This Instant Pot BBQ Chicken is so juicy, tangy flavorful and smothered in barbecue sauce. It is the perfect recipe for a summer cookout or a simple family dinner. It is so easy and fast it’s ready in just 25 minutes with a pressure cooker.
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Ingredients
- Bone in, skin on chicken legs
- Bone in, skin on chicken thighs
- Brown sugar
- Salt
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Black pepper
- Worcestershire sauce
- Apple cider vinegar
- Chicken broth
- Barbecue sauce ( My favorite is Sweet Baby Rays)
How To Make Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
If you follow these step by step instructions. You will have the juiciest and delicious pressure cooker BBQ chicken ever.
Start by adding brown sugar, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper into a medium mixing bowl. Mix until well combined. Sprinkle spice mix over chicken thighs and legs and coat all sides.
Next, place chicken thighs and legs in pressure cooker. Combine chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar and whisk together. Carefully pour liquid mixture into Instant Pot making sure to not wash the spices off.
Now the chicken is ready to be pressure cooked. Place the lid on your pressure cooker and lock into place. Turn pressure release valve to sealing, then select pressure cook, high pressure. Cook for 10 minutes. It will take 10-15 minutes for the pressure to build up. Before the cooking timer starts to count down. When timer runs out turn release valve to release. Wait for safety valve to drop before removing lid.
Place a baking rack in a baking sheet. Remove chicken from pressure cooker and place on baking rack. baste all sides of chicken thighs and drumsticks with BBQ sauce.
Broil chicken thighs and legs for 5-6 minutes. Just enough to brown the BBQ sauce and crisp the skin. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and enjoy.
Best Chicken For Pressure Cooker BBQ Chicken
When I think of a summer cookout I think of chicken on a bone. So I decided to use skin on and bone on chicken thighs and legs. The bone and dark meat add so much flavor during the cooking process. Combined with all the spices and BBQ sauce this will be the best barbecue chicken you have ever had.
You can also use chicken breasts, but they won’t turn out as juicy as bone in chicken. If you decide to use chicken breasts. You will want to lower the cooking time to 8 minutes. If they are thick cuts you can leave the cook time at 10 minutes. It is really easy to over cook chicken breast in a pressure cooker. So if you are unsure cook them for 8 minutes. Then check the internal temperature and make sure they are 165 degrees.
For chicken breasts that have reached 160 degrees. Just place them back in the pressure cooker and place the lid back on. Let them set for a couple of minutes and then recheck the temperature again. There is no need to turn it back on. The retained heat will be enough to finish the cooking process.
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 bone in, skin on chicken drumsticks
- 6 bone in, skin on chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1½ cups chicken broth
- 1 cup barbecue sauce (I used sweet baby rays)
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl combine brown sugar, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper. Mix until well combined. Sprinkle spice mix over chicken and coat all sides.
- Place chicken thighs and drumsticks in pressure cooker. Combine chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar and whisk together. Carefully pour liquid mixture into Instant Pot making sure you don't wash spices off.
- Place the lid on your pressure cooker and lock into place. Turn pressure release valve to sealing, then select pressure cook, high pressure. Cook for 10 minutes. It will take 10-15 minutes for the pressure to build up. Before the cooking timer starts to count down. When timer runs out turn release valve to release. Wait for safety valve to drop before removing lid.
- Place a baking rack in a baking sheet. Remove chicken from pressure cooker and place on baking rack. baste all sides of chicken with BBQ sauce.
- Place chicken on baking sheet in the oven and broil 5-6 minutes. Just enough to brown the BBQ sauce and crisp the skin.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
HAVE YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE?
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The best tasting chicken! Love how simple it was to make in the Instant Pot! Came out so tender too!
I love how juicy it comes out of the Instant Pot!
So simple to make for a delicious dinner! Big hit at my house!!
This is one of my families favorites. Glad your family loved it.
I love my pressure cooker! You can take a recipe that would normally take an hour and have it done in half of that time! Can’t wait to try this!
I love mine too! My only regret is waiting so long to buy one.
This looks amazing. Unfortunately, I don’t have a one pot cooker, but I love the simplicity of this meal. Yum!
I just barely got one this year. It has been one of the best purchases ever. It usually cuts cooking time in half and everything I cook in it is so juicy.
Another great recipe for the Instant pot! Looking forward to making this for dinner tonight; looks too good to pass up!
You should definitely try this one out. It is such a tasty and easy recipe.
My family loved this recipe, and it was so easy! I am still learning my instant pot, so it was a great recipe for a beginner.
I love to experiment with the Instant pot too! I am a novice when it comes to it.
Oh, my yum. This is finger lickin’ good. I’m so glad there are leftovers so I can have some later today too.
There is usually not leftovers at my house. I wish there was, because this chicken is so good.
Love instant pot for making such amazing recipes. Making bbq chicken surely looking promising. I can try it with paneer or tofu.
If you try paneer or tofu. I would love to hear how it turns out.
I love how quick and easy this is to make and how delicious and juicy it turns out. Certainly will be making it again.
I just got an instant pot and can’t wait to try this out!
I love mine! I just barely got it a couple of months ago. Can’t wait to see what you come up with.