If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you probably know about my recipe for Slow cooker Pulled Pork. Instant Pot Pulled BBQ chicken is similar, only it uses chicken and it’s made in the Instant Pot. Okay…maybe it’s not that similar at all!

It’s one of those recipes that makes you think of summer, hometown fairs, and for me…the days I worked in a nursing home. I worked the night shift, and one of the nurses would bring in pulled BBQ chicken all the time and we’d eat it at about 3am. I don’t think about that job or my nurse friend very often anymore, but the chicken has stuck with me. (Yeah, food sometimes makes a bigger impression than people.)

All these years, I’ve been making Instant Pot BBQ chicken not in the Instant Pot, but in the slow cooker. Which is still a great way to do it. I’ll post the recipe someday. But it’s so much faster in the Instant Pot.

Anyway, I digress. Let’s get down to the how-to, shall we? (Printable recipe below.)

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Ingredients for Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup water
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Sensuous Slathering BBQ Sauce

The barbecue sauce is what makes the recipe in my opinion, so it’s important that you get that kind. It’s not too thick and sweet. We have Dinosaur BBQ locally so the sauce is fairly easy to find in stores. It’s also less expensive in the stores. However, if you want to find it on Amazon, you can use my affiliate link above.

The recipe is simple:

Place all of the ingredients in the Instant Pot.

Using the meat setting, cook on high pressure for 20 minutes.

When the Instant Pot beeps, pull out the chicken and shred.

Place the chicken back into the Instant Pot.

Using the saute function, cook about 3 minutes or until the BBQ sauce thickens slightly.

Serve alone, in a wrap, or on buns with Blue Ribbon Coleslaw.

Tools for Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken:

Instant Pot – I have both the 6 quart and the 8 quart Instant Pots. I love them both equally, but my 6 quart Instant Pot Viva is newer and therefore has a better lid design. The old design had a wobbly lever that you had to move between sealing and venting. The new one automatically seals when on the pressure cooker setting, which makes for less user error. I was guilty of leaving it on venting and then wondering why it wouldn’t come to pressure. The newer models take care of that problem. And they have a handy little button to press to release the pressure too.

Meat shredding claws – You can substitute forks for this, but I love how simple the claws make the shredding process!

Wooden Spoon Set – this is one of my favorites.

Good Utility Knife – I have the Tasty knife set and I love it, but any good utility knife will do.

Can you freeze it?

Yes! Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken freezes very well. A lot of times I’ll make a double batch (in the 8 quart Instant Pot) and freeze half for another night when I don’t feel like cooking. Or haven’t gone grocery shopping, which is much more likely.

Is Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken diet-friendly?

Well, I guess that would depend on what kind of diet you’re on. If you’re on a keto diet, you could substitute in some keto-approved BBQ sauce. If you’re on a low fat diet, the chicken is nice and lean, but again, the sugar in BBQ sauce is the culprit here. I’m sure it’s possible to make it that way, but I haven’t tried it myself. My diet is basically everything in moderation.

Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken

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