Pulled BBQ Chicken
Pulled bbq chicken
Pulled BBQ Chicken is so good for a million different dinners! My favorite way to enjoy pulled BBQ chicken is to have pulled chicken sliders! Here you will find an amazingly easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken ready to be used to complete your favorite meal!
This Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken is full of flavor and super easy!
Comfort food and healthy do not always come together but this BBQ pulled chicken meets the best of both world! Below you have the option to make your own super simple BBQ sauce that is crazy good and healthy!
WHAT?!
Homemade BBQ sauce is actually super simple to make and will be the best BBQ sauce you ever had. Use it for more then this pulled chicken.
Why you will love this Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken
- 10 Minutes to Prep
- Super Easy
- Extremely Tasty
- Healthy (Soy Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Preservative Free)
- Family Friendly

Is pulled BBQ chicken healthy?
Ingredients you will need for this pulled BBQ chicken.
- chicken thighs (or chicken breasts)
- tomato paste
- cinnamon
- raw honey
- apple cider vinegar
- chili powder
- water
- cumin
- salt
- pepper
- paprika
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- ground mustard
What if I do not want to make my own BBQ sauce?
How to make the BBQ sauce?
How to make this pulled bbq chicken in the slow cooker?
Just throw everything into a slow cooker and let it cook on low for 4-6 hours then shred and serve. No mess, no fuss and a delicious home-cooked dinner!
You can also make this bbq chicken in a crock pot. Whatever you have at home and prefer to use this bbq chicken recipe is perfect for you.
What cut of chicken can I use?
What to serve with pulled BBQ chicken?
How to store instant pot pulled bbq chicken?
Do I need a slow cooker for this recipe?
How long should you cook bbq chicken in a crockpot?
If chicken is frozen when you place it into the slow cooker add 30 min cook time and check temperature to be sure it is fully cooked.
*See FAQ’s and specific tips following recipe below. (so you don’t have to scroll for a million years to find the food 😉 ).
How do you make Pulled BBQ Chicken? 👇
Pulled BBQ Chicken
Equipment
- Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken thighs or chicken breasts
- 1 cup favorite bbq sauce optional make your own sauce following instructions below
Homemade BBQ Sauce (Blend Together)
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 6 tbsp raw honey
- 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 tsp chili powder
- 1 cup water
- 3 tsp salt
- 3 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp mustard
Instructions
- [If making homemade BBQ sauce] Add sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. (You may have to scrap sides once or twice).
- Use 1 cup of sauce for cooking the chicken and reserve the rest to use when serving.
- Add chicken into instant pot and pour 1 cup bbq sauce over chicken.
- When the timer goes off, use the natural release for 10 minutes. After use the quick release.
- Remove chicken, shred and remove bones and then pour extra sauce over shredded chicken to fully coat. Serve and enjoy!
Freezer Directions:
- Label Freezer bag with recipe name, cooking from frozen directions and expiration date (todays date plus three months).
- Add sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. (You may have to scrap sides once or twice).
- Add all ingredients to labeled gallon freezer bag.
- Store in freezer for up to three months.
Cooking from Frozen Directions:
- Thaw overnight in fridge or in the morning in some warm water (meal may not be 100% thawed but that is ok).
- Add freezer bag contents into instant pot.
- When the timer goes off, use the natural release for 10 minutes. After use the quick release.
- Remove chicken, shred and remove bones and then pour extra sauce over shredded chicken to fully coat. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe can easily be made in a slow cooker or crock pot just set all ingredients into the slow cooker and cook on low 4-6 hours.
- Use your favorite BBQ sauce for the recipe, anyone will work.
- For some extra kick in the BBQ sauce add some chipotle pepper or adobo sauce.
- Serve pulled chicken on buns, over a salad or even to top off nachos or pizza.
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How freezer meals will change your life.
Makes homecooking Easy
Only spend one hour in the kitchen for a whole week of dinners. Day of, throw your freezer meal in the slow cooker or instant pot and enjoy dinner!
feel confident
Knowing you have a fool proof systen for something that is easy and works gives you confidence in the kitchen. So wether you're a seasoned chef or occational home cook the method of freezer cooking will work for you!
Eat Healthier
Because you're prepping the freezer meals with fresh foods you're eating healthier. Anytime you cook at home instead of eating out you get the benefits of healthier food.
Enjoy less stress
Have you ever felt the pressure of forgetting about dinner, or having to cook at the end of a long day?! No more, just grab something out of the freezer and you're good to go.
Frequently asked questions
No problem! Just throw the freezer meal in your instant pot and cook it manually for 14 minutes instead of 12 minutes.
Not this homemade bbq sauce. Traditional or storebought bbq sauce can be high in sodium and sugar. Which is why this homemade bbq sauce is perfect! Low in sodium and no artificial sugar.
A premade bbq sauce is going to be very high in sugar, additives and sodium. Homemade bbq sauces are healthy and supar easy to make!
I love using leftover bbq chicken top top of chips for bbq chicken nachos. Or you can top off a pizza for a bbq chicken pizza. You could also make bbq chicken sliders and get really fun by topping it off with slaw.
If you have a dry chicken issue adding in a sauce is a great way to add some flavor and a better texture. This bbq sauce will go a long way making dry chicken into an amazing mouthwatering dinner.
Absolutely! This recipe was created with the intent of being a healthy clean eating freezer meal! So you can feel good about what you’re feeding your family.
SO MANY THINGS! You can use it with other meats, for a sandwich, for nachos, or any other creative things you can think of. Just lick the bowl if you like…no judgement here 😉
Don't forget to pin this recipe and save it for later! 👇

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