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instant pot bbq chicken on a roll with coleslaw and pickles
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4.61 from 41 votes

BBQ Pulled Chicken (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker)

This easy, flavorful, five-ingredient pulled chicken is great for those busy weeknights. Make it low and slow in the slow cooker or fast and furious in a 6-quart Instant Pot, whichever suits your schedule. See the notes section below for serving suggestions.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Additional Time10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Chicken
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bbq pulled chicken instant pot, instant pot bbq pulled chicken, instant pot shredded bbq chicken
Calories: 422kcal
Author: Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Equipment

Ingredients

For the chicken

  • ½ cup (125 grams) jarred applesauce
  • 1 ½ cups (350 ml) of your favorite homemade or purchased pourable barbecue sauce (see note)
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) apple cider vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 pounds (907 grams) boneless skinless chicken breasts

For sandwiches, if you like

  • 4 brioche or other hamburger buns
  • Coleslaw
  • Pickle slices

Instructions

  • In a 6-quart Instant Pot or a slow cooker, stir together the applesauce, barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, and salt. If your barbecue sauce is too thick to pour easily, stir in some water to thin it to pourable consistency.
  • Nestle chicken breasts into sauce.
  • 6-quart Instant Pot instructions: Close lid and set valve to sealed position. Cook on the manual setting, high pressure, for 8 minutes. When cooking time ends, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure by opening the valve.
  • Slow cooker instructions: Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 6 to 7 hours.
  • Chicken is done when cooked through (165° F) and easy to shred.
  • Remove chicken to a cutting board and, while hot, shred using two forks. If using an Instant Pot, press the sauté button and let sauce simmer to thicken slightly while you shred the chicken.
  • Return shredded chicken to pot and stir to coat with sauce.

Video

Notes

  1. As long as your barbecue sauce is pourable, it will work well in a 6-quart Instant Pot. If it’s extraordinarily thick, thin it with water to a pourable consistency before proceeding. Here's how to make your own in 10 minutes. If you're using an 8-quart IP, I recommend adding ½ cup water just to be safe. I've heard from many reviewers who have used the original recipe in an 8-quart pot without extra water and haven't had any issues, but since I don't have one myself, I haven't tested it that way.
  2. Pulled chicken is great as a sandwich on a brioche or other hamburger bun with coleslaw and pickles. It's also fabulous on a salad, divided into a week's worth of not-sad desk lunches for meal prep, or served Southern-style with IP mac and cheese, collard greens, and cornbread.
  3. Leftover chicken will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week and can be reheated in the microwave.
  4. If you would like to cook frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot without thawing first, follow these instructions: Chicken breasts need to be separated rather than in a big clump so that they'll cook evenly. If they're frozen together, thaw them briefly in a bowl of water until you can separate them. Then simply add two minutes to the cooking time (for a total of 10 minutes). The pot will take a few minutes longer to come up to pressure, too. That's 100% fine.

Nutrition

Calories: 422kcal | Carbohydrates: 33.8g | Protein: 51.5g | Fat: 7.4g | Fiber: 0.8g