover with sauce.
- Cook for 6-8 hours on low.
- Shred chicken in the sauce.
For the slaw:
- While meat is cooking, mix together lime, maple syrup/honey, and olive oil, Toss with coleslaw mix, cilantro, red onion, and jalapeno. Season with salt to taste.
Holli says
Could you share what kind of instant pot safe bowl you use?
Sue Parker says
Do you have the calorie count for those of us who don’t do WW or 21, etc
Nancylynn says
Hi! I just added the nutrition facts for this recipe for you! We are working on adding them to all recipes on the site.
Shannon says
If I use store bought BBQ sauce how much should I use? Thanks!
Nancylynn says
1/2- 1 cup, but if you are following the 21 day fix or WW, it will change your counts. If not, enjoy that sauce! 🙂
Wendy Pierson says
This was so yummy!! Both chicken and slaw were perfect! I didn’t feel like I was on a “diet” at all!
Nancylynn says
Yay! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Allie says
I don’t know what happened with my Instapot but my chicken thighs were not cooked enough. Willnteybafain in slow cooker. The slaw was excellent!
Nancylynn says
Is your seal ok? That should have been plenty of time!
Nicole says
If you use the store bought BBQ sauce how much would you use for the recipe? thanks!
Nicole says
This was so so yummy! I LOVE the slaw! I have made your other BBQ chicken recipe so many times- it’s a go-to! But this pulled one is perfect too! Thank you!