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Weeknight style Instant Pot BBQ Beer Pulled Chicken Tacos…with spicy avocado jalapeño ranch and sweet corn slaw. Because loaded tacos are just better. Shredded chicken in a spicy BBQ beer sauce stuffed into warmed tortillas to make the best saucy tacos. All made in the instant pot (along with slow cooker and stove-top instructions). Serve each taco with a creamy, spicy avocado jalapeño sauce, fresh corn slaw, and a little cheddar cheese too. The perfect weeknight dinner…comes together in minutes and is so delicious too! Bonus, this saucy BBQ chicken is great leftover and piled high onto your favorite tortilla chips from some seriously delicious BBQ chicken nachos.
Say hello to your new favorite weeknight taco. I know, BBQ chicken tacos sound a little off, but trust me, these are so good. Habitual actually, because anything with sweet and spicy barbecue sauce is always fingerlickin’ good.
The one thing I have on my mind right now more than anything is back to school. Somehow we have entered into late August. Little sister Asher is headed back to school this Thursday, and sadly summer is starting to wind down. Just writing that has me a little sad. Most summers I’m ready to move ahead and enter into fall. But this year, I wish summer could stay a bit longer. Anyone else?
So with that mindset, I’m holding onto summer in every which way possible, and trying to incorporate all the summer produce I can get my hands on. Today it’s corn, tomorrow it’ll be plums…then more corn, zucchini, herbs, sweet peaches, and everything else. These seasonal recipes are always my favorite and these tacos are no exception. Not only are these tacos easy to make, they’re a great way to use up summer cabbage, corn, and herbs. They’re also perfect for busy weeknights. And even better for upcoming Monday night football…currently all my brothers and dad seem to talk about these days. They’re also just plain delicious.
So DELICIOUS.
Here is how you make these BBQ beer pulled chicken tacos.
First up, you can make this chicken in the pressure cooker, the slow cooker, or on the stove-top. I wanted to make sure that everyone could enjoy these saucy tacos so I gave directions for all.
You’ll want to combine the chicken thighs or chicken breasts with a few seasonings, your favorite beer, and your go-to BBQ sauce. I’m a huge fan of my homemade BBQ sauce. I also really like Primal Kitchen BBQ sauce, which is what I use when I don’t make my own. You can either cook quickly in the instant pot, or cook low and slow in the slow cooker. For this recipe, either option is just as good. It just depends on how little or how much time you have. Once September hits, I always prefer slow cooking so that warming smells can run through my house. It’s always kind of cozy to slow cook once the weather cools off a bit. But until then, I use the instant pot.
Now, if you don’t love beer or just don’t drink it, you can easily use chicken broth, or even apple cider, in place of the beer. The beer adds a deep flavor to the sauce, but it’s definitely not a must, so do what works best for you!
While the chicken is cooking, make the avocado ranch, which I took straight out of the original HBH cookbook. I LOVE this ranch so freaking much. It’s light, healthy, tangy, and really great with so many things. It’s just a simple mix of ripe avocado, tangy buttermilk, herbs, spicy jalapeño, a squeeze of lime, and a pinch of salt. Simple, but good.
The ranch is also used in the sweet corn slaw, which is just shredded cabbage, grilled corn, and chives. Tossing the slaw with the ranch gives it so much flavor, but keeps the recipe incredibly fresh and simple too.
Once the chicken is finished cooking, shred, and stuff it into warmed tortillas. Then add sharp cheddar cheese, plenty of slaw, and extra ranch for serving.
It’s a very different taco, but again, trust me. These tacos are a game-changer…
And speaking of games. These are not only great for busy weeknights, but how fun will these be for Monday (Thursday+Sunday) night football! The chicken can slow cook all day, then everyone can build their own tacos for dinner.
Easy, fun, and all-around good. Excited to have these tacos in my rotation.
Oh, and a meal prep tip for you with the leftovers! You can easily make a big batch of this chicken on Sunday or Monday nights. Then just serve up throughout the week. You can use the chicken in tacos, make bbq chicken sliders, quesadillas, even chicken sandwiches…repurpose the chicken to make some serious KILLER nachos. Oh my gosh, that will be so good, you must do this!
If you make this instant pot bbq chicken recipe, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch The How To Video:
Instant Pot BBQ Beer Pulled Chicken Tacos.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 578 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce
- 1/2 cup of your favorite beer, or use chicken broth (I use Pumpkin beer)
- 3 cups shredded cabbage
- 2 cups grilled or steamed corn
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro roughly, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- warmed corn or flour tortillas and shredded sharp cheddar cheese, for serving
Avocado Ranch
- 1 avocado, halved
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 jalapeño, halved and seeded
- juice from 1 lime
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- kosher salt
Instructions
Instant Pot
- 1. In the bowl of your instant pot, combine the chicken, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, cinnamon, 1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce, the beer, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high pressure/manual for 8 minutes. Once done cooking, use the natural or quick release function and release the steam. 2. Switch the instant pot to sauté and cook 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Shred with two forks. Add remaining BBQ sauce, if desired. 3. Meanwhile, make the ranch. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy, adding additional buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed to thin the sauce.4. To make the slaw, add the cabbage to a bowl with a few spoonfuls of the ranch and toss to combine. Add the corn, cilantro and chives, and season with salt.5. Stuff the cheese and chicken into the warmed tortillas. Top with slaw and addition ranch. Enjoy!
Slow Cooker
- 1. In the bowl of your slow cooker, combine the chicken, chili powder, paprika, cinnamon, 1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce, the beer, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours. Once the chicken is done cooking, shred with two forks. Stir in the cilantro and remaining BBQ sauce, if desired. 2. Follow the directions as directed above for steps 3-5.
Stove-Top
- 1. Combine the chicken, chili powder, paprika, cinnamon, and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a bowl. 2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and sear the chicken on both sides, about 3-4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add 1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce and the beer. Cover and simmer the chicken for 1-2 hours. If the sauce gets too thick, add additional beer to thin the sauce out. Once the chicken is done cooking, shred with two forks and stir in the cilantro and remaining BBQ sauce, if desired. 2. Follow the directions as directed above for steps 3-5.
This post was originally published on August 19, 2019
Can you sub buttermilk with something else?
Hi Vivian! You could try subbing yogurt for the buttermilk. I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
delish. Everyone voted to make again!
Thank you Sarah! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! While you have other lovely vegetarian recipes… I cannot stop thinking about this one and would love to know your suggestion(s) for swaps for the chicken. I was thinking pulled jackfruit but have not cooked with that yet. Thanks! Jessica
HI! I am not familiar with jackfruit so it is hard for me to say, but that does sound like a great idea! You could also use cauliflower florets, which I am sure would be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
I’m following the recipe exactly but as soon as my instant pot pressurized and the clock started ticking down, I got a “burn warning”. I opened it up and nothing was burning/sticking so I just am going to try to do it again… did anyone else experience this/any ideas on how to avoid? Other than that, smells delicious and excited to try!!
Hey Kate! I am so sorry for the trouble. I have never had the burn message appear on my instant pot, so I am completely stumped. Is there enough liquid in the pot when cooking?
Some people have mentioned getting this on their IP recipes and I am starting to wonder if it is a malfunction with the instant pot. What version do you have?
Again so sorry for the trouble! Please let me know if you have any other questions. xTieghan
Made these today. So so good. I loved being able to do it in the instant pot. Even my picky kid liked them. She wants them as a bbq pulled chicken sandwich tomorrow night 😉
Yes! That is so great to hear! Thank you for trying this! xTieghan
Yesssss! I made this tonight for a Superbowl food day at work tomorrow and I can’t stop eating it. I made it with bottled barbecue sauce, but next time I’ll try the recipe for it. I’m already looking forward to making this again.
Wow love that! I am really glad this turned out so well for you and everyone! Thank you! xTieghan
We made this – instant pot version – for a “cook the books” potluck (at which all dishes were recipes by Tieghan Gerard), and it was a big hit! We did a test run the week before and then tweaked a few things, to positive effect, and here are those notes: skinless boneless thighs are juicier than breasts; use a BBQ sauce that is not overly sweet (e.g. original, not honey); be sure to reduce the sauce before you shred the chicken (otherwise it stays soupy); the sauce takes more like 15 minutes to reduce enough – don’t quit too soon! We’ll definitely make again.
Hi Amanda! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you so much! xTieghan
These tacos were delicious! I halved the recipe and had to make a few substitutions based on what we had in the kitchen but the hubby finished them all! I substituted the ranch with an avocado/cilantro/greek yogurt sauce and it was still just as delicious. Will definitely be making these again soon. Thanks for the menu inspiration!
Thank you Carrie! I am so glad you loved these! xTieghan
Outstanding!!! A few notes…
I didn’t have buttermilk so subbed milk with a half T lemon juice in dressing. Still delicious.
I had twice as many servings of meat and dressing as I did slaw mix, so I’ll definitely double the cabbage/corn/chives next time. It all worked perfectly together and the slaw went quick!
I am so glad you loved this Allison! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,great recipe!to adapt it to my son’s taste I have substituted bell pepper with carrots and used cubed chicken breast.bye from Italy!
I am so glad you enjoyed this! Thank you Michela! xTieghan
How would you change this to fit a 6QT Instant Pot?
Hey Tina, you don’t need to make any changes. This will be great as written. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
I made this on the stove top and it was delicious! Any tips on how we make this ahead for a party?
Hi, looking to make this for a party. How do you suggest to make it ahead of time?
Hello HC! You could make this a day ahead and then store properly in the refrigerator before the party. Then I’d suggest reheating in the slow cooker or instant pot slowly and then the meat can stay warm during the party for folks to make their own tacos. Let me know if you have any other questions. Hope that helps and you have a great party! X Kelly
Have made this recipe twice. So good! I have pork shoulder in freezer going to try with pork instead of chicken!
I am so glad you have been enjoying this one! I hope it turns out just as well for you with pork!! xTieghan
Hi! I’m making these in the slow cooker right now and have a question! Garlic powder is listed in the ingredients, but I don’t see where you incorporate that into the dish. Is it part of the seasonings you add to the pot with the bbq, chili pepper, and cinnamon? Also- I’m obsessed with your recipes. I make at least two a week and my whole family goes WILD over everything. You’re amazing.
Hey Ameara!! The garlic powder should be added with the seasonings. Recipe is all fixed! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! AND Thank you! You are so sweet and I am happy you are enjoying my recipes! xTieghan