This easy Pulled BBQ Chicken is so tender, falls apart, and flavorful! You can make this recipe in an Instant Pot in just 30 minutes with only 2 main ingredients! Perfect for tacos, sandwiches, or even meal prep.
One of the reasons I love cooking in my Pressure Cooker is that everything gets cooked fast. If you would cook chicken breasts on the stove, you’ll take about an hour of time. A pressure cooker will make the same dish in only 30 minutes from start to finish.
This is why you will love it:
- You need only 2 main ingredients.
- It will be ready in 30 minutes!
- The meat will come out tender and will fall apart.
- You can use it in so many ways (like sandwiches, tacos, sliders, meal prep, and more).
How to make it
Wash and pat dry chicken breasts. Then season with salt and pepper on both sides (Photos 1-4).
Pour 1 cup of water in the Pressure Cooker and put in the chicken. Close the lid and make sure that the venting knob is turned to “Sealing” (Photos 5-7)!
Cook on manual high pressure for 10 minutes (Photo 8).
Note: If you are using frozen chicken breasts, you need to cook it for about 20-25 minutes, depending on the size.
When done, do a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then switch the knob to venting position to release the steam. Make sure the steam is fully released and the valve is completely down before opening the pot!
Take the meat out and shred it using two forks. Drain the liquid from the pot (Photo 9).
Place the shredded meat back to the pot to keep it warm (Photo 10).
Add your favorite BBQ sauce and mix it with the chicken until well combined (Photos 11-12).
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use frozen chicken. The cooking time will be about 20-25 minutes, then 10 minutes natural pressure release.
Yes. You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs in this recipe. Though the cooking time will be 8 minutes instead of 10 minutes.
You can refrigerate it in an air tight container for up to 5 days. You also can freeze it in an air tight container or a zip-lock bag for up to 6 months.
I like to serve it in 2 different ways.
Option #1: Serve it on soft and warm sandwich buns with my favorite Cole Slaw on top and Oven Baked Fries on the side.
Option #2: Serve it as tacos. Put some BBQ Pulled Chicken on the bottom and top it with some Cole Slaw.
Also, use it as a meal prep. Divide between air-tight containers with Instant Pot White Rice and Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan. You can have it for lunch for the next few days.
Want more Chicken Recipes?
- Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs
- Cheese Broccoli Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Classic Chicken Parmesan Recipe
- One Pot Chicken and Rice
- Instant Pot Chicken Wings
Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- Salt, black pepper to taste
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup BBQ Sauce
Instructions
- Wash and pat dry chicken breasts. Then season with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Pour 1 cup of water in the Pressure Cooker and put in the meat. Close the lid and make sure that the venting knob is turned to “Sealing”!
- Cook on manual high pressure for 10 minutes.
- When done, do a natural pressure release for 10 minutes,then switch the knob to venting position to release the steam. Make sure the steam is fully released and the valve is completely down before opening the pot!
- Take the meat out and shred it using two forks. Drain the liquid from the pot.
- Place the meat back to the Instant Pot to keep it warm.
- Add your favorite BBQ sauce and mix it with the chicken until well combined.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published in 2018, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, tips, and FAQs in Feb of 2020.
Turned out so good! Thank you for the recipe, I will be making this more often.
Thank you, Sherry! I’m glad you liked it!
This sounds so easy and delicious. I want to make for 6 people. Can I double or triple the recipe? Or is it better to make 2-3 separate batches?
Hi Susan! Sure, you can double all the ingredients!) Depending on the size of your chicken breasts, you might want to add a couple of minutes to cook 😉
The chicken is falling apart when you take it out which is what I like. A tip that I just recently learned is instead of using two forks to shred it use your hand mixer. It only takes about 30 seconds to shred it. Also, I used to go to this restaurant that served the best bbq wings…so I asked them their sauce recipe. I finally got it out of them….they used Sweet Baby Rays with the juice from half an orange in it, mix well. It gives it a great hint of citrus in the sauce and is delicious!
Pulled chicken is a staple in my kitchen. Cannot wait to try this simple yet mouth-watering recipe!
The instant pot is totally a dinner saver for my family. I have been looking for new recipes to try and this one is moving right to the top of my must make list! I love bbq chicken!
I have to try that! I always did things like that in the slow cooker, but for several reasons right now the pressure cooker works better…
Every house needs a good bbq pulled chicken recipe. It’s even better when the Instant Pot is used. This sounds super easy and I bet the meat is really tender.
I love a simple recipe and that’s exactly what this is!! Love my Instant Pot! I like your 2 ways of eating this…tacos or on a sandwich bin…BUT I like to eat it plain…with some Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce! So delish – I’m so glad you posted this recipe!!
I love how easy is this, perfect for tacos, sandwich and salad fillings, will definitely make it soon!
I totally foresee myself making tacos with these reaaaaally soon!
What a great recipe! You can use shredded chicken in so many ways! I usually just buy a rotisserie from the store, but I love the idea of making one myself and spicing it how I need it!
I love my instant pot and now I get to love it even more because I have your delicious recipe to make! I love that it is so easy and looks so delicious!
That pull chicken just stole my heart. Looks so so delicious and I can imagine pop in a few mouthful just like that.
This would be great for so many recipes. Tacos, pasta sauce, salad….the list is endless. You can never go wrong with a great chicken dish….and the instant pot looks like it does a great job.