This Instant Pot barbecue chicken is SO EASY and SO TASTY! It’s finished in 30 minutes and made with all whole ingredients.
I have a new love in my life and it goes by the name of quick and easy Instant Pot barbecue chicken.
Previously, all our homemade barbecue consumption was in the form of barbecue shredded pork– a freezer meal that requires more than double the time this chicken needs. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still a place in my life for barbecue pork (it’s especially great when feeding a crowd).
BUT, this barbecue chicken is both sooooooo tasty AND ridiculously easy to make. I’m talking, lunch time easy.
Instant Pot 30 Minute Barbecue Chicken
Using boneless, skinless chicken breasts really aids in the easy factor for this barbecue chicken. I get individually packaged, frozen chicken breasts from Costco. They are a good price, quick to thaw, and just generally über convenient.
Everything else about this barbecue chicken is “from scratch” too, but don’t let that deter you if you’re used to using premade ingredients. The chicken gets a spice rub (except I skip the rub part and just sprinkle the spice mixture on to make it even easier), and then the homemade barbecue sauce is poured on top before cooking.
You get a really delicious meal without a lot of effort using simple common ingredients.
Whether you go with or without the bun is up to you. I like my barbecue both ways. Sometimes I will make homemade rolls, occasionally we will pick buns up from the store, and other times we will just have it on its own. (Don’t you love versatile foods?!)
P.S….leftover barbecue combined with caramelized onion makes an incredible pizza.
P.P.S. This coleslaw is GREAT with barbecue!
PrintInstant Pot 30 Minute Barbecue Chicken
- Prep Time: 8 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 16 minutes
- Yield: about 3-4 cups 1x
- Category: main dish
- Method: pressure cooker
Description
This barbecue chicken is SO EASY and SO TASTY!
Ingredients
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Spice Rub
- 1/2 tsp ea: chili powder, garlic powder, & kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ea: ground pepper, dry mustard, & turmeric
Sauce
- 1/2 C ketchup
- 2 Tbsp molasses
- 1/4 C minced onion
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Turn on the Instant Pot to Saute and heat until the screen reads “HOT”.
- Mix together the spice rub ingredients. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and sprinkle half of the spice mixture on one side of the chicken. Once the Instant Pot is hot, add a tablespoon of ghee or oil, and place the chicken in the hot pot with the spiced side down. Sprinkle the rest of the spice mixture on the un-spiced side of the chicken.
- Brown the chicken for 2 minutes on each side. While the chicken is browning, mix together the sauce ingredients. Once the chicken has browned on both sides, pour in 1/4 C of water and scrape any stuck pieces from the bottom of the pot. Immediately pour the sauce on top of the chicken. DON’T STIR!
- Cover the Instant Pot and cook for 8 minutes on high pressure.
- Quick release the pressure and shred the chicken in the pot with two forks.
- Serve and enjoy!
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Jessica says
As I am the only one in the world that doesn’t have an instant pot, could you use this recipe with a slow cooker?
Lynn says
This was one of the first things we tried making in the Instant Pot, and we’ve made it multiple times since. It’s fast and delicious, and my family lives it. We serve it with homemade sriracha coleslaw, because my teenagers love a little kick.
Thanks for the wonderful recipes, Lisa, and for helping me feel more comfortable cooking with the Instant Pot!
★★★★★
Lynn says
*loves
Megan says
This was a hit with my family! Definitely going into my standard dinner rotation. All four of my kids chowed down without complaint!
★★★★★
Missy says
Made this yesterday for 4th of July dinner. As with all TPL recipes, it was outstanding! Served it on brioche buns and using leftovers for pizza tonight.
★★★★★
Kay says
This barbecue chicken is simple and delicious. It’s also good with boneless thighs. I think browning the chicken adds to the flavor. I noticed that Lisa mentioned in the comments that you can even start with frozen chicken, still browning it and adding a little time. I sometimes buy bags of frozen thighs, so, this would be easy to do even if starting with frozen chicken. Add a salad or simple veggie and dinner is ready quickly!
★★★★★
Lynette says
I’ve made this several times. It’s so quick and east to put together. We’ve eaten it on buns and wraps. I want to try it on a pizza one day with your super easy pizza dough recipe!
★★★★★
Kimberly @ Foodtalko says
Awesome, less than 10 minutes prep recipe!! Can’t wait to give this a try. I really hope it will turn out great.
Sophia Hussain says
Any tips if your chicken is frozen? Still brown and pressure cook longer?
Lisa says
Yes, brown and increase the cook time. I would suggest 12 minutes, and then take the temperature to be certain they are cooked through. If they still weren’t quite up to temp, you could also go ahead and shred them and then cook the shredded chicken in the sauce for about five minutes with your Instant Pot turned onto saute.
Sophia Hussain says
Thanks! I ended up
getting some non-frozen chicken and
cooked this recipe. I used your marinade and store bought
BBQ sauce. Turned out great! Thanks. My kids loved it, which is a big deal for me. I used a hand blender to speed up the shredding.