Pressure Cooker Barbecue Chicken

This is another wonderful meal to make in the pressure cooker quickly. And it's comfort food at it's best. I love to make fast, healthy meals that my family loves, and this has been a crowd pleaser every time. By cooking the chicken first in the pressure cooker, it comes out soft and juicy, rather than dry and tough. 

Use your favorite store-bought barbecue sauce or make one of your own to use in this recipe. If you want a little stronger BBQ flavor on the chicken, you can discard the cooking liquid and brush the chicken with straight BBQ sauce before broiling. We've done it both ways and both are good, but thickening the cooking liquid does take a bit more time.

Pressure Cooker Barbecue Chicken

Printable Recipe

*Serves 7 to 9

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 Cup BBQ sauce (your favorite kind)

1/2 Cup + 1-1/2 Tbsp. water, divided

4-5 lbs. chicken thighs (boneless or bone-in), trimmed of fat with skin removed

1/4 tsp. salt + more to taste

1/8 tsp. pepper + more to taste

1-1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:

In a pressure cooker, heat oil over medium heat (or saute' function for electric pressure cookers). Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until the vegetables soften. Stir in the barbecue sauce and 1/2 cup water. Add the skinless chicken thighs, meaty sides up. Lock the lid in place and cook for 10 minutes at high pressure. When time is up, allow the pressure to naturally release and open the lid. 

Preheat the broiler and grease a broiler pan. Transfer the chicken to the pan and season both sides generously with salt and pepper. Place chicken meaty side down on the pan and set aside. 

Meanwhile, bring the cooking liquid in the pot to a boil over medium-high heat. In a small bowl, combine 1-1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch with 1-1/2 Tbsp. cold water and stir until smooth. Once the barbecue sauce liquid has reached a boil, slowly add about half of the cornstarch mixture and stir until liquid starts to thicken. Add more of the cornstarch mixture if necessary and simmer until barbecue sauce has reached a thick enough consistency. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper if necessary to give it more flavor.

When sauce is ready, brush the top side of the chicken with the sauce. Place pan 6 inches from boiler heat and broil until glazed, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove pan from the oven, turn the chicken, and brush the other side with sauce. Broil another 2 to 3 minutes, until the other side is glazes. Serve chicken hot, with the additional sauce on the side. 

Recipe Source: Adapted from a recipe from Key Ingredient