Instant Pot Pulled Chicken is amazingly juicy and full of great BBQ flavor! So quick and easy to make, Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken sandwiches are perfect for lunch or as an easy weeknight dinner.
Weight Watchers Points included.
Folks, this Instant Pot Pulled Chicken recipe is sooooo good. Just think fall-apart tender Instant Pot BBQ Chicken that is perfect all year long for eating in sandwiches, salads, picnics, BBQs, and lunch boxes, and family dinners.
Meal prep fans, I highly recommend you save time and save money by doubling the recipe and freezing the rest for later use.
A quick weeknight supper solution, you’ll be thanking me later as you feed a crowd or the whole family with healthy and delicious lunches and dinner. Just like with these Instant Pot Whole Chicken, delicious Instant Pot Chicken Nachos, and Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas.
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You don’t have to have Instant Pot Pulled Chicken Sandwiches all week, try tossing the Pulled Chicken on a salad, in tacos or even just eat it as a meal itself. Talk about #mealprepwinner #winnerwinnerchickenfordinner
Ps you might also like this Dutch Oven Pulled Pork recipe.
Why Make This Recipe
- Great recipe for weekly meal prep or prepping ahead.
- Super easy to make using mostly pantry staple ingredients.
- It’a a one pot recipe and you don’t need to heat up the BBQ.
- Freezes well for leftovers.
- Perfect for potlucks and parties.
What Is Pulled Chicken?
Bbq Pulled Chicken is chicken that is cooked until super tender, and then it’s pulled apart into pieces and usually shredded into even easier to eat pieces. You can also “pull” or shred pork for many other recipes as well.
Soooo, let’s gather up these ingredients and I will show you how to make these Shredded BBQ Chicken Sliders….
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken – this recipe calls for boneless skinless chicken breasts and boneless skinless chicken thighs. Use skin on versions if you prefer.
- Spice rub – tablespoon bbq rub.
- Broth – go for low sodium chicken broth if you can.
- Smoky flavor– use liquid smoke for that fresh off the grill flavor.
- Barbeque sauce – use your favorite bbq sauce.
- Bread– 12 sandwich buns, sandwich rolls, or slider buns.
- To serve– with some delicious coleslaw.
Handy Tip: Use Good Kitchen Tools!
For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Instant Pot Tools on Amazon.
How To Make Instant Pot Pulled Chicken
Do check out all my Instant Pot Recipes.
Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
- Mix chicken and barbeque rub in a bowl and set aside.
- Add broth to Instant Pot insert. Add chicken in, pushing chicken down as much as possible under the liquid.
- Cover and seal your pot. Press Pressure Cook/Manual on high pressure for 15 minutes.
- Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure.
- Remove chicken and set it onto a plate or in a bowl. Shred your chicken using two forks or a hand mixer.
- Remove liquid from Instant Pot and then add chicken back in. Next, add about half a cup of the cooking liquid.
- Add 1 cup of bbq sauce or more, to your taste, and stir it all together.
To Make BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
- Split your sandwich buns or rolls.
- Top the bottom bun with a scoop of Instant Pot BBQ Chicken.
- Add coleslaw and close up the buns (my kids like adding apple sauce as well).
- Serve and enjoy!
- P.S. you can make this into chicken tacos too!
Recipe Tips
- Cut chicken breasts to about the size of your chicken thighs so they cook evenly.
- Use reduced sodium chicken broth, especially if your barbeque rub already has salt in it.
- If you prefer, you can brown the chicken before cooking it.
- Using a mix of chicken breast and thighs is the best combination of flavor.
- To keep the chicken juicy and avoid a burn notice, make sure you’re covering your chicken as much as you can with the chicken broth.
- To make reheating easier, freeze in the right portion sizes that you need for the future.
- The total cook time does not include the time it takes for the Instant Pot to get to pressure and the time for the natural pressure release.
Meal Prep And Prep Ahead
This recipe was practically made for meal prep and prepping ahead.
- Prep Ahead – The Pulled Chicken can be cooked up to a few days in advance and reheated.
- Store – Store cooked leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze – You can freeze the cooked chicken in the bbq sauce. Follow the handy tips below on how to freeze this. – Transfer chicken into these convenient Ziploc freezer bags. Squeeze out all the extra air and seal the bags.
- Label the bags and then lay them flat in the freezer. Store in the freezer for three months.
- To make reheating easier, freeze in the right portion sizes that you need for the future.
Recipe Variations
- Prepare the Chicken Differently – Shred the chicken in bigger and smaller chunks. Whatever works for your guests. Kids tend to like smaller bites, so I shred it smaller.
- Change out the liquid smoke – Not everybody always has liquid smoke, so if you’re in a pinch, try some smoked paprika, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, or any of your other seasonings that can bring a little heat and flavor.
- Vary your BBQ sauce -Try classic BBQ sauce, maybe a Honey BBQ or Sriracha BBQ too. And guys, feel free to add more if you like.
- If your sauce is too sweet, add in some apple cider vinegar, etc. If not sweet enough, add in some brown sugar.
- Vary the liquid – feel free to use chicken stock or vegetable stock instead.
- Add heat – with some chili powder, cayenne pepper, etc.
- Add more flavors – feel free to add a bit of Worcestershire sauce. You can also add in some garlic powder, onion powder,
