Instant Pot BBQ Chicken is a tender, sumptuous, chicken dish slathered in barbecue sauce prepared in a short time. Perfect for those busy weeknight meals when time is of the essence but you don’t want to sacrifice on taste.
If you want crowd pleasing, simple, and oh so flavorful chicken, then this bbq instant pot chicken is it! am totally game for chicken straight off the grill but actually, this pressure cooker barbeque chicken breast is one of the best barbeque chicken recipes ever! To tell the truth, it is so quick and easy.
Why BBQ Instant Pot Chicken Recipe Works
This deliciously easy instant pot barbeque chicken recipe uses chicken thighs coated in a house blend seasoning and cooked in an Instant Pot in a savory barbeque sauce. As a matter of fact, only 3 ingredients make the best barbeque chicken recipe and actually any style of barbeque sauce works. Such as, sweet and smoky, hot and spicy, or vinegary and tangy, all work!
Using the pressure cooker gets the recipe done in no time and using the Stack and Cook Insert allows you to cook for a crowd. So no matter the family size this instant pot barbecue chicken recipe fits great.
How to Make Instant Pot Barbecue Chicken- Step by Step
- Step One: First, season both sides of the chicken with House Seasoning Blend. Next, place chicken in Instant Pot.
- Step Two: Secondly, pour the water and 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce into the Instant Pot. Cook on manual setting/high pressure for 13 minutes. Then allow to naturally release for 5 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure.
- Step Three: After pressure has been released, remove chicken from Instant Pot and drain any liquid.
- Step Four: Finally, set Instant Pot to the Sauté setting. Next, add cooked chicken and remaining 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce, then sauté for 2-3 minutes until sauce is sticky.
LOVE INSTANT POT RECIPES? TRY THESE FAVORITES
- Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Marsala
- BBQ Chicken Melts
- Instant Pot Asian Chicken with Honey
- Instant Pot Peri Peri Chicken
- Instant Pot Sticky Chicken
Looking for more? Check out all of the Instant Pot Recipes on It Is a Keeper.
Recommendations for Making BBQ Chicken In Instant Pot
I use chicken thighs for this recipe. You can use any type of chicken though. Chicken breast, boneless chicken thighs, fresh or frozen work great. It is the special combination of the house seasoning along with your favorite barbeque sauce that makes this recipe a winner.
Just remember to adjust your cook times accordingly for the type of chicken that you are using. You can find more information about cook times here.
Recommendations for the Pressure Cooker BBQ Chicken
This Instant Pot BBQ Chicken breast is just one of the fabulous things that you can create in your instant pot. You need to try Instant Pot Beef with Balsamic Sauce or Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese. Actually, the Macaroni and Cheese is a great side dish to serve with this chicken.
The Instant Pot will seriously change your cooking game. There are so many innovative gadgets and attachments for them now. Here are a few of my favorites for you to explore.
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Expert Tips for Making the Best Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Breast
- Shred It: Shred the BBQ Chicken in Instant Pot and serve on Sandwich rolls or over rice.
- Make your Own Sauce: Use your favorite bottle sauce or make your own Homemade Barbecue Sauce
- Serve with: Mexican Corn Salad or Caesar Pasta Salad
Shop This Recipe
- Instant Pot <= This one is my favorite!
- Stack and Cook Insert
- Steam Release Attachment <= Protect your cabinets!
- 18 Piece Accessory Kit
⭐⭐⭐ RATE THIS RECIPE ⭐⭐⭐
If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it in the comment section below.
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless - skinless chicken thighs
- 2 teaspoons House Seasoning Blend
- 1 cup barbecue sauce - divided
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Season both sides of the chicken with House Seasoning Blend.
- Place chicken in Instant Pot.
- Pour the water and 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce into the Instant Pot.
- Cook on manual setting/high pressure for 13 minutes.
- Allow to naturally release for 5 minutes then quick release the remaining pressure.
- Remove chicken from Instant Pot and drain any liquid.
- Set Instant Pot to saute setting.
- Add cooked chicken and remaining 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce.
- Saute for 2-3 minutes until sauce is sticky.
Notes
- You can use chicken breasts or thighs, whichever you prefer.
- You can use bottled barbeque sauce or homemade sauce, sweet or spicy.
- Double the batch for a quick dinner fix on a busy night.
Nutrition
- Want to scale a recipe up or down? Simply type in a new serving amount and the recipe will automatically adjust!
- When a recipe call for House Seasoning Blend, you can use this recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- I always use unsalted butter in my recipes.
- I always use a meat thermometor to test for doneness when cooking meat. This one is my favorite.
- When a recipe is made in the oven, it should be pre-heated to the temperature in the recipe, unless otherwise noted.
- The nutritional information provided in this recipe is an estimate. Learn more on how I calculate nutritional information for my recipes.
TaMerra says
Tried this today and it turned out great. Not a piece of chicken left on the plate 😊 definitely a repeat!
Donna M. says
Perfect, followed the recipe exactly and had no problem at all. We loved it!
Christina Hitchcock says
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Shari L. says
This was a huge hit at our house. The recipe was very easy. In previous replies some people had issues with the chicken giving a burning warning. I personally didn’t experience that. I used 1/2 c Sweet Baby Ray bbq sauce, added garlic powder, basil clippings, pepper, parsley, and chili powder for a little spice, with a chicken bbq rub. In the bottom of the pot I put 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil, with 1/2 cup of water. I set the pressure cooker button for 13 minutes, released the steam, let it sit for 5 minutes, added another 1/2 c of the Sweet Baby Sauce, then set the Sauté for 4 minutes. Thank you for a great recipe.
Carolyn says
Hi! Thank you for a quick and simply delicious recipe. I used chicken tenders for this recipe and cut the time down to 5 minutes. Also, when I make bbq chicken for the fam, I use Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce, and add a little honey, black pepper, onion powder, Italian seasoning (or oregano), and about cap full of vinegar (for a little tangy taste). Usually, I would place the chicken back in the oven to get the sauce sticky, but doing it in the IP makes it a whole lot easier. This recipe is DEFINITELY A KEEPER.
Christina Hitchcock says
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Bob says
How much longer if l double it?
Christina Hitchcock says
Here is a great post that should answer your question: https://amindfullmom.com/instant-pot-chicken-breasts/
It depends more on the size of the individual pieces of chicken than the total amount of chicken.
Amber says
Hello, what time would you recommend cooking it for, for frozen chicken breasts?
Thanks!
Christina Hitchcock says
Four (7-8 oz) frozen chicken breasts should take about 10-12 minutes at high pressure. Always double check the finished chicken to make sure the internal temp is 165 degrees.
Odeete says
I wish you would of added the instruction to add the trivia . I only learnt this by watching the video .
Let’s hope it s still works. wish me luck.
Christina Hitchcock says
Let me know how it turned out. Sorry for the confusion.
Pat says
This recipe is a keeper! I’m a new instant pot user so I’m quite unsure about my skills; however, my husband and daughter loved how flavorful and tender the chicken thighs were. I’ll certainly be trying more of your recipes.
Christina Hitchcock says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Mary Gurrola says
It was a great recipe. I used frozen chicken thighs in my Instant Pot. I had no problem with burning. Maybe because the chicken was frozen the barbecue sauce stay on the chicken.
So thank you.♥️
Christina Hitchcock says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Samantha says
This recipe has been a total winner in my family! I even used sugar free bbq sauce for the first time for my keto diet needs, and it turned out great! I have used breast for this recipe.
Christina Hitchcock says
I’m so glad you like it!
Cindy says
I want to double up the amount of chicken from one pound to two do I also need to double up the time or is 13 minutes still good
Evan says
Wonder why she ignored this question the 2 times it was asked?
Christina Hitchcock says
Here is a great post that should answer your question: https://amindfullmom.com/instant-pot-chicken-breasts/
It depends more on the size of the individual pieces of chicken than the total amount of chicken.
Grace says
This is my favorite bbq chicken recipe! It’s on rotation for weekly dinner. I use the big container of Sonny’s bbq sauce and then a splash of Tabasco when I pressure cook (the hubby like his bbq sauce with a little heat) and it is delicious!
Question, if I double the recipe do I change the cook time when it’s on the pressure cook?
Thank you!
Mary Gurrola says
It was a great recipe. I used frozen chicken thighs in my Instant Pot. I had no problem with burning. Maybe because the chicken was frozen the barbecue sauce stay on the chicken.
So thank you.♥️
Evan says
Wonder why she ignored this question the 2 times it was asked? I have the same question.
Christina Hitchcock says
The question was not “ignored”, it was overlooked. I get hundreds of comments and I try to respond to each and every one. The response you are looking for is posted in one of the previous questions.
Jordan Taylor says
Hi! Great recipe.
Mainly leaving a comment regarding your site for phones– I tried to read this recipe on my iphone but had to eventually exit out and look it up on my computer because the page was overtaken by a video ad first, then a cooking video of yours. I don’t mind ads at all, even video ones, but it made reading your recipe impossible. 🙁
Christina Hitchcock says
Thanks for the feedback. I’ll definitely look into that – they shouldn’t be that aggressive.
Jamie says
I have found with tomato based sauces especially sweet ones like BBQ will get the burn notifications. Also with creamed based sauces or onset that have cream of soups
You can add a little water.
You can try low pressure instead of high pressure settings.
You can add the bbq sauce only to the top of the chicken, allowing as little as possible to touch the bottom of the pot.
You can add the bbq sauce after pressure cooking then broil.
Those are just a few tips I have found that work for me.
Christina Hitchcock says
Thank you for sharing these great tips! 🙂
Christa says
I also have an 8qt ip and it continues to say burn while making this recipe. I put it on low pressure thinking this might help, but it did not help. Any suggestions?
Christina Hitchcock says
I’m not sure why this happening. Maybe check in some of the Instant Pot online forums?
Angela says
I added about a half cup of water with the barbecue sauce and didn’t have any issues with the burn notice. Maybe try that next time. I figured just the sauce alone wasn’t enough liquid so I added water.
Christina Hitchcock says
Great idea! Thanks for sharing!
Luckey says
Add cup of water not enough moisture to bring pot to pressure
Shari says
Hi- I made this tonight with burning problems. I followed the directions and before it came to pressure it beeped ‘burn’. So I thought maybe because the chicken was directly on the dry pot. I took them out, made sure there was nothing else stuck and then laid the chicken on top of the sauce. It came to pressure but then turned to ‘burn’. I moved them all around again and added a little bit of water to the pot. After the 3rd ‘burn’ try, they were cooked. Some of the pieces got a teeny bit burnt but overall they came out really tasty. We all liked the chicken as the sauce came out thicker and gooey. I would love to make it again properly! Have you had any issue with this? I let me chicken come to room temperature before cooking and used Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce. I also have an 8 qt IP. Any suggestions? Thanks
Christina Hitchcock says
I’m sorry you had those troubles. I’ve never experienced a “burn” alert with my Instant Pot. I’ve made this recipe many times just as the recipe indicates with no troubles at all. I’m not sure what it could be. Maybe add a little chicken stock or water like you did.