Instant Pot bbq chicken thighs come out tender and delicious in less than 15 minutes! Crisp in the oven with barbecue sauce or enjoy as is. Use boneless or bone in chicken thighs in Instant Pot like we did for a cheap meal with tons of flavor.
Pressure cooker bbq chicken thighs get so moist and fork tender in no time. If you are having a busy day and need a quick one pot meal ready for dinner this is one that will be a hit with your family for sure. Use any sauce you love and try our easy Instant Pot recipe this week. (affiliate links present)
Ninja Foodi BBQ Chicken Thighs
If you are new to how to pressure cook you are in for a real treat. What would normally take hours will now be the same greatness under 30 minutes. If you have a Crockpot Express, Mealthy or want to make this as a Ninja Foodi recipe those will work just as well. Use the lid that is not attached for the last machine listed.
This one in particular is one of our many quick chicken thigh recipes on our site. It is best if you use fresh or thawed but I will discuss what to do if yours are still frozen and you don’t have time to defrost them ahead of time. Use your favorite bottled sauce, not honey style as that may burn, broth and just a bit of oil.
Jump to
If you are new to pressure cooking we have a lot of easy one pot meal recipes for you here. To begin with let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then PRINT this —–> Instant Pot cooking times cheat sheet that will help you understand how long meat, vegetables and beans take to cook in your pressure cooker.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot.
- You should know how to deglaze a pressure cooker after sautéing but it won’t have as many issues with this better liner.
For reference, this is the model I have (a 6 quart) and use for all recipe creations.
Now we have made slow cooker bbq chicken thighs time and time again but I don’t always have it together enough to prep in the morning. If I do I will say that low and slow is my preference so I have nothing to do when I get home but this is a very close second to that one. All you need is;
Pressure Cooker BBQ Chicken Thighs Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs bone-in is best for this one with skin on especially if you’re going to crisp it under broiler when done.
- Boneless skinless is fine too if that is what you have though.
- Olive oil for browning skin just a bit on saute function first
- can sprinkle with salt, black pepper, smoked paprika and garlic powder too if you want extra seasonings
- Chicken broth or water is needed to get the pot to come to pressure
- About 10 oz of homemade or bottled barbecue sauce
Now you should remember that every time you saute meat in this multi cooker you need to add a bit of liquid and scrape off the stuck on bits. If you don’t you risk the burn notice appearing on the screen and the machine will stop cooking all together. Using a wood spatula is best to get this done so you don’t scrape the inside.
I have the non stick pot recommended and linked above so that is more important with that. If you are just using the metal version scratching isn’t really a thing but still is better to be safe than sorry.
Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside if you are going to want to crisp the skin when done. Alternatively you can use the reheat chicken in air fryer instructions if you don’t want to use your oven but still want the outside crunch.
How to Cook Instant Pot Barbecue Chicken Thighs
- Add oil to instant pot and set pot to saute. Blot skins with paper towels to dry, season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil and carefully add chicken thighs, cooking for about 3-5 minutes on both sides to get the skins on the outside crispy. Remove and set aside.
- Add broth, use wood spatula to scrape stuck on bits off the bottom.
- Place thighs back in with bones facing the bottom. Place the lid on the instant pot. Seal shut and close the pressure release valve.
- Using the poultry or high pressure function, heat the thighs for 12 minutes cooking time. When cycle is complete, let pressure naturally release for 5 minutes before quickly releasing the remaining pressure.
- Carefully open the instant pot and remove the chicken thighs.
- Internal temperature should be 165+ at this point.
Place them onto the prepared baking sheet if using the oven. Add a dollop of bbq sauce to each thigh and spread evenly with a pastry brush. Place the thighs into the oven and turn on the broiler. Broil for 5 minutes or until barbecue sauce is bubbly. Remove from oven and serve immediately. Same instructions go for small chicken breasts if you’d rather have white meat.
How to Cook Instant Pot BBQ Frozen Chicken Thighs
If you needed to cook frozen chicken thighs in Instant Pot this way you could. No need to saute at the beginning since that won’t work with them being rock hard. Instead follow this timing in the link and then move on to the broil and saucing step listed here to get the same result!!
It shouldn’t be. If you cannot pull the meat apart with two forks after allowing for a bit of a natural release it wasn’t cooked long enough. Poultry pieces need at least 12 minutes to get tender, a whole bird takes closer to 1 hour to fall apart. Always let the steam release slowly and naturally too to keep it juicy.
It depends on how you are cooking them. In the oven I like to brush some on with the foil on, then when removed add some more so it can caramelize on the top. BBQ chicken thighs in Instant Pot uses sauce at the end before crisping the skin under the broiler.
A pastry brush is handy to have if you just want to add some flavor but not add a ton of sauce to your meat. Pour sauce into a bowl and then dip your brush in. Coat the outside of the skin and then cook as you like. It will bake on well this way and caramelize creating an even sweeter bolder flavor.
How to Make Chicken Thighs Crispy
You can follow our air fryer bbq chicken thighs recipe start to finish or transfer them to this hot air machine at 400 for a few minutes to just crisp the skin when done. Another option is if you have one of the air crisp lids that fit right on top of your pressure cooker, that works, or under the broiler for a few min. too.
What to do with leftovers
I hate to waste good food too so I get that you want other meals to make with the meat too. Make sure to store in the fridge once cooled in a freezer bag and use within 3 days. We go over leftover bbq chicken recipes here so there isn’t any waste. Now jump to recipe and try this one first!
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Thighs
Equipment
- 1 pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 c chicken broth
- barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside. Add oil to instant pot and set pot to saute. Blot skins with paper towels to dry, season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil and carefully add chicken thighs, cooking for about 3-5 minutes on both sides to get the skins on the outside crispy. Remove and set aside.
- Add broth, use wood spatula to scrape stuck on bits off the bottom. Place thighs back in with bones facing the bottom. Place the lid on the instant pot. Seal shut and close the pressure release valve.
- Using the poultry or high pressure function, heat the thighs for 12 minutes. When cooking cycle is complete, let pressure naturally release for 5 minutes before quickly releasing the remaining pressure.
- Carefully open the instant pot and remove the chicken thighs. Place them onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Add a dollop of barbecue sauce to each thigh and spread evenly with a pastry brush. Place the thighs into the oven and turn on the broiler. Broil for 5 minutes or until barbecue sauce is bubbly. Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I am an absolute fan of recipes that come together quickly and these chicken thighs look no different. Pinning it right away!
This Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Thighs recipe looks amazing! I’m definitely going to try this with bone-in chicken thighs for that extra juiciness.
Not only is this recipe delicious, it was also quick and easy to make! Perfect when I want something savory and filling on a weeknight but don’t much feel like cooking. Thanks for sharing!
Delicious and easy to make with the instant pot! Thank you for a great weeknight meal!
Quick, easy and budget friendly, these fantastic chicken thighs are a perfect meal for my family.