To say I love my Instant Pot is an understatement. It really does come in so handy for me living here in Istanbul to make anything from a few “cans” worth of beans for easy burritos, chickpeas for hummus, or almost-instant succulent, pull-apartable (that’s a word right?) chicken like this BBQ chicken. Considering I have to pull out a 15 pound converter each time I want to use my Instant Pot that I schlepped from the states with American voltage is a small price to pay for convenience. While this post may be the first Instant Pot one yet, I assure you more are coming as it has been busy at work. It takes a few times to figure out the kinks with each recipe, but so far no unsalvageable disasters. Just keeping my fingers crossed it continues working as well as it has been with the converter!
Now for these Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches with Cilantro Slaw. They truly made for a perfect almost-end-of-summer dinner. In fact, when my 6-year-old, who happens to have an incredible nose for foods, walked in the door from school after I had just opened the lid to the Instant Pot, his exact words were “what is that smell that smells like something amazing?” And when I told him it was BBQ chicken (the same I’ve made before,) he hugged me and said “Oh thank you, mom!” I can’t make these moment’s up, but I can sure savor every last one of them and document it right here for safe-keeping. You know, those moments when it feels like we’ve actually got something right, the ones that maybe don’t happen all that often some days?
The BBQ chicken comes together super fast. I added a few spices to some store bought BBQ sauce, and together with some red onion and garlic, voila, Instant Pot magic. Reduce the sauce slightly right in the pot while you shred the chicken and then throw it back in the sauce. I found some buns that resembled a brioche bun I’d find back home, toasted it a little and then piled on the sweet and tangy chicken with a generous portion of slaw on top.
The Cilantro Slaw doesn’t take too much time at all and for you lucky people (so jealous btw) who live in a place where you can buy pre-packaged slaw mix or bags of already shredded cabbage and carrots, lucky you, this slaw will be cake to make. But if you have to shred each item by hand as I did, I assure you, it’s still not too bad. The dressing is somewhat lighter than your average coleslaw as it’s made with a combo of mostly yogurt and a little mayo. A little apple cider vinegar, lime juice, and honey balance it well to pair with the chicken. And then a big dose of fresh cilantro brings the freshness to the next level. I added a dash of sesame oil, but that is completely optional. Paired with a light potato salad we were in summer food heaven.
Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Sandwiches with Cilantro Slaw
Mouth-watering BBQ chicken sandwiches that taste like they took all day to make but come together in no time at all with the help of an Instant Pot and topped with a slightly sweet and tangy slaw.
Ingredients
Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken
- 2 tbsps vegetable oil
- 1- 1 1/4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
- 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
Cilantro Slaw
- 1 1/2 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1 1/2 cups shredded purple cabbage
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp mayonaise
- 2 tsps apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1 1/2 tsps honey
- 1/4 tsp sesame oil (optional)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 1/4 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
To Garnish
- fresh or pickled jalapenos
- hot sauce
Instructions
For the Cilantro Slaw
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In a large bowl, combine the green & purple cabbage along with the carrots and toss to combine.
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In a separate small bowl, mix the greek yogurt with the next 8 ingredients up until the cilantro to make the dressing.
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Toss the dressing with the slaw and mix until throughly combined. Season with salt & pepper if desired. Then add the cilantro and mix well. Set in the refrigerator while you make the chicken.
For the BBQ Chicken
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In a small bowl add the bbq sauce along with the next 6 ingredients. Stir well and set aside.
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Set the Instant Pot to the Saute setting on Normal. When hot, sear the chicken in the oil for 2 minutes per side.
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Press Cancel and then add the water to the Instant Pot and then the onions and garlic on top of the chicken. Pour the bbq sauce over everything. (Be sure to do it in this exact order to prevent the bottom of the pot from burning.)
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Close and lock the lid and make sure the pressure valve is set to Seal. Hit the Pressure Cook button for 10 minutes.
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When done, let the steam release naturally for 10 minutes, press Cancel, then release the remaining steam carefully and open the lid.
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Remove the chicken from the pot and set to Saute mode. Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce the sauce for about 5-7 minutes until thickened slightly, stirring occasionally, then press Cancel again.
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Meanwhile shred the chicken with two forks. Add back to the pot when the sauce is finished and stir to combine.
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The chicken can be served immediately or set to Warm if serving later.
To Assemble-
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Toast the buns if desired, then place a big pile of the BBQ chicken on the bottom bun followed by a generous scoop of the slaw, some hot sauce or jalapenos if that's your thing, and then the top bun. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
* The slaw is crunchiest on the first day but can be stored in the fridge for up to about 3 days. You might need to strain it a little on the second day as I did.
*A combo of chicken breast and thighs would be nice or even all thighs.
*This recipe was made in a 6-quart Instant Pot.
