Tender, juicy, flavorful pulled bbq chicken two ways. In this post, you will learn how to make instant pot shredded bbq chicken, as well as Dutch oven pulled bbq chicken. Both methods are equally good and deliver the delicious homemade barbeque chicken.
In July I took a break from posting recipes on the blog. But I didn’t stop developing them. I had plenty of time to become closer friends with Instant Pot – Pressure cooker and already tested a lot of recipes.
Couple words on pressure cooker! What an amazing time-saving machine! At first, it looks super scary and doubtful. Once you pass instruction and get to know process, comes the fall in love step.
However, not all of you have instant pot, but a lot of you love pulled chicken, right? I made this pulled bbq chicken recipe plenty of time before the new kitchen toy hit the market. I will include instruction for the stove top pulled bbq chicken as well.
It is hard to tell which one tastes better. The structure is definitely different. The longer you cook, the mushier chicken becomes. In a pressure cooker, it comes out soft but holds its shape. In a dutch oven, the chicken comes out slightly drier, and structure depends on how long you cook it.
Other than that the taste is the same. It is more convenient to do it in the pressure cooker now since it saves tons of time. But equally, in a dutch oven, all you need to do is throw everything in it, simmer for about 1 ½ hours and done.
Anyway, prepare yourself for some tasty treat! First, the whole place smells like a good BBQ place. Not sure if it is a good thing for you, but that smell always tests my patience. Once the chicken is done, I immediately dig into it. Caution it is super-hot, but that never stopped me.
Second, the taste. Oh my… I haven’t yet met the person who doesn’t like BBQ. Especially a good BBQ. This pressure cooker pulled bbq chicken is a good one. Soft and tender, yet hold its shape. Not too greasy and not to dry, which makes it a healthier BBQ option. And full of flavors from homemade BBQ sauce.
Third, with confidence, I can say this is the easiest barbeque chicken I’ve ever done. Two steps are all you need. Prep the bbq sauce or open the bottle. Mix chicken and bbq sauce, cook, shred and done! Not so painful, right? Extra thrill, you can cook it any time of the day. Have some spare time at lunch: put everything together, cook it and shred later. Just came from work: throw everything in a pot, do your things and come back for a tasty dinner.
And lastly, you can use it in so many ways! Lunch, brunch, snack, dinner… I usually cook two breasts (about 2 pounds) and that last for about five different meals for two of us.
Alright, I will stop here and add some technical parts.
What Pressure cooker I use:
When I did my research I stopped on two models:
- Mueller 9-in1 Pro Series 18 Smart Program Pressure Cooker
- Instant Pot DUO Plus 60, 6 Qt 9-in-1 Multi- Use Programmable Pressure Cooker
After lengthy research and comparison, I ended up buying Mueller. Twice cheaper and German engineered inspires confidence. Also, before purchase, I checked the Instant Pot in the store. I figured I would order Mueller and if I don’t like material or construction or see that it is worse then Instant Pot I can always return it. It turned out the construction and material is equal. I even like Mueller better. The choice is yours.
How to make stovetop pulled BBQ chicken:
Wash and dry bone in, skin on chicken breasts. Sprinkle with salt all over. Place skin side up in the large Dutch oven. Pour 2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 1 1/2 hours. You may need to reduce or increase the cooking time. It depends on the thickness of chicken breasts. Transfer chicken to a big deep dish or plate. Let chicken cool slightly. When safe to handle, shred it with two forks or your hands.
How to make bbq pulled chicken in instant pot:
Wash and dry bone in, skin on chicken breasts. Sprinkle with salt all over. Place skin side up in the pot and pour 1 1/2 cups your favorite BBQ sauce over. Close the lid and adjust pressure release valve to airtight. Press manual and adjust the time for 25 minutes. Allow the cycle to complete. Turn off the keep warm mode and allow pressure to release naturally. After 15 minutes carefully remove the lid and turn pressure cooker off. Transfer chicken to a big deep dish or plate. Let chicken cool slightly. When safe to handle, shred it with two forks or your hands.
What to do with leftover BBQ chicken:
- Tacos
- Wraps and Sandwiches
- Nachos
- Pizza
- Salads
- Any dinner idea, like stuffed sweet potato or avocado, …
- And coming soon on the blog pulled BBQ sliders.
Instant pot pulled bbq chicken tips and tricks:
- For more flavorful shredded barbecue chicken better to buy bone in, skin on chicken breast. Plain chicken breast is too dry.
- If you have time and desire, make homemade BBQ sauce. If you don’t, buy a good BBQ sauce. This is the 2nd main ingredient. For that reason, quality does matter.
- If bbq sauce becomes too thin, boil it down to desired.
- Cooked chicken can be refrigerated in airtight container up to 5 days.
If you make this recipe, please share your picture with me by tagging it #thepuretaste on Instagram. Or share your results in the comment section down below. It means a whole world to me knowing someone is making my recipes.
Thank you for sharing and support ❤️❤️❤️
Maria
Yields: about 2 pounds shredded bbq chicken
5 minPrep Time
40 minCook Time
45 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients:
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups homemade BBQ sauce or good quality store bought one
- 2 split (bone in skin on) chicken breasts (about 3 pounds)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions:
Wash and dry split chicken breasts. Sprinkle with salt all over. Place skin side up in the large Dutch oven. Pour 2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce.
Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 1 1/2 hours.
You may need to reduce or increase the cooking time. It depends on the thickness of chicken breasts. Transfer chicken to a big deep dish or plate. Let chicken cool slightly. When safe to handle, shred it with two forks or your hands.
Wash and dry split chicken breasts. Sprinkle with salt all over. Place skin side up in the pot and pour 1 1/2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce over.
Close the lid and adjust pressure release valve to airtight. Press manual and adjust the time for 25 minutes. Allow the cycle to complete. Turn off the keep warm mode and allow pressure to release naturally. After 15 minutes carefully remove the lid and turn pressure cooker off.
Transfer chicken to a big deep dish or plate. Let chicken cool slightly. When safe to handle, shred it with two forks or your hands.
Notes:
*Total time is for the Instant Pot method. Don't forget it takes some time for pressure cooker to build pressure. Plan accordingly. *Total time for the stovetop method will be around 2 hours.
Calories
Fat
Carbs
Protein
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