Get ready to elevate your taste buds with the ultimate crowd-pleaser, Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken On Sliders! Bursting with smoky, tangy flavors, this quick and easy recipe will transform your kitchen into a barbecue haven.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
- Easy To Make: This Pulled Chicken Sliders Recipe is an easy and delicious dish that can be served as a meal, snack, or appetizer.
- Great Flavor: The combination of chicken, pickles, and BBQ Sauce provides a unique flavor that will have you coming back for more.
Be sure to check out these Turkey Sliders and Pork Sliders while your here!
📋 Ingredients
You don't need much for this recipe! Snatch up the ingredients on your way home from work.
- Large Chicken Breast: Chicken breasts are the main protein in the sliders, it's lean and absorbs the BBQ sauce flavors well.
- BBQ Sauce: Gives the chicken a rich, tangy, and smoky flavor that's a signature of BBQ chicken.
- Purple Onion: Adds a sharp and slightly sweet flavor, providing a crunchy contrast to the soft chicken.
- Kosher Pickle Chips: Offers a tangy crunch that complements the rich BBQ sauce and balances the overall flavors.
- Dinner Rolls: Soft and slightly sweet, complementing the savory filling.
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
- More Flavor: Feel free to add some garlic powder or onion powder to the chicken breast for added flavor and taste.
- Add Spice: For a spicy kick had a little chili powder to your favorite bbq sauce and cooked chicken.
- Chicken Thighs: You can switch your skinless chicken breasts for boneless skinless chicken thighs if you wish to use a different chicken meat.
🔪How To Make Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken
- Step 1: Place the chicken breast in the Instant Pot on a trivet and add a cup of water or chicken broth to the bottom of the inner pot. Close the lid and seal the pressure valve. Hit the manual or pressure cook button and set the time for 8 minutes.
- Step 2: Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release the pressure for about 10 minutes. Then Quick Release the remaining pressure. Shred the chicken breasts. Add the BBQ sauce and sauté for 1 minute.
- Step 3: Half the rolls with a knife and place the bottoms of the rolls in a 9 x 9 baking pan.
- Step 4: Spread the shredded BBQ chicken across the rolls.
- Step 5: Top the pulled chicken with sliced onions, pickles, and then the top bun. Broil sliders on high for 90 seconds
- Step 6: Remove from the broiler, serve, and enjoy
👩🍳 Expert Tips
There isn't really much to this recipe, but if you want to make it even better, here are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind:
- Use chicken broth. Instead of using water to pressure cook the chicken, use chicken broth. It will make your chicken even more tender and juicy. Check out our recipe for Homemade Chicken Broth here.
- Use honey BBQ sauce. For a sweeter more flavorful slider, use a BBQ sauce with honey. I use Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Barbecue Sauce.
Store leftover Instant Pot pulled chicken sliders in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They can stay fresh for up to 3-4 days.
If possible, store the chicken and slider components separately to maintain the texture and prevent sogginess. Reheat the chicken before assembling the sliders.
Pulled chicken freezes well. If you've made a larger batch, freeze the pulled chicken in an airtight container or resealable bags. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Shredded chicken works best for sliders. You can use slow-cooked, baked, grilled, or rotisserie chicken. For extra flavor, cook chicken breasts or thighs in a slow cooker with BBQ sauce until tender.
It depends on your taste! Sweet, smoky, or spicy BBQ sauces all work well. You can mix in honey, hot sauce, or a dash of apple cider vinegar to customize the flavor.
Soft, slightly sweet buns like Hawaiian rolls are a popular choice, but you can also use brioche, potato rolls, or slider buns for a different texture.
Classic toppings include coleslaw, pickles, red onion, melted cheese, or crispy fried onions. A drizzle of ranch or chipotle mayo can also add extra flavor.
Serving Suggestions
These are my favorite dishes to serve with BBQ Chicken Sliders Recipe:
- Crispy Sweet Potato Fries: Oven-baked perfection with a touch of paprika for added smokiness.
- Tangy Coleslaw: Shredded cabbage, carrots, and a zesty mayo dressing for a refreshing crunch.
- Loaded Potato Skins: Crispy potato skins loaded with cheese, bacon, and green onions.
- Black Bean Salad: A refreshing mix of creamy avocado, black beans, corn, and cilantro.
🍜 Related Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Leave a review and a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below, or tag us in our Facebook Group! Alternatively, bookmark it in your browser or save to Pinterest.
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Sliders Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Breasts Large
- 1 Cup BBQ Sauce
- ½ Purple Onion Sliced
- 9-11 Pickles
- 9 Dinner Rolls
Instructions
- Place chicken breast in the instant pot on a trivet and add a cup of water.
- Close the lid and seal the pressure valve. Pressure cook on high for 8 minutes.
- Manually release the pressure once finished cooking. Remove the chicken from the instant
pot and pour out the water. - Shred the chicken, return to the instant pot, and place on sauté. Add the BBQ sauce and sauté for 1 minute.
- Half the rolls with a knife and place bottoms of rolls in a 9 x 9 baking pan.
- Spread shredded BBQ chicken across the rolls, top with sliced onions, pickles, and then
the top bun. - Broil sliders on high for 90 seconds (or less depending on your oven. Keep a close on
to prevent burning). - Remove and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
More Tasty Instant Pot Recipes For You To Try:
- Instant Pot Homemade Bread
- Instant Pot Salisbury Steak
- Instant Pot Meatloaf
- Mexican Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
Booyah! Time to bust out my Instant Pot. I bought it like a year ago, but I never used it. I think this is the perfect recipe to break it in.
This sounds like an absolutely delicious instant pop recipe - I have to admit I do love BBQ chicken.
Quick and easy is my kind of recipe. I need to make this for dinner.
These sure look amazing. I love sliders. I'll have to try these ones out. I'm sure they're delicious.
What a fun summertime recipe. Thanks for sharing! I'd love to make this next time we have guests over.
Gosh, it looks so yummy 😋 I can eat this everyday!
My wife and I love to buy sliders because they're great as snacks. It seems like a good idea to make them at home instead. We can also serve it to guests.
great!
these look really good! make a great summer lunch option
THEY REALLY DO AND SO SUPER TASTY TOO!
Yum, so easy to make and delicious making. I really need to get myself an instant pot. Can't beat the speed and ease.Yum!
That looks great. I've heard about many great things that can be made with the instant pot.
I've never tried preparing chicken sliders before. I've only tried beef sliders. I must try that. Looks delish!
It's a great high protein option!