BBQ Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Breast

Easy 2 ingredient BBQ Instant Pot shredded chicken recipe that we use to make soft tacos often! Simple pressure cooker dump recipe that’s healthy and so cheap that it feeds all 5 of us for under $10.00. Use fresh or follow our Instant Pot frozen bbq chicken instructions too.

Shredded Instant Pot Chicken

I added a bunch of this into some small soft air fryer tortillas I made. Toped them with some cheese and avocado slices, BAM our chicken tacos were served for dinner. Perfect for a Tuesday or any day of the week really. It doesn’t matter what brand you might have at home.

Ninja Foodi Shredded Chicken

You can use a Crockpot Express or Ninja Foodi because they both have the high pressure function so they’ll work. Seriously the cheapest meal ever and such a hit with the kiddos. You can even make air fryer flautas with this inside, or with the leftovers.

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken

Use whatever your favorite bottled or homemade sauce you have on hand. You do need liquid for it to become fork tender so why not use a delicious sauce instead of just water or broth. I mean….??? Everyone raved about how good this turned out and it just took 15 minutes to cook in my new favorite appliance.

You can use the leftovers out of the fridge to make chicken salad the next day too. On top of a bed of fresh lettuce or just on bread as a sandwich, are great lunch ideas.

This is a lot better than just a plain traditional bowl of shredded chicken though:

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken BBQ

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos

I mean if you want to make this with just salt and pepper then follow our Crockpot frozen chicken recipe instead. It will come out simple like you see here above instead.

Instead, this one is packed with barbecue flavors! Here are a few questions you might have before you get started:

It’s great if you are into batch cooking too! You can make a ton of it and divide into freezer bags. Package as much as your family would eat in one meal. Freeze, defrost when ready and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Thighs

I used white meat for this example but you could easily use brown or dark meat too. No matter which you choose I would choose boneless and skinless so they fall apart easier. That way it has time to soak up that wonderful sauce and marinate in it in a sense for as long as possible.

Amazing doesn’t even describe this 3 ingredient Instant Pot recipe! Just a few simple ingredients and an Instant Pot and you’re ready to go! But any brand will do. I have them all. A Crockpot Express, Mealthy, Ninja foodi all work the same.

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Frozen

Here’s a tip: how to cook frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot just in case you forgot to thaw it beforehand. This is surprisingly wonderful and can use broth or your favorite sauce of choice. The timing isn’t really much different.

We love it like I said, served in flour tortillas but we’ve served it over rice before too and it’s just as good.

It is a pretty healthy chicken recipe too and really inexpensive to make costing only about $10 total for the whole meal which served all 5 of us + leftovers for me to eat it for lunch the next day.

Of course you can make this and create Instant Pot chicken bowls. Add all your favorite fixin’s on top with some Instant Pot white rice. Totally up to you…….

Shreddable Chicken in Instant Pot

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Recipe

Here is what you’re going to need in order to get started. Of course there are many ways to change this up. Adding onions are optional, you can add sweetness with a small can of diced pineapple, or make it spicy with Sriracha too.

1. Instant Pot
   1. I HIGHLY suggest you get anon stick pot
2. 1 bottle of barbecue sauce (about 20 oz., not honey style, we like this one)
3. 1 can of chunk pineapple
4. 3 -4 boneless chicken breasts
   1. diced, fresh or frozen
   2. already cooked shredded chicken is perfectly fine, just adjust time to 3 minutes high pressure
5. Small tortillas, cheese, and avocado if you want to make them into soft tacos
6. Onion – optional
7. Pinch of chili powder for heat – optional

Salt and pepper, garlic powder – optional

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Thighs

You can use dark or white meat for this and the cook time wouldn’t really vary much at all. Use what you prefer and what is on sale.

If you happen to have the burn message displayed on your pot follow the how to deglaze your Instant Pot directions linked above. There’s no need to cook the chicken. It will cook in the sauce and water or use chicken broth for liquid instead.

I’m constantly adding to my Instant Pot recipes. You can find them on my Instant Pot Recipes tab, so bookmark it and refer back to it later! If you want to make this in your slow cooker here are the directions for crockpot bbq chicken recipe. 😉

If you’re looking for more chicken in the Instant Pot try these:

• Instant Pot chicken parmesan casserole
• Try our cheap Instant Pot teriyaki chicken
  • our spicy chicken thighs
  • or chicken shawarma
• Easy Instant Pot orange chicken

We make shredded beef tacos out of this French onion pressure cooker roast recipe too, and our Hawaiian chicken is the bomb.

2 Ingredient Instant Pot BBQ Chicken

That is right, you could just use the sauce and meat, that is it. I have found that 5 minutes on high is good for diced chicken breasts. 3 minutes for diced chicken thighs, and the poultry button works for whole breasts or an Instant Pot whole chicken. 

• I have made this many times, but now prefer to dice chicken into bite size pieces. It is done faster, absorbs more of the sauce, and cooks more evenly.
• You’re also pretty assured it’s cooked through so you don’t have to check the internal temperature.
• Makes meal prep easy to just cut beforehand, and easier for kids to eat too.

Quick release and done!

If you want to make Crockpot taco meat or slow cooker shredded chicken here are recipes using that method too. You can also make boiled shredded chicken on the stovetop.

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken

I have a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here is a quick step by step; Empty 1/2 jar of barbecue sauce on bottom of Instant Pot. (do not use honey variety as that will burn) Put chicken breasts on top of your sauce. Make sure they are cut in half or thirds so they cook through. You can dice into bite size pcs. too for a shorter cook time.

1. Then squeeze the other half of jar on top of the chicken.  Pour 3/4 c water or broth inside your bbq sauce jar. Put lid on and shake, pour this on top of chicken.
2. Add chunks of pineapple (and sliced onion + soy sauce if you choose to add that). Gently stir so chicken is well coated.
3. Close Instant Pot and make sure steam valve is closed. Set to poultry setting, high for 15 minutes (automatically sets to this time when you hit the poultry function, very thick breasts may take longer to become very tender to shred). 
4. When it beeps allow to naturally release for 5 minutes, then do a quick release and lift lid. Use 2 forks to shred chicken right in the pot.

Add some to small tortillas to make soft tacos with some cheese and avocado, or leave chicken whole and serve on top of rice.

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