Instant Pot Pulled Chicken Recipe

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Steps to Make It.

Contents

Ingredients Nutritions HTML Directions Never Lose a Recipe Again!Tips How to Use Instant Pot Pulled Chicken Recipe Variation How to Store and Freeze

5 mins

25 mins

Instant Pot Recipes

beginner

Serves 6

american

Ingredients

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Nutritions

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a:9:{i:0;a:2:{s:5:"title";s:24:"Gather the Ingredients";s:4:"text";s:45:"Gather the ingredients.
";}i:1;a:2:{s:5:"title";s:38:"Add Ingredients to Instant Pot";s:4:"text";s:166:"Add the chicken, garlic, and bay leaf to the Instant Pot. Pour in the broth, using just enough to mostly cover the chicken breasts—they don't need to be completely submerged. Season with salt, secure the lid making sure the vent is sealed.
";}i:2;a:2:{s:5:"title";s:34:"Cook at High Pressure";s:4:"text";s:148:"Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. Once the cook time has ended, use a natural release for 5 minutes, then release any remaining pressure using a quick release.
";}i:3;a:2:{s:5:"title";s:41:"Prepare the Barbecue Sauce";s:4:"text";s:189:"While the chicken cooks, make the barbecue sauce, if desired. Combine the ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside.
";}i:4;a:2:{s:5:"title";s:25:"Check for Doneness";s:4:"text";s:108:"Discard the bay leaf. Check the chicken for doneness—the chicken should register 165 F on a digital thermometer.
";}i:5;a:2:{s:5:"title";s:32:"Shred the Chicken";s:4:"text";s:116:"Remove the inner pot from the cooker. With a fork, mash the garlic cloves into the cooking liquid. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken, combining it with the garlic and cooking liquid.
";}i:6;a:2:{s:5:"title";s:25:"Season and Serve";s:4:"text";s:154:"If desired, season with salt and use right away. To make the barbecue chicken, add the drained, shredded chicken to a large bowl along with the barbecue sauce to taste. Toss until the chicken is coated.
";}i:7;a:2:{s:5:"title";s:29:"Serve with Slaw";s:4:"text";s:84:"Serve the pulled chicken on buns with a quick slaw for the perfect weeknight dinner or potluck sandwich.
";}i:8;a:2:{s:5:"title";s:33:"Store Leftovers";s:4:"text";s:84:"Store any leftover chicken covered and refrigerated with some of the cooking broth to keep it moist.
";}}

HTML Directions

1

Gather the Ingredients

Gather all the necessary ingredients for the recipe.
2

Add Ingredients to Instant Pot

Add the chicken, garlic, and bay leaf to the Instant Pot. Pour in enough broth to mostly cover the chicken breasts and season with salt. Secure the lid, ensuring the vent is sealed.
3

Cook the Chicken

Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. After cooking, let it naturally release for 5 minutes before performing a quick release for any remaining pressure.
4

Prepare Barbecue Sauce

While the chicken cooks, prepare the barbecue sauce if desired by combining ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes while stirring, then set aside.
5

Check Chicken's Doneness

Remove the bay leaf and check that the chicken is fully cooked, registering at least 165°F with a digital thermometer.
6

Shred the Chicken

Remove the inner pot from the cooker, mash the garlic cloves into the cooking liquid, and use two forks to shred the chicken, mixing it with the garlic and broth.
7

Combine Chicken with Barbecue Sauce

If desired, season with additional salt and use immediately. To make barbecue chicken, mix the shredded chicken in a large bowl with barbecue sauce to taste, tossing until fully coated.
8

Serve the Pulled Chicken

Serve the pulled chicken on buns accompanied by quick slaw for a delicious weeknight meal or potluck sandwich.
9

Store Leftovers

Store any leftover chicken covered in the refrigerator with some cooking broth to maintain moisture.

Pulled chicken is versatile and easy to adapt to a wide range of recipes, from tacos to sandwiches to salads. It also happens to be incredibly easy to make, especially if you use the Instant Pot. The pressure cooker function makes the process quick and frees you up to prep other dishes or make a homemade sauce.

All you'll need is some chicken breasts and broth. Add a few garlic cloves and a bay leaf for flavor if you have them handy. The chicken cooks in just 5 minutes (plus a few minutes for the cooker to come up to pressure and release). By shredding the chicken directly in the cooking liquid, it stays nice and moist. After shredding, you're ready to chow down or pack away the chicken for meal prep.

Serve Instant Pot pulled chicken tossed with our easy barbecue sauce. It's great served as barbecue sandwiches, topping a barbecue chicken salad or pizza, and more. Or toss the chicken with taco seasoning, pesto, teriyaki sauce, or another sauce of your choice.

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Tips

Four boneless breasts typically equal two pounds of chicken. If you have especially big chicken breasts, you'll need to cook them for longer. Start with 7 minutes.
After pressure cooking, make sure your chicken is cooked through and registers at least 165 F on a digital thermometer. If they aren't quite done, secure the lid and cook for an additional 2 minutes at high pressure.
We don't recommend trying this recipe with frozen chicken breasts, since the outside will dry out before the interior is cooked. Thaw frozen breasts before cooking.

How to Use Instant Pot Pulled Chicken

Pulled chicken can be used for anything from salad to soup to sandwiches. Adding sauce makes the chicken extra moist, and there are a number of options beyond barbecue sauce:

Tex-Mex: Instead of barbecue sauce, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning and up to 1/4 cup of the cooking broth and toss to coat. If desired, add up to a cup of salsa. Use to fill tacos and burritos, top nachos, and more.
Mole: Toss the pulled chicken with mole sauce and use it to make tacos or cemitas.
Pesto: Toss the chicken with pesto and, as needed, a little of the cooking broth to moisten. Use in sandwiches, wraps, and salads.
Teriyaki: Toss the chicken with teriyaki sauce and use to make a salad or wrap.

Recipe Variation

For extra moist pulled chicken, swap the chicken breasts for boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes as directed but use full a natural release. Check for doneness—the thighs should be tender and cooked through and register 165 F on a digital thermometer.

How to Store and Freeze

Store Instant Pot pulled chicken refrigerated in an airtight container with some of the cooking broth or tossed in barbecue sauce to help keep it moist. It will keep for three days.
Reheat pulled chicken uncovered in the microwave in short bursts, stirring often, or in a skillet on the stovetop. You may want to add some broth to keep it moist.
You can freeze drained, cooled pulled chicken in an airtight container for up to a month. Defrost in the fridge before reheating.

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