Instant Pot BBQ Chicken – loaded with flavor and so easy to make. This is a quick Instant Pot recipe the whole family will love!

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
Even your pickiest eaters are going to love this BBQ Chicken in the Instant Pot. Combine your favorite store bought BBQ sauce with your favorite soda, we used Coca-Cola, seasonings and a splash of apple cider vinegar for a tasty and versatile chicken. You can use it for sandwiches, tacos, nachos or just as a main dish.

How to Make BBQ Chicken in the Instant Pot
- Start with a 6 Qt Instant Pot and an 18 oz bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce. We really like Sweet Baby Ray’s. Add BBQ sauce to Instant Pot.
- Stir in 1 cup of Coca-Cola.
- Add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper and whisk to combine.
- Add 2 1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts and turn to coat.
- Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes, then let Natural Pressure Release.
- After Instant Pot pin has dropped, remove chicken breasts and shred using two forks.
- Return shredded chicken to Instant Pot to combine with sauce.

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Recipe Tips
- We used Coca-Cola but Root Beer and Dr. Pepper would also be a great alternative!
- Using a Natural Pressure Release makes the chicken much easier to shred.
- If you need to use a Quick Pressure Release, use a wooden spoon to close Pressure Release Valve immediately if any liquid starts to spray out of the top.
- Expect the BBQ sauce mixture to be on the thinner side, which I love, so it combines well with the chicken. You can use any extra still in the bottle (I can never get mine totally empty) to top the chicken on sandwiches.
- I used two large chicken breasts that total 2 1/2 pounds of chicken, if using 4 small chicken breasts, reduce cooking time to 7 minutes.
- If using boneless, skinless chicken thighs, increase cooking time to 10 minutes.

Slow Cooker Adaptation
Using same measurements, add ingredients to slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken – loaded with delicious flavor and so easy to make. This is a quick Instant Pot recipe the whole family will love!
- 2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 18 oz BBQ Sauce
- 1 cup Coca-Cola
- 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
-
Combine BBQ sauce, Coca-Cola, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder in Instant Pot. Whisk to combine. Add chicken breasts and turn to coat.
-
Lock Instant Pot lid in place and make sure Pressure Release Valve is set to sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 8 minutes. Instant Pot will take 10-15 minutes to come to pressure then countdown from 8 minutes. Let Natural Pressure Release, which will take 10-15 minutes.
-
Unlock Instant Pot lid and remove chicken breasts. Use two forks to shred chicken, then return shredded chicken to Instant Pot and serve.
Adapted from Taste of Home Church Potluck 2020 Magazine
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Lasagna
- Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers
- Instant Pot French Dips
- Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
- Instant Pot Chicken Enchiladas

5 Easy Dinner Ideas for Busy Weeknights
My five FAVORITE recipes for busy families!
- Quick to make
- Light on your budget
- Easy to clean-up
- and...most important...absolutely DELICIOUS
This is a game changer for getting BBQ done in a hurry. I was able to use frozen chicken and it still turned out perfectly! Yay!
Love that this is quick and easy and my whole family loves it. Thanks!
I’m drooling!! BBQ chicken is always a favorite with my family & this is so quick & easy!!
I’m a fairly new InstantPot user so I am always looking for simple recipes that will give me good practice. This recipe was perfect!! Even my extremely picky 17 year old son loved it. I used 3 very large chicken breasts and even after shredding them all there was really a lot of the thin sauce in the pot. I took some out prior to putting my chicken back in and it was just right. I know I could have thickened the sauce, but we were hungry and couldn’t wait to eat!! Thank you for another great recipe I can add to my weekly rotation!
That was way easier than I thought it would be
Such an easy and yummy dinner! This is so good!
Yummy! I love BBQ chicken, and in the instant pot? Yes please!
This is now a family favorite! So easy to make and delicious!
I usually do BBQ chicken in the slow cooker, but forgot to put it in last night…..hello, Instant Pot to the rescue. This was SO quick, and SO delicious! It came out perfect!
So grateful for the instant pot! This meal comes together so quick & tastes amazing!!