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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
These tacos were amazing! I had never heard of Chipotle chili seasoning, it definitely gave the tacos an added punch of heat! I used the instant pot method. I also charred my corn on the grill – the slaw mixture was so refreshing. My family loved – will definitely be making these again!!
Thank you so much Caroline!! I am so glad this turned out so well for you and your family! xTieghan
This was so easy and SO GOOD. I did the slow cooker version and it was perfection!
Love that! Thank you Mallory! xTieghan
What sides do you typically serve with it. Making it for our camping trip
Hi Cynthia,
I like to do chips and guacamole and a few salsas. Some others would like rice and beans on the side. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Apart from yogurt are there any other alternatives to the buttermilk?
I forgot to buy it when I was at the shops and hoping I could use something else I might have at home.
Super excited to make these!
Hi Rachel! You could mix 1/2 cup milk with 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice OR white vinegar. Let it sit for about 5 minutes and that will replace the buttermilk! I hope you love this recipe! Please let me know if there are any other questions I can help with! xTieghan
WOW these were tasty. I had half a bird leftover from beer can chicken recipe, so just threw that in a saute pan with the rest of the ingredients and shredded it. Added jalapeno to the slaw. Made three “street” tacos for each of us, but my hubs went back for even more!
Amazing!! Thank you so much for trying this one, Kayti! xTieghan
Can this recipe be done with pork and if so how long would it take in the instant pot ?
Hi Emma,
Yes I would do high for 40 minutes. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. xTieghan
If I cut the recipe in half, will the cooking time (stove-top) be the same? 🙂
Hi Olivia,
Yes, I would keep everything the same! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
DELICIOUS!
Thank you so much Courtney! xTieghan
This looks amazing and I would love to make this week, except i detest cilantro! Do you think I can leave it out of the ranch and it would still have the correct consistency? Is there any I would need to use in place of the cilantro? Thank you so much!
Hi Melanie,
You can totally leave the cilantro out and use another herb that you do enjoy! I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
I just love the flavor of these – and we tend to use the chicken just as a main dish without tacos or sometimes as pulled chicken sandwiches too. So yum. One question for you I’m not sure you’ll see since it’s so far after your original post, but when you saute in the instant pot – lid off right? THe instructions say just to release the pressure but not lid off. I’m an IP newbie and I feel like when I make these I always get an instantpot error? BUt then I can’t remember from one time to the next so I make the mistake all over again.
Other than that these are fabu! Oh, and they work great with guinness btw – it’s the only beer i keep on hand.
Hi Jo,
So glad you enjoy this recipe. Yes, when you sauté it is with the lid off! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This was a very tasty recipe! I made a few changes: I sautéed half an onion, a jalapeño pepper, and five sweet red peppers in the olive oil before browning the chicken, just to give it a bit more flavor. It seemed like a lot of sauce, so I cut the BBQ to just a cup and a half and added more beer, plus some lime juice and hot sauce. The chicken was very tender, even cooked on a stove top, and good in a taco with cabbage, cotija, roasted sweet potatoes and black beans. Next time I may add a bit less barbecue sauce and a bit more hot sauce, but it is also tasty just as its written. Thank you!
Thank you Holly!! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! I hope you continue to enjoy this and others of mine! xTieghan
Hi! So excited to make this recipe today! My husband is allergic to avocados. Any recommendation on what to do for the ranch dip? Thanks!
Hi Kate,
Just go ahead and leave the avocado out. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan!
First off, this recipe sounds amazing – I can’t wait to try it!! But, I’m vegetarian so chicken is not an option for me.. I’ve heard a lot of good things about jackfruit (have yet to try it still) – do you think that could work as a sub for the chicken in this recipe? And if it does, can I still follow the same instructions for the slow cooker that you have written?
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
This recipe looks delicious. Do I need to adjust the cooking time on my Instant Pot if it is a 6 quart?
Thanks!
Hi Jill,
No need to adjust. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Loved!!! Thank you! If I choose to use pork would the cooking time be the same? Thanks!
Hi Sarah,
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Yes keep everything the same for pork. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan