Looking for a quick and easy recipe that's bursting with flavor? Look no further than this Instant Pot pulled chicken recipe! This recipe results in deliciously tender, fall-apart shredded chicken with a perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess. It's perfect for feeding a crowd or for a busy weeknight meal!
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Why You'll Love This Instant Pot Recipe
- It's a versatile recipe! You can use it in sandwiches, salads, BBQ plates, and more.
- This recipe is incredibly easy to make! Whenever I'm seeking a low-effort dish that will provide me with several servings, I go with this pulled chicken in the Instant Pot.
- A lot of the ingredients are pantry staples, so it's the perfect recipe for when I don't want to go to the store.
Ingredients You'll Need
- bbq sauce — use your favorite barbeque sauce. Different types of BBQ sauces provide a different flavor profiles, so you can make several variations of this recipe!
- brown sugar — you can use light or dark brown sugar. You can also add more or less, depending on how sweet your bbq sauce is.
- seasoning — I add salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Feel free to add additional seasoning of your choice.
- Worcestershire sauce — I love adding a bit of Worcestershire sauce for a hint of deep umami flavor.
- chicken stock — feel free to use chicken stock or chicken broth.
- chicken breasts — I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts but you can use chicken thighs as well.
How To Make This Instant Pot Pulled Chicken Recipe
- In a small bowl, combine the bbq sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
- Add the chicken stock to the Instant Pot and add the chicken breasts.
- Add the bbq sauce mixture on top of the chicken breasts. Do not stir.
- Place the lid on, turn the knob to sealing, and pressure cook (HP) for 10 minutes.
- Natural pressure release for 10 minutes before quick releasing.
- Remove the chicken breasts and shred them.
- Meanwhile, turn on saute mode and allow the liquid to cook down so it coats the shredded chicken better. Allow it to cook down to your desired consistency.
- Add the shredded chicken back to the sauce in the Instant Pot and toss to coat.
Recipes Variations
- To add some heat, you can add some cayenne pepper or a small amount of hot sauce to the bbq sauce.
- Add more brown sugar to make it sweeter.
- Make the pulled chicken crispy by transferring the shredded chicken to a sheet pan and broil in the oven for 2-5 minutes on the middle rack, keeping an eye on it throughout. Be sure that the shredded chicken has bbq sauce on it to prevent it from drying out.
Tips and Notes
- Don’t wait too long between the chicken breasts being cooked and shredding – chicken breasts shred easiest when they’re warm.
- You can use a KitchenAid mixer with the paddle attachment on to shred your breasts quickly and easily.
- I don’t mix the sauce before pressure cooking to help lower to chances of getting a burn notice. This is important if your bbq sauce is on the thicker side.
- I don't recommend pressure cooking frozen chicken breasts as the chicken doesn't cook through as well. The chicken doesn't cook evenly when they're frozen in a block.
How do I store leftovers?
To store the leftover pulled chicken, allow it to cool to room temperature and then transfer to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave.
How do I freeze pulled chicken?
To freeze BBQ pulled chicken, allow the shredded chicken to cool to room temperature and transfer it to a freezer-safe bag and freeze it for up to three months. Thaw fully before reheating.
What is the best chicken to make pulled chicken with?
Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or boneless, skinless chicken thighs to save yourself the time and effort of deboning and removing the skin. Chicken thighs will have a little more fat and more moisture compared to chicken breasts, so it depends on if you'd like to have that extra fat or not. Alternatively, you can do a mix of both. It's up to you.
Recipe
Instant Pot Pulled Chicken
Looking for a quick and easy recipe that's bursting with flavor? Look no further than this Instant Pot pulled chicken recipe! This recipe results in deliciously tender, fall-apart shredded chicken with a perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess. It's perfect for feeding a crowd or for a busy weeknight meal!
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RateServings: 5 servings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup bbq sauce
- 3-4 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup chicken stock low sodium
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the bbq sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
- Add the chicken stock to the Instant Pot and add the chicken breasts.
- Add the bbq sauce mixture on top of the chicken breasts. Do not stir.
- Place the lid on, turn the knob to sealing, and pressure cook (HP) for 10 minutes. Natural release for 10 minutes before quick releasing.
- Remove the chicken breasts and shred them with two forks.
- Meanwhile, turn on saute mode on the Instant Pot and allow the liquid to cook down so it coats the shredded chicken better. Allow it to cook down to your desired consistency.
- Add the shredded chicken back to the sauce in the Instant Pot and toss to coat.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 1042mg | Potassium: 564mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 159IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg
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More places to find me: @onepotonlyrecipes on Instagram and One Pot Only on Pinterest.
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