Easy, Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken

Easy, Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken is a quick, healthy pressure cooker recipe that can be used to make shredded chicken sandwiches. This recipe produces juicy chicken that is drizzled with BBQ sauce. If you are looking for a keto version, use sugar-free, unsweetened BBQ sauce. 

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This post was originally posted in July 2017 and has been since updated.

This recipe for Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches provides a quick and easy way to eat home-cooked BBQ without using a grill. I have gotten a lot of feedback from subscribers of my blog that they would like to see ways to prepare grilled dishes without using a grill.

Many people have apartments that do not allow grills. Some people simply do not know how to use a grill. (I can actually help with that! I should probably put together a tutorial).

I recommend grilled meats for meal prep purposes because the grill locks in so much flavor and produces really juicy meat. Flavor and juicy are key to meal prep dishes.

When reheated, juicy meat that is packed with tons of flavor does not feel like leftovers. Though I recommend using a grill for a lot of recipes, I have found the Instant Pot can yield very similar results!

How to Make BBQ Pulled Chicken in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

1. Add chicken breasts, BBQ sauce, and chicken broth to the Instant Pot.
2. Cook in the Instant Pot using the Meat Setting.
3. Allow steam to release naturally.
4. Open the pot and shred the chicken.

How Long to Cook Pulled Chicken in Instant Pot

I use 10 minutes of cook time, with an additional 10 minutes of natural release of steam.

How to Reheat Pulled Chicken in Instant Pot

If you want to reheat using the Instant Pot use the Saute function and add additional liquid such as BBQ sauce.

How to Make Buffalo Pulled Chicken in Instant Pot

Check out my Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken recipe here.

Can You Use Frozen Chicken for BBQ Pulled Chicken in the Instant Pot?

Cook the chicken for 20 minutes if using frozen.

What Does Natural Release on Instant Pot Mean?

Natural release means that you allow the steam from the pot to release naturally instead of performing a quick release and releasing the steam immediately when the food has stopped cooking.

For meat, I always do a natural release because it always results in juicier meat.

Why Does My Instant Pot Say Burn?

The Instant Pot will register the burn signal if the pot has overheated or if food has stuck to the bottom of the pot. This usually occurs when there isn’t enough liquid in the pot to accommodate the ingredients in the recipe. You can read more about What Instant Pot Burn Message Means here.

What Goes Well With Pulled Chicken?

Pair this Pulled Chicken with Instant Pot Potato Salad, Instant Pot Southern Green Beans, Keto Coleslaw, and Zucchini Noodle Pasta Salad.

I live in Kansas City. We are known for our BBQ here. The pressure is on to make sure I put together a recipe that is true to my KC roots. I used our infamous, local Gates BBQ Sauce for this recipe. Gates BBQ sauce is tomato based with some vinegar and is not overly sweet.

You can keep this dish keto-friendly by using my Homemade Keto BBQ Sauce.

To assist with making the chicken feel and taste like homestyle BBQ I added Liquid Smoke. This gives the chicken a smokey taste, similar to that from a grill.

If you are cooking this dish and want to enjoy leftovers or for meal prep, store the chicken in Tupperware. Pack the buns in Ziploc bags and toast immediately before eating. 

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