Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Breast Recipe

You need this Instant Pot BBQ chicken breast recipe because… who doesn’t need another delicious way to make chicken?

This recipe is quick and easy to put together. It only requires a small amount of tending to, and the result is a thick, tender, juicy piece of chicken.

Two Crockpot BBQ Chicken Breasts sit on a white plate, topped with sliced green onions.

Instant Pot Chicken Breast Cooking Times

One thing I love about an Instant Pot, is that I can take chicken directly from the freezer and have it cooked in minutes. I love that I don’t have to thaw the chicken!

But if you happen to have fresh (not frozen) chicken breasts, I’ll give you the cooking time for that too.

Frozen Chicken In An Instant Pot

Manual | High Pressure | 20 minutes

Unfrozen Chicken In An Instant Pot

Manual | High Pressure | 10 minutes

An overhead view of two Crockpot BBQ Chicken Breasts sitting on a white plate.

Tips For Cooking Barbecue In Your Instant Pot

  • Never use less than 1 cup of liquid in you Instant Pot.
  • To thicken the sauce and coat the chicken, you’ll always need to cook with additional sauce on the sauté setting, after the chicken is fully cooked. Think of it as “reducing” the sauce.
  • While this recipe calls for draining the liquid after cooking the chicken, you don’t have to discard it. You can use it as a seasoned chicken broth and add it to soups and other recipes.
  • If you prefer to shred your chicken for sandwiches, shred it after draining the liquid, and then add the additional sauce and sauté according the the recipe, stirring frequently.

What Size of Instant Pot Can I Use?

You can use any size instant pot you like, as long as the chicken breasts can lay flat in a single layer on the bottom of the insert.

You can also multiply the recipe with the same rule.

What You’ll Need

1½ lbs. frozen chicken breasts

1 cup barbecue sauce (divided)

½ cup chicken broth (no sugar added)

How To Make This Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Breast Recipe

Two chicken breasts sitting in an Instant Pot.

Place frozen chicken breasts in your Instant Pot.

Barbecue sauce poured over the chicken in the Instant Pot insert.

Pour HALF the sauce over the top of the chicken.

Chicken broth added to the Instant Pot insert.

Pour the chicken broth over that.

The instant pot lid set in place.

Secure the lid on your Instant Pot.

The Instant Pot vent valve in the closed position.

Close the vent and press the Manual button. Adjust time according to the chicken used (see table above). Chicken should be at least 165 F. when done. Drain off any leftover liquid.

The cooked chicken drained, and a jar of barbecue sauce pours more sauce over the cooked chicken.

Add the other half of the barbecue sauce to the chicken in the Instant Pot and press the Sauté button.

Sautéing the chicken in sauce in the Instant Pot on the sauté setting.

Cook the breasts in the sauce, heating the sauce until it has thickened.

The finished Crockpot BBQ Chicken Breast Recipe. Two cooked breasts sit on a white plate, topped with sliced green onions.

Once the sauce is thick, the chicken is done.

Need Recipe Supplies?

Recipes Used

SUBSCRIBE

Remember to subscribe to my free newsletter to receive all my latest recipes in your inbox. Click here to sign up!

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Breast Recipe

Copyright Button.
Two Crockpot BBQ Chicken Breasts sit on a white plate, topped with sliced green onions.

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Breast Recipe

Delicious barbecue from your slow cooker or Instant Pot!
No ratings yet
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Pressure & Sautéing: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 318kcal

CLICK TO WATCH THIS RECIPE IN ACTION!

Equipment

  • Instant Pot

Ingredients

  • lbs. frozen chicken breasts
  • 1 cup barbecue sauce (divided)
  • ½ cup chicken broth (no sugar added)

Instructions

  • Place frozen chicken breasts in your Instant Pot.
    Two chicken breasts sitting in an Instant Pot.
  • Pour HALF the sauce over the top of the chicken.
    Barbecue sauce poured over the chicken in the Instant Pot insert.
  • Pour the chicken broth over that.
    Chicken broth added to the Instant Pot insert.
  • Secure the lid on your Instant Pot.
    The instant pot lid set in place.
  • Close the vent and press the Manual button. Adjust time according to the chicken used (see table in post above). When done cooking, do a quick release. The chicken should be at least 165 F. when done. Drain off any leftover liquid.
    The Instant Pot vent valve in the closed position.
  • Add the other half of the barbecue sauce to the chicken in the Instant Pot and press the Sauté button.
    The cooked chicken drained, and a jar of barbecue sauce pours more sauce over the cooked chicken.
  • Cook the breasts in the sauce, heating the sauce until it has thickened.
    Sautéing the chicken in sauce in the Instant Pot on the sauté setting.
  • Once the sauce is thick, the chicken is done.
    The finished Crockpot BBQ Chicken Breast Recipe. Two cooked breasts sit on a white plate, topped with sliced green onions.

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data given here is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25the recipe | Calories: 318kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 1039mg | Potassium: 819mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 212IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

10 Comments

  1. I am confused by this recipe. Am I supposed to cook the chicken on High Pressure for 20 minutes if frozen (10 if fresh) or am I supposed to cook it on the slow cooker setting for 4-6 hours? Total time says 1 hour 5 minutes?

  2. Thank you for the fast response! I plan on trying this recipe for dinner tonight!

  3. Kalcey Mueller says:

    Are you using natural pressure release or opening steam vent after cooking for 20 minutes on high pressure?

      1. Thank you, I made it the other night, cooked for 20, and left for 10mins, was still pretty good. Will try the quick release next time

  4. Charlotte says:

    I am trying this right now I hope it turns out good and is the chicken tender ???