2 Ingredient Instant Pot BBQ Chicken

This 2 Ingredient Instant Pot BBQ Chicken recipe is perfect for a quick family dinner. The tender shredded chicken meat is packed with barbecue flavor. It is delicious on sandwiches, tacos, salads, or for meal prepping.

The best part about this Instant Pot BBQ Chicken recipe is it requires only two ingredients - chicken and BBQ sauce.

An Instant Pot or other pressure cooker brand will do the heavy lifting for you. Simply add your ingredients to the Instant Pot, select the cooking time, and viola! You'll have moist and juicy chicken ready for an easy family dinner.

The great thing about this Instant Pot BBQ Chicken recipe is any leftovers can be eaten for lunch or dinner the next day in a different way! You can serve the Instant Pot Barbecue Chicken on a bun, over a salad, or in a taco.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• The best part of this Instant Pot BBQ Chicken recipe is that it requires only two ingredients. The chicken is loaded with protein and the barbecue sauce is loaded with flavor.
• This Instant Pot BBQ chicken recipe is so versatile. You can use the shredded barbecue chicken in a variety of ways. Try it in tacos, over a salad, on a bun, or stuffed in a potato. The possibilities are so varied.
• You can try a variety of BBQ sauces to meet your dietary needs. If you are sugar free, Keto, or Whole30, you can use barbecue sauces that stay on-plan.

Recipe Ingredients

• Chicken thighs
• BBQ sauce

Ingredient Notes

Chicken thighs: Use boneless and skinless chicken thighs to create the best shredded BBQ chicken. Chicken thighs contain more fat than chicken breasts, which helps keep the chicken moist. You can use chicken breasts, but I personally prefer chicken thighs.

Barbecue sauce: Use your favorite barbecue sauce to make 2 Ingredient Instant Pot BBQ Chicken. I use Burman's Original Barbecue Sauce from Aldi. It is an affordable barbecue sauce and it has a sweet and tangy flavor.

How to Make 2 Ingredient Instant Pot BBQ Chicken: Step by Step Instructions

This quick shredded BBQ chicken Instant Pot recipe is so easy to make! It is essentially a one-pot meal that comes together in less than 30 minutes with little prep time required.

Step 1: Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the Instant Pot (this helps make sure the Instant Pot comes to pressure without burning the chicken or triggering a burn notice). Place the chicken thighs on top of the water. Next, sprinkle the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, to taste. Finally, add half a cup of the barbecue sauce on top of the chicken.

Step 2: Secure the lid to the Instant Pot. Select "Manual" and a cook time of 15 minutes. Make sure the valve is set to "Sealing". Start the pressure cooker.

Step 3: Once the cook time is done, manually release the pressure from the Instant Pot or let it naturally release. Next, remove the chicken from the Instant Pot and either hand shred by using two forks to pull the meat apart or with an automatic hand mixer in a bowl.

Step 4: While the chicken is removed from the Instant Pot, select the "Saute" function. Let the remaining liquid boil down for 5-10 minutes to thicken the sauce (see notes). Stir occasionally to prevent the sauce from burning.

Step 5: Return the shredded chicken to the Instant Pot and stir in the reaming ½ cup of barbecue sauce.

Step 6: Serve the shredded chicken on a sandwich bun, over a salad, in a taco, or in another creative way.

📖 Recipe

Recipe Tips & Tricks

• It is important to add 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot. An Instant Pot or other pressure cooker has to have enough water to come to pressure to prevent burning and to cook properly. You may find that there is even more liquid in the Instant Pot once the chicken is done cooking. The chicken will naturally release some water. You can drain some of this liquid before using the "Satue" function to thicken the remaining liquid.

Can you make 2 Ingredient Instant Pot BBQ Chicken in a slow cooker (Crockpot)?

Yes, you can make the 2 Ingredient BBQ Chicken in a slower cooker, such as a Crockpot. Place the chicken thighs in a Crock Pot. Add 1 cup of water. Cook on low 6-8 hours, or until cooked through. Shred the chicken and stir in 1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce.

Can you use chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs for 2 Ingredient BBQ Chicken?

Yes, you can use chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs for 2 Ingredient Instant Pot BBQ Chicken. However, chicken thighs have a higher fat content so they tend to retain more moisture when cooking, but chicken breasts can be used if you prefer.

Can I use BBQ sauce as a liquid in an Instant Pot?

No, you should not use BBQ sauce as a liquid in an Instant Pot. Even though the barbecue sauce does contain some water, the barbecue sauce has a high sugar content and can possibly burn or trigger a burn notice.

Storage & Reheating:

• Storage: Store the Instant Pot BBQ Chicken in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for 3-5 days.
• Reheating: Reheat any extra meat in the microwave in 30 second increments until heated through. You can also use the saute function on the Instant Pot to reheat the meat. However, you may need to add some additional liquid to prevent that meat from drying out.
• Freezing: Let the meat cool before freezing. Once the meat has cooled to room tempature, add the meat to a gallon sized freezer bag. Remove as much air from the bag as you can. Freeze the chicken meat for up to 3 months. When you are ready to use the 2 Ingredient Instant Pot BBQ Chicken meat, thaw the meat. Next, microwave the meat in 30 second increments until heated through. You could also reheat the meat in an Instant Pot. Make sure to add enough liquid so the Instant Pot can come to pressure (usually 1 cup of water). Set the Instant Pot to Manual and 5 minutes. Quick release the pressure before using the meat.

Substitutions

Chicken breasts: You can also use chicken breasts for this recipe. The cook time will be the same. You could also use a 50/50 mixture of part chicken breasts and part chicken thighs.

Other sauces: You can use your favorite barbecue sauce for this recipe or you could try any other type of sauce. Salsa, salsa verde, queso, or other sauces that have a similar consistency as barbecue sauce could also be used.

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