Barbeque Pulled Chicken in the Instant Pot

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This real food, paleo BBQ pulled chicken in the Instant Pot is quick, easy, and oh so good.

Most commercial BBQ sauces are loaded with sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and preservatives—all things we try to avoid in our diet on a regular basis. I like to make my own BBQ sauce so I have a say in the ingredients.

Even so, this recipe is not sugar free. It’s sweetened with honey (or maple syrup or molasses). When I reach for a sweetener, it’s often for one of these rather than conventional sugar. I find their flavor richer, complex, and much more satisfying than standard sugar. They also have a small vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant content, so there’s that.

This BBQ sauce can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for several days, or frozen. I don’t use BBQ sauce often, so I just make this sauce in the pot when I cook the chicken. If I make extra sauce, I’ll pop it in the freezer for the next time we want this chicken.

How to Serve

This BBQ chicken can be served many ways, including with roasted sweet potatoes, in a bun with coleslaw, or in a taco. Really, the options are endless. Also, it freezes excellently, so it’s great for make-ahead and bulk/batch cooking.

Cooking Notes

Cooking in an Instant Pot is easy-peasy.

It’s self-contained, versatile, and oh-so quick, which is a big deal for this busy mom of 3, homeschooling and working from home.

Can’t get dinner started earlier in the day, or forget to take the meat out to thaw? No problem. It can even cook a whole frozen chicken in there in just 90 minutes!

It has multiple settings, including pressure cook, slow cook, saute, and even a yogurt setting which use to make our own yogurt at home.

And I love that on a hot summer day, I can make dinner without turning on the oven and heating up the whole house. I use this one.

But you don’t have to have an Instant Pot to make this pulled chicken. It can also be made in a slow cooker or a dutch oven.

For the Slow Cooker

To prepare this BBQ pulled chicken in a slow cooker, begin by making the sauce on the stovetop. Then transfer to the slow-cooker with the chicken. Cook for 6 hours or until the chicken pulls apart.

For the Dutch Oven

To braise in a dutch oven, make the sauce in a dutch oven on the stove top, then add the chicken and transfer the pot to the oven and cook, with the lid on, at 300° F until the chicken pulls apart with a fork.

Instant Pot Barbeque Pulled Chicken

Ingredients

1 medium onion, diced OR 1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp ground mustard
½ tsp salt
½ teaspoon pepper
28 oz can tomato sauce
6 oz can tomato paste
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
¼ cup honey or maple syrup or, for a deeper flavor, molasses
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs

Preparation

For the bbq sauce:

In the Instant Pot, on the saute setting: in a drizzle of oil, saute onions until soft, but not brown.
Stir in spices and toss together.
Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, worcestershire sauce, and honey/syrup/molasses.
Remove pot from heating unit and puree sauce with an immersion blender. Alternatively, transfer to a blender and puree.

Note: This set is optional if using tomato sauce, but necessary if using whole or diced tomatoes.

To braise the chicken: