Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (fresh or frozen)
1 medium onion, sliced
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
pinch of chili flakes
Directions:
1. Set the Instant Pot ® to saute and add the oil. Let it heat until the oil shimmers, and then add the chicken, fresh or frozen to the oil. Brown for 3 minutes on each side.
2. While the chicken is browning, combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Scatter the onion around the chicken and cover with sauce.
4. Set the Instant Pot ® to manual – high pressure. Adjust the time to 20 minutes for frozen or 10 minutes for fresh, making sure the pot is in sealing mode.
5. Meanwhile, line a sheet pan with foil and set broiler to high. When chicken is finished, switch the steam release handle to venting. Allow the pressure to release and then take off lid. Carefully remove the chicken with tongs (it will be falling apart) and place on the lined pan, under the broiler, for 3 mins per side.
6. While chicken is browning, switch the pot mode to saute to reduce and thicken the sauce. Pour the thickened sauce over the chicken when it has finished browning.
Enjoy,
Julie
This was delicious. Thank you!
Thanks, Diane. So glad you enjoyed.
can the bbq sauce in the pot be saved and reused?
Sure. You can strain and then reheat as needed.
Could bone in thighs with the skin be used?
It says 1 cup BBQ sauce, is this a bought BBQ sauce in ADDITION to the ingredients listed underneath in the recipe?
Yes, or homemade if you’d like. It’s a doctored bbq sauce recipe.
Julie – my friend emailed me your recipe after I got my IP – it has become one of our favorites and is super easy!! I usually do it on the Poultry setting and it turns out great. Thanks so much!!
Made this last night with frozen thighs. SO easy and delicious! My whole family loved it!
This was wonderful! I added a can of beans to the sauce as it reduced, chopped/shredded the chicken, and then used the cooled mixture on a prepackaged BBQ ranch salad (with fresh corn, sliced yellow pepper, and grape tomatos). It was amazing. The next day I served the BBQ mixture over brown rice, which was also quite good.
How do I make a copy of one of your recipes?
I made this for my family and it was a hit. Thanks so much for sharing!
I can’t stop eating this!! SO delicious-everyone loved it. Good thing I have extra chicken-going to make more tomorrow!
never heard of a instant pot until a few days ago , bought 2 today at Walmart black Friday sale one for me one for my daughter. made this chicken for supper tonight was excellent. looking forward to trying more of your recipes
Could I do this with bone in Chicken Breast.. what would you adjust the time to?
Hi Tascha,
They should be cooked in the same amount of time. Possibly a minute less. I’d start with 9 minutes. Do the QPR and temp your chicken. Without trying I can’t be certain (I might even start with 8 minutes to avoid them drying out). You can add a minute or two if they are not at a safe temp the first time.
I’m making this now with your directions and it went to BURN….now what?
I made for first time today and my Instant Pot went to burn but then seems it cooled down and went back to counting down the time again. The chicken came out great. From researching it sounds like when you saute in pan before you pressure cook sometimes thinks get stuck on bottom which will cause hot spot. Recommended after sautéing you let cool down and/or get chicken stuck to bottom off.
I chose this recipe for my first try in my new pressure cooker. Oh my goodness…..it was the best bbq chicken I have ever made. Thanks so much for sharing. Will definitely be one of my go to recipes!
Oh my! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It is now my absolute most favorite chicken dish! So so tasty! We love it. Was a bit skeptical at first but after reading the reviews gave it a try. Glad I did. Mmmmmm.
How does this not burn without water?
This is delicious! Instead of broiling, I shredded the chicken and put it back in with the sauce. Thank you for a great recipe!
So in step 5 do you mean to do a natural release? Or do a quick release?
Did anyone experience the food “burning” in the IP? When I was sauteing the chicken, some of the meat stuck to the bottom. When I sealed the pot and it started to cook, it gave me the message “burn” so I had to turn it off and clean the bottom. I put everything back in and finished the meal.
You have to deglaze the bottom of your instant pot after sauteing. The little pieces stuck to the bottom can cause pressure and burning issues.
My husband and I tried this recipe last night. It is absolutely fantastic! Thank you for sharing.
While cooking the chicken an alert “burn” came on. Did I do something wrong?
Hi Deb,
Unfortunately, this is a problem with some newer models that have the burn indicator (my old IP does not). I believe it is the sugars that begin to caramelize. Someone suggested deglazing the pan. Maybe after browning the chicken, deglaze with 1/4-1/3 cup of water before adding the sauce. Sorry this happened to you.
Julie
Made this for this first time and deglazed the pot(after reading comments) and it turned out perfect. This is now my favorite instant pot chicken recipe.
I’m trying this tonight but only have (buy) chicken breasts. I hope it turns out great!
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