Instant Pot BBQ Chicken yields deliciously tender shredded BBQ chicken with minimal effort! Use it to make pulled chicken sandwiches, tacos, and salads.
During those weeks when I’m lacking dinner inspiration, more than once, pulled BBQ chicken has come to the rescue!
I love how easy it is to make a big batch of this and eat it in different meals during the week.
Or you could make this and bring it to a summer party, picnic, or potluck. Corn on the cob, potato salad, sliced tomatoes, fresh watermelon, coleslaw, grilled hot dogs and hamburgers are all perfect too, but this will be the star of the show. Everyone loves BBQ chicken!
And not to worry if you have leftovers because this freezes very well!
Shredded BBQ Chicken Recipe – Easy Pulled BBQ Chicken
Not only is it very easy to make this recipe, but it requires minimal ingredients.
There are different cooking methods to make boneless, skinless chicken breasts into pulled or shredded chicken. However, I’m going to talk about two cooking methods: pressure cooker and slow cooker.
Both methods start with boneless skinless chicken breasts.
Pressure Cooker Pulled Chicken
Once you make Instant Pot BBQ Chicken, it’ll become your go-to method for when you want pulled BBQ chicken fast.
The chicken cooks in a fraction of the time, without sacrificing any of the flavor.
How to Make BBQ Chicken in an Instant Pot or Other Electric Pressure Cooker:
- Add all ingredients to an electric pressure cooker. (See recipe below for specific ingredients and amounts.)
- Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, and then let it do a natural pressure release for 10 minutes.
- Shred the chicken with 2 forks or with a handheld electric mixer.
Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken
Cooking in a slow cooker also has its perks!
The great thing about using a slow cooker to make pulled chicken is that you can turn it on in the morning, and come home to a hot dinner waiting for you.
How to Make BBQ Chicken in a Crockpot or Other Slow Cooker:
- Add all ingredients to a slow cooker. (See recipe below for specific ingredients and amounts. However, omit the chicken stock from the recipe below if you’re making this in a slow cooker.)
- Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
- Shred the chicken with 2 forks or with a handheld electric mixer.
How to Make Shredded Chicken: Step-by-Step Picture Guide
Put the olive oil, chicken stock, boneless skinless chicken breasts, salt, and black pepper in an Instant Pot.
Add your favorite BBQ sauce on top!
Cook on Manual, High Pressure for 10 minutes, and then let it do a natural pressure release for 10 minutes.
Shred the chicken with 2 forks! Or you can use a handheld electric mixer.
To thicken the sauce, turn the pot on Sauté and cook the chicken and sauce together until thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
What to Make with Leftover BBQ Chicken
- Tacos
- BBQ chicken salads, like my Keto BBQ Chicken Salad Bowls (use a low carb BBQ sauce)
- BBQ shredded chicken sandwiches (use low carb rolls or paleo bread)
- Or BBQ chicken grilled cheese
- BBQ chicken gratin; spoon some BBQ pulled chicken into a gratin dish, top it with shredded cheddar, caramelized onions, and sauteed mushrooms, and broil it until the cheese is melted
- Pasta dinner; toss the pulled chicken with some pasta and add any veggies you like, such as corn, scallion, etc.
- And of course you can serve Instant Pot BBQ Chicken with all the fixings, like corn on the cob, potato salad, cornbread, coleslaw, baked beans, collard greens, etc.
The Best BBQ Side Dishes:
- Watermelon Salad Recipe with Feta
- Instant Pot Easy Keto Mac and Cheese
- Cornbread Muffins
- Grilled Corn on the Cob
- Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Baked Beans
- Southern-Style Tuna Macaroni Salad
- White Bean Roasted Red Pepper Salad
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below because I love hearing from you! You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media. To stay up-to-date FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Xoxo, Faith
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
Optional Garnishes:
- Fresh cilantro
- Dill pickle chips
- Bread and butter pickle chips
- Red onion
- Sliced jalapenos
Instructions
- Drizzle the oil in the bottom of an Instant Pot. Add the chicken, stock, salt, black pepper, and BBQ sauce to the pot. Turn the pot on Manual, High Pressure for 10 minutes and then do a natural pressure release for 10 minutes.
- Shred the chicken it with 2 forks or use a handheld electric mixer.
- To thicken the sauce, turn the pot on Sauté and cook the chicken and sauce together until thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Top with any garnishes you like and serve.
Helpful Tips
- For this recipe, the nutrition information was calculated with regular (not sugar-free) BBQ sauce, and without any of the optional garnishes.
- You can use your favorite homemade BBQ sauce or store-bought BBQ sauce for this recipe.
- This recipe freezes very well; reheat it in a microwave or on the stovetop.
Nutrition
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items. Thank you for helping to support An Edible Mosaic!
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
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