Instant Pot Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

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Instant Pot Pulled Chicken is amazingly juicy and full of great BBQ flavor! So quick and easy to make, Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken sandwiches are perfect for lunch or as an easy weeknight dinner.

Weight Watchers Points included.

three instant pot pulled chicken sandwiches served in a tray

Folks, this Instant Pot Pulled Chicken recipe is sooooo good. Just think fall-apart tender Instant Pot BBQ Chicken that is perfect all year long for eating in sandwiches, salads, picnics, BBQs, and lunch boxes, and family dinners.

Meal prep fans, I highly recommend you save time and save money by doubling the recipe and freezing the rest for later use.

A quick weeknight supper solution, you’ll be thanking me later as you feed a crowd or the whole family with healthy and delicious lunches and dinner. Just like with these Instant Pot Whole Chicken, delicious Instant Pot Chicken Nachos, and Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas.

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You don’t have to have Instant Pot Pulled Chicken Sandwiches all week, try tossing the Pulled Chicken on a salad, in tacos or even just eat it as a meal itself. Talk about #mealprepwinner #winnerwinnerchickenfordinner

Ps you might also like this Dutch Oven Pulled Pork recipe.

close up view of the finished instant pot pulled chicken sandwiches

Why Make This Recipe

  • Great recipe for weekly meal prep or prepping ahead.
  • Super easy to make using mostly pantry staple ingredients.
  • It’a a one pot recipe and you don’t need to heat up the BBQ.
  • Freezes well for leftovers.
  • Perfect for potlucks and parties.

What Is Pulled Chicken?

Bbq Pulled Chicken is chicken that is cooked until super tender, and then it’s pulled apart into pieces and usually shredded into even easier to eat pieces. You can also “pull” or shred pork for many other recipes as well. 

Soooo, let’s gather up these ingredients and I will show you how to make these Shredded BBQ Chicken Sliders….

Ingredient Notes

  • Chicken – this recipe calls for boneless skinless chicken breasts and boneless skinless chicken thighs. Use skin on versions if you prefer.
  • Spice rub –  tablespoon bbq rub.
  • Broth – go for low sodium chicken broth if you can.
  • Smoky flavor–  use liquid smoke for that fresh off the grill flavor.
  • Barbeque sauce – use your favorite bbq sauce.
  • Bread– 12 sandwich buns, sandwich rolls, or slider buns.
  • To serve– with some delicious coleslaw.

Handy Tip: Use Good Kitchen Tools!

For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Instant Pot Tools on Amazon.

How To Make Instant Pot Pulled Chicken 

Do check out all my Instant Pot Recipes.

Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

  1. Mix chicken and barbeque rub in a bowl and set aside.
  2. Add broth to Instant Pot insert. Add chicken in, pushing chicken down as much as possible under the liquid.
  3. Cover and seal your pot. Press Pressure Cook/Manual on high pressure for 15 minutes.
  4. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure.
  5. Remove chicken and set it onto a plate or in a bowl. Shred your chicken using two forks or a hand mixer.
  6. Remove liquid from Instant Pot and then add chicken back in. Next, add about half a cup of the cooking liquid. 
  7. Add 1 cup of bbq sauce or more, to your taste, and stir it all together.
image collage showing the steps for making instant pot pulled chicken

To Make BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches 

  1. Split your sandwich buns or rolls.
  2. Top the bottom bun with a scoop of Instant Pot BBQ Chicken.
  3. Add coleslaw and close up the buns (my kids like adding apple sauce as well).
  4. Serve and enjoy!
  5. P.S. you can make this into chicken tacos too!
top down view of making an instant pot pulled chicken sandwich

Recipe Tips

  • Cut chicken breasts to about the size of your chicken thighs so they cook evenly. 
  • Use reduced sodium chicken broth, especially if your barbeque rub already has salt in it. 
  • If you prefer, you can brown the chicken before cooking it.
  • Using a mix of chicken breast and thighs is the best combination of flavor. 
  • To keep the chicken juicy and avoid a burn notice, make sure you’re covering your chicken as much as you can with the chicken broth
  • To make reheating easier, freeze in the right portion sizes that you need for the future. 
  • The total cook time does not include the time it takes for the Instant Pot to get to pressure and the time for the natural pressure release.
close up view of a finished instant pot pulled chicken sandwich

Meal Prep And Prep Ahead

This recipe was practically made for meal prep and prepping ahead. 

  • Prep Ahead – The Pulled Chicken can be cooked up to a few days in advance and reheated. 
  • Store – Store cooked leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. 
  • Freeze – You can freeze the cooked chicken in the bbq sauce. Follow the handy tips below on how to freeze this. – Transfer chicken into these convenient Ziploc freezer bags. Squeeze out all the extra air and seal the bags.
    • Label the bags and then lay them flat in the freezer. Store in the freezer for three months.
  • To make reheating easier, freeze in the right portion sizes that you need for the future.

Recipe Variations 

  • Prepare the Chicken Differently – Shred the chicken in bigger and smaller chunks. Whatever works for your guests. Kids tend to like smaller bites, so I shred it smaller. 
  • Change out the liquid smoke – Not everybody always has liquid smoke, so if you’re in a pinch, try some smoked paprika, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, or any of your other seasonings that can bring a little heat and flavor. 
  • Vary your BBQ sauce -Try classic BBQ sauce, maybe a Honey BBQ or Sriracha BBQ too. And guys, feel free to add more if you like.
    • If your sauce is too sweet, add in some apple cider vinegar, etc. If not sweet enough, add in some brown sugar.
  • Vary the liquid – feel free to use chicken stock or vegetable stock instead.
  • Add heat – with some chili powder, cayenne pepper, etc.
  • Add more flavors – feel free to add a bit of Worcestershire sauce. You can also add in some garlic powder, onion powder,
two instant pot pulled chicken sandwiches stacked on one another

FAQs

Can You Use Frozen Chicken? 

Guys, using frozen chicken breasts makes this easy recipe even more simple as far as time and energy goes.

Absolutely folks, you can use frozen chicken, just increase the cook time by 3-4 minutes. And season your chicken before freezing. Also, make sure that the frozen chicken breast is separate (aka not frozen together in one big lump).

What’s The Best Kind Of Chicken? 

This recipe calls for both skinless chicken breast and chicken thighs. Cooking with both tender chicken breasts and super flavorful chicken thighs really brings out the succulent taste of the chicken. 

You can use either bone in or boneless. If you’re using bone in chicken, you may need to adjust the cooking time to add a few more minutes. 

Keep in mind that you will need to shred the chicken at some point and depending on your chosen method, cooking boneless chicken usually makes shredding easier. 

How To Shred Chicken?

Use forks – Simply transfer the cooked meat to a plate or bowl and use two forks to pull it apart and shred.

Use a mixer – Add chicken into a bowl and use a hand mixer or use your stand mixer to shred it. This is especially useful if you are doing big quantities.

Why Did I Get A Burn Notice? 

If you don’t add enough broth, you may get a burn notice. Sometimes, you may have to add the trivet into the Instant Pot and sit the chicken on top of that as well. 

Some Instant Pots can be more finicky than others. Once you use your Instant Pot enough, you’ll know the little tricks you need to use. 

Close up picture of instant pot pulled chicken in the instant pot

Serving Suggestions

instant pot pulled chicken inside a glass meal prep container

More Instant Pot Recipes

Weight Watchers Points 

There are 7 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving.

Tools You Need 

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three instant pot pulled chicken sandwiches served in a tray
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5 from 6 votes

Instant Pot Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

Instant Pot Pulled Chicken Sandwiches are made with moist and juicy shredded chicken breasts and thighs, smothered in your favorite BBQ rub and sauce.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American, instant pot, Western
Servings: 12 sliders
Calories: 343kcal
Author: Bintu Hardy

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds (1.35kg) boneless skinless chicken breast and thighs
  • 3 tablespoons BBQ rub more or less, to taste
  • 1 ¼ cups (300ml) reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
  • 1 cup (240ml) BBQ sauce
  • 12 sandwich buns or sandwich rolls or slider buns
  • coleslaw for serving

Instructions

  • Combine the chicken and BBQ rub in a bowl and set it aside.
  • Add broth to Instant Pot insert. Add chicken in, pushing chicken down as much as possible under the liquid.
  • Cover and seal your pot. Select Pressure Cook/Manual on high pressure for 15 minutes.
  • Allow for a natural pressure release of 10 minutes, then perform a quick pressure release.
  • Remove chicken from your Instant Pot and set onto a plate or bowl. Shred your chicken.
  • Remove liquid from Instant Pot and add chicken back in. Next, add about half a cup of the cooking liquid with 1 cup of BBQ sauce (or more, to your taste) and stir it all together.

To make BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches:

  • Split sandwich buns or rolls.
  • Top the bottom bun with a scoop of Instant Pot shredded chicken.
  • Add coleslaw and close up your sandwiches.
  • Serve and enjoy!
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Notes

  • Cut chicken breasts to about the size of your chicken thighs. 
  • Use reduced sodium chicken broth, especially if your barbeque rub already has salt in it. 
  • If you prefer, you can brown the chicken before cooking it.
  • Using a mix of chicken breast and thighs is the best combination of flavor. 
  • To keep the chicken juicy and avoid a burn notice, make sure you’re covering your chicken as much as you can with the chicken broth. 
  • To make reheating easier, freeze in the right portion sizes that you need for the future. 
  • The total cook time does not include the time it takes for the Instant Pot to get to pressure and the time for the natural pressure release.
  • There are 7 Blue Plan SmartPoints in a serving of this.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 343kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 694mg | Potassium: 562mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 105IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 3mg

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Recipe Rating




6 Comments

  1. I don’t have and instapot… can this be made is a slowcooker?

    Thank you.
    Carolyn

  2. 5 stars
    We had this last night and everyone devoured it! My kids and husband asked me to make it again next week. Can’t beat a simple and delicious dinner like this! Thanks for sharing!

  3. 5 stars
    These pulled chicken BBQ sandwiches are so delicious and a perfect summer meal! I’m trying to use my instant pot more to simplify meal times and these were a hit!

  4. 5 stars
    I am a meal prep person. Really like how easy this is. Make it on Sunday and eat during the week.

  5. 5 stars
    I love how this can be made right in the instant pot! The chicken came out so moist and delicious.