Bite into amazingly juicy and tender BBQ chicken with plenty of crazy good flavor. This recipe for Instant Pot BBQ Chicken will totally delight you. Super easy and super tasty makes for happy cooks and happy eaters.
When you are craving BBQ Chicken and it is too hot to turn on the oven or fire up a grill, this Instant Pot BBQ Chicken is the ideal answer for a mouthwatering summer dinner.
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Why We Love This Recipe
Tender and Juicy. Pressure cooking the chicken in the Instant Pot makes the pieces of chicken very juicy without drying them out which can happen with grilling or oven roasting.
No Grilling. You can get the same deep flavor and classic barbecue spice and tang in Instant Pot BBQ Chicken without using the grill or your oven. The Instant Pot doesn’t heat up the kitchen like your oven would.
Easy Seasoning. Homemade seasoning rub lasts a year or more, so you can easily make it once and use it again and again. If you don’t want to make the seasoning rub from scratch, feel free to use one of our ready-made favorites. Any great chicken seasoning will make your Instant Pot BBQ chicken all the better
Simple Sauce. You can use your own favorite store-bought BBQ sauce or try one (or more) of my BBQ Sauce recipes. Whatever you decide, a rich, sweet and tangy BBQ sauce complements the Instant Pot BBQ chicken perfectly.
What You’ll Need
- An Instant Pot.
- 4 Bone-in Skin-on Thighs. If you are serving folks with bigger appetites or would like a couple of leftovers, you can add in 2 to 3 chicken legs if you prefer.
- Liquid Smoke. I use the Hickory flavor, but use any flavor that pleases your taste buds.
- Chicken Rub which is a simple mix of chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- BBQ Sauce which is a combination of ketchup, molasses, dried onion flakes, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and vinegar.
Steps and Tips for Perfect Results
- Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel before seasoning.
- Arrange chicken pieces on the steamer rack.
- After the initial cooking time is done, let the pot stand 10 minutes and then release the pressure. This step lets the Instant Pot BBQ chicken retain more of its juices instead of forcing them out through depressurization.
- The Instant Pot BBQ chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F and the juices run clear when the pieces are pierced with a fork.
- Reserve ⅓ cup of the cooking liquid to combine with the BBQ sauce ingredients. This will add depth of flavor and a smoky twist to the sauce.
- Reduce the sauce to thicken and caramelize it. By doing so, you'll have much better results with the BBQ sauce nicely coating the chicken.
If you are still new to using your Instant Pot, check out my article on How To Use The Instant Pot to get you started and to make your Instant BBQ Chicken the best.
Pressure cooked Instant Pot BBQ chicken can be refrigerated up to 4 days.
Variations
- Use a Ready-Made BBQ Chicken Rub and omit the chili powder, kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. I recommend doing a quick taste test to check out the saltiness. If you prefer to add more salt, season the chicken with kosher salt before adding the BBQ rub.
Skip Step 2 if using a ready-made rub. A great rub can give homemade taste with store-bought convenience. Some of my favorite seasoning blends for Instant Pot BBQ chicken are:
- McCormick Montreal Chicken Seasoning This seasoning adds a similar punch of flavor as their Montreal Steak Seasoning does for beef. McCormick also doesn't add MSG.
- Chicken Rub With Citrus and Black Pepper from Traeger, the folks who make pellet grills.
- Jack Daniel's Original Quality Chicken Rub
- If you already have a batch of my Homemade BBQ Rib Rub on hand that works well. For chicken, add about 1 teaspoon lemon zest (fresh or dried) to the rub for citrus highlights.
- Use Ready-Made Barbecue Sauce. You may already have your own favorite Barbecue Sauce. If so, feel free to use that with the following changes to the directions so your Instant Pot BBQ chicken comes out perfectly.
Skip Step 5 if using a ready-made sauce. Most of sauces already have an "added smoke flavor" in their ingredients. Check the ingredients on the label to be sure.
In place of Step 5, discard all the liquid from the pot (you don't want your sauce too smoky) and add 3 tablespoons water along with 1 cup of your BBQ Sauce. Select Sauté and cook, stirring, 3 to 5 minutes or until sauce is reduced by about one-third. Press Cancel. Then, continue with step 6.
A Cook's Illustrated taste test rated the following brands as their highest recommended:
- Bull’s Eye Original Barbecue Sauce
- Heinz Classic Sweet & Thick BBQ Sauce
- Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce (I use his brand frequently)
You can also use one of my recipes for Homemade BBQ Sauce or a Sweet and Tangy BBQ Sauce with this Instant Pot BBQ Chicken. Add a flavor twist to any of these sauces by adding 2 teaspoons of lemon or lime juice, orange juice, or berry jam per cup of sauce. The citrus especially works very well with Instant Pot BBQ chicken.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
- Juicy Smoked Whole Chicken
- Roasted Chicken Thighs (Family-Friendly)
- Instant Pot Whole Chicken (Moist and Tender)
Serving Suggestions
📋 Recipe
Mouthwatering Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 3 drops liquid smoke
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
BBQ Sauce
- ⅔ cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 2 tablespoons dried minced onions
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Add water and liquid smoke to the inner pot. Place steamer rack in the pot. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine chili powder, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Using paper towels, pat chicken dry. Season chicken with the BBQ Rub. Arrange seasoned chicken on steamer rack in the pot.
- Close and lock the lid. Cook on High for 8 minutes. When the cooking time is done let the pot stand, covered, 10 minutes. Then turn the steam release handle and remove the lid. An instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh should register 165°F. If more cooking time is needed, close and lock the lid and cook on High for 2 minutes and then quickly release the pressure. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Discard all but ¼ cup liquid from the pot. Stir in ketchup, molasses, onions, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard. Select Sauté and cook, stirring, 3 to 5 minutes or until sauce is reduced by about one-third. Press Cancel. Stir in vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Return chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot. Turn chicken to coat with sauce.
- Transfer chicken to serving platter. Serve with additional sauce on the side.
Cooks Tips
- Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel before seasoning.
- Arrange chicken pieces on the steamer rack.
- After the initial cooking time is done, let the pot stand 10 minutes and then release the pressure. This step lets the chicken retain more of its juices instead of forcing them out through depressurization.
- The chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F and the juices run clear when the pieces are pierced with a fork.
- Reserve ⅓ cup of the cooking liquid to combine with the bbq sauce ingredients. This will add depth of flavor and a smoky twist to the sauce.
- Reduce the sauce to thicken and caramelize it. By doing so, you’ll have much better results with the bbq sauce nicely coating the chicken.
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