Literally the best sticky, fall off the bone instant pot chicken you will ever try! It’s tender, moist and full of flavor. It cooks up fast and easy but the last step is what takes this pressure cooker bone-in chicken up another level!
This chicken came inspired from the time I spent in Costa rica, everywhere we ate they served us casados. Rice, beans, plantains, and delicious fall off the bone chicken.
How to make pressure cooker bone-in chicken
For this recipe you can use any of your favorite bone-in chicken cuts. Chicken breast, chicken thighs, my kids LOVE chicken legs. I always grab a packet of legs and thighs, bone-in. You definitely need bone-in chicken to create this recipe and chicken with this sticky bbq flavor and texture. Bone-in chicken is so inexpensive but undeniably the best kind of chicken meat.
Do I leave the chicken skin on?
I like to leave the skin on because it helps hold the juicy, tender meat together, but sometimes the chicken comes with way too much skin. Feel free to trim down the skin. If your preference it so trim it all off thats ok! just be delicate pulling them out of the pressure cooker.
How to cook bone-in chicken in the pressure cooker
It’s so easy! You will do this in layers.
- Add 1 cup of water to your instant pot and lay down 3-4 chicken pieces.
- Top with your favorite BBQ sauce. Use your favorite pastry brush or silicone brush and spread the BBQ sauce into all the cracks.
- Lay down 3-4 more bone-in chicken thighs, legs or breast. Add BBQ sauce
- Continue layering this way. I can fit about 10-12 pieces in my 6-qt instant pot.
Seal and cook on poultry setting, or high pressure for 20 minutes. I always natural release my meat to ensure that it will be nice and tender.
How to get the sticky melt in your mouth flavor
Pull the bone-in chicken out of the pressure cooker and place on a lined cookie sheet. Slather a thick coat of more BBQ sauce and broil it high in the oven for about 5 minutes.
I LOVE doing this. It creates a beautiful sticky crust with moist, tender pull apart chicken underneath. As long as you don’t broil the chicken for too long it will not dry out.
Plate these bad boys and serve immediately while they are still pipping hot! Serve with any of these delicious sides and make yourself a homemade casado! Pressure cooker black beans, Cilantro lime rice, Citrus slaw, Healthy fried plantains.
This pressure cooker bone-in chicken recipe is the ultimate instant pot recipe. The chicken has a smokey flavory, sticky firm outside, tender, pull-apart moist inside. The best meat you'll ever taste!
- 1 bottle favorite BBQ sauce
- bone-in chicken
- 1 cup water
In your pressure cooker add 1 cup water. Layer 3-4 pieces of bone-in chicken. Brush BBQ sauce over chicken.
- Add another 3-4 pieces of chicken and brush sauce over. Continue layering until your chicken is done or pot is full. I can fit about 10-12 drumsticks and thighs.
- Cook on poultry setting and slow release. (or high for 20 minutes slow release)
Once chicken is done, remove from instant pot to a foil lined sheet pan.
Remove skins (if desired). Brush a thick layer BBQ sauce over chicken. Place in pre-heated oven on broil for about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Recipe Video
Use foil on your sheet pan to protect it from the barbecue sauce that drips off and burns.
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my kids beg for this weekly!! The best!
Try making curtido (that “light coleslaw” you mention. It is a central american MUST and an old salvadoran neighbor taught me how to do it. It’s one part vinegar to one part water, with mexican oregano and salt, and tossed with shredded cabbage and jalapenos. AMAZING.Let is sit in the dressing for a couple hours before eating.
that sounds incredible!!! I’m going to try it!
Do You use the trivet to keep bottom layer of chicken out of the water?
I dont use a trivet, because of the steam a lot of the BBQ sauce melts off anyway, which is why I re-apply the BBQ sauce before putting it under the broiler.
I improvised and replaced the BBQ sauce with a Jerk glaze and it turned out perfect! Rave reviews all around. adding sauce and putting it under the broiler at the end was a great touch. I also made the cilantro lime rice which was also delicious. I made the slaw but it was too acidic and citrus as a side dish. I might add a tad more mayo and perhaps a touch of honey. I will, however, be making it for our fish tacos.
Thank you Barbara!!
EXCELLENT! EXCELLENT! EXCELLENT! Thank you for sharing.
I just made these for the first time. They were so good I thought my husband was going to eat them all. I loved how easy they are to make too.
Thank you so much!!!
Does it have to be bone in? Anything change if boneless?
I have had good success with still using dark meat and boneless- especially thighs! The type of meat is really what will help your recipe- it has a hight fat content so by pressure cooking and then broiling for a few minutes it’ll stay nice and moist and not dry out. Chicken breasts don’t work well with this type of cooking process, and they tend to shred too.
Making this tonight; does the chicken need to be thawed or could I cook from frozen? (I know; you’d think the pressure cooker would speed the recipe up enough for me, but not the case… Ha!)
Hi Cathy! Yes you can make them from frozen! Add a few minutes to the cooking time when they are frozen!
very tasty – will for sure make again
Incredibly delicious!!! And I love how easy it was!
a cup of water i found to bee too much i put in 6 leg/quarters and covers with bbq sauce and had about 3 cups of fluid after it cooked and maybe set the chicken on a trivet so it isnt swimming in water
Hi Rod, there MUST be 1 cup of liquid in the instant pot or pressure cooker in order for the pressure cooker to come to pressure. If there is not that fluid in there it will burn.
Delicious chicken I served it with red toasted potatoes. I followed the recipe, but before I put in the broiler I mix some honey, ginger and barbecue sauce and brush it on top , and after 5 minutes turned it over and repeated . It was so good and sticky. I put about a cup of the extra liquid in a pan and let it reduce, then poured it over the chicken and the roasted red potatoes. My family asked for seconds.
I has some issues with the recipe and I’m not sure why. I did everything according to recipe, but when the IP was trying to come to pressure lots of water was spraying out of the venting knob. Eventually the pin went up but the timer never started. I ended up just estimating 20 minutes from that point and doing a quick release to check on the chicken(at that time I finally got a burn notice). The bottom of the pot was burned but the chicken ended up being cooked and then I broiled it and it was really tasty. My kids loved it. Has this ever happened to you? Any ideas what went wrong? I would love to give it a second try. Thanks!
Hey Amy, It sounds like there is an issue with your instant pot seal. It wasn’t able to seal when the pot had enough to heat so it cooked all the water out and then burned. I would look at the rubber ring, and the pin. I’ve had to replaces a few different parts over time of different brands of pressure cookers. Is your an instant pot brand or another brand. My mom has this happen often with her pressure cooker XL. We have had to replace the pin several times.