Instant Pot™ Shredded Barbecue Chicken Recipe With Tri-Color Bell Peppers by Elisa Schmitz

I love cooking for my family using the Instant Pot™ because it makes easy, delicious meals that serve a group with so little effort. My daughter loved this Instant Pot™ shredded barbecue chicken with tri-color bell peppers recipe so much, she took the leftovers with her when she went back to college.

This mouth-watering dinner recipe was ready in about 45 minutes, but tasted like it had simmered slowly all day. It includes green, yellow and red bell peppers, which add vibrancy, flavor and nutrients to meals.

Tri-color bell peppers have different levels of ripeness. Green bell peppers are the least sweet and red ones are the sweetest. According to Mississippi State University, green bell peppers appear first and are the least ripe. “As they mature, they usually turn another color. This may be yellow, orange, red or purple.”

Bell peppers contain vitamin C, which helps the body repair tissues, heal wounds and absorb iron. “Green and red bell peppers, respectively, have two and three times more vitamin C than an orange," according to Mississippi State University. "Bell peppers also contain vitamins B6, K, A and E along with minerals and antioxidants.”

This easy barbecue chicken recipe gets added flavor from the peppers' various levels of sweetness, and all that nutritional value. It is perfect served over rice or pasta, or on toasted buns. So easy and delicious in an "instant!"

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Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 16 minutes plus about 20 minutes of pressurizing/depressurizing time
Total Time: 46 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce, divided (I used Trader Joe's, but you can make your own barbecue sauce)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 pounds boneless/skinless chicken breasts
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• hamburger buns or pretzel buns, for serving

Helpful Products

• Instant Pot™
• Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Garlic Press
• Chef Knife
• Storage Containers

Recipe Notes

• You can use fresh or frozen chicken breasts or chicken thighs for this recipe, and the cook time should remain the same unless you're using very thick pieces of chicken (if so, you can add a couple of minutes to your cooking time).

• You can use store-bought barbecue sauce or make your own barbecue sauce.

• You can serve the chicken and peppers over rice or pasta, or on toasted buns.

• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Here's how to make it:

1. In the Instant Pot™, whisk together half (3/4 cup) of the barbecue sauce, the chicken broth, the apple cider vinegar, the minced garlic, the chili powder and salt and pepper, to taste. Place the chicken into the pot, ensuring it is covered by the sauce. Place the sliced bell peppers on top of the chicken and sauce.
   
2. Close the lid and engage the steam release valve so it's sealed. Set the pot to high pressure for 16 minutes cook time. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes for the Instant Pot™ to pressurize, at which point the cook time will begin. The Instant Pot™ should alert you when the cook time ends, and that's when you should allow the pot to depressurize for about 10 minutes on its own. After about 10 minutes, you can move the steam release valve to vent so the steam releases and the pin drops down. Carefully open the pot and, using a meat thermometer, check to make sure the chicken has reached 165 degrees F.
   
3. Remove only the chicken from the Instant Pot™ and put it into a large bowl.
   
4. Using two forks, shred the chicken (you won't believe how easily it comes apart).
   
5. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of barbecue sauce into the peppers and sauce mixture in the pot and stir to combine.
   
6. Place the shredded chicken into the mixture in the pot and stir until it's thoroughly combined.
   
7. Serve chicken and peppers directly from the pot onto buns, rice or pasta, etc.
   

Recipe cooking times and servings are approximate. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography. Need to convert cooking and baking measurements? Here are some kitchen conversion charts. Here's how to submit your recipes to 30Seconds.

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