Have a quick and easy meal with Instant Pot Peach Barbeque Pulled Chicken. The barbeque sauce is full of fruity flavor, thickly coating the pulled chicken.
Weekly Chat
I know it is hard to identify anything good that came out of the pandemic, but a remote cocktail hour was something that I came to rely on.
Let's just say it's been a few years since I graduated from college. I have loosely kept in touch with my friends, exchanging birthday texts and Christmas cards. While we went to school in the south, we are scattered across the country. And like many people, we became busy with jobs and families.
I don't how it started, but in March of 2020, we had a Zoom call. The conversation was centered on the life-altering lockdowns we were experiencing and how everyone was coping. Then we decided, same time next week. And so it went. We celebrate our college memories and share old photos. We celebrate birthdays, holidays, and special events. But most of all, we celebrate our friendship.
This summer we have taken a little break. Everyone has planned vacations and family get-togethers. We are all enjoying summer. This brings me to my point. I miss our weekly cocktail hours. So to celebrate my college friends, I am making Peach Barbeque Pulled Chicken. And because it is summer and who wants to spend any amount of time in the kitchen, I am making it in an Instant Pot for a quick and easy meal.
Georgia Peach
The sweetness of peaches is a perfect match with the zing of barbeque sauce. While my inspiration for this recipe is the flavors of the south, there is another reason for the use of peaches. I bought a jar of peach jam at Costco. So you know, it is a ginormous jar. Why not use the jam? The jammy consistency is just right for a thick barbeque sauce.
Fried Green Tomatoes
This is my twist on a pulled chicken sandwich. I add a crispy fried green tomato layer on the bottom of the bun before piling on the pulled chicken. Though not necessarily a southern thing before 1991 when the movie, Fried Green Tomatoes was released, it is now. Just the texture and tang the tomato adds to the sandwich is worth the breading and frying.
Instant Meal
It only takes about 30ish minutes, start to finish, for the chicken to be cooked in the Instant Pot. After the release of the steam, use two forks to pull the chicken breasts apart. I like to have bigger chunks that add some heft.
The sauce starts to thicken also, enveloping the chicken in a tangy, sweet, and drippy mess. Yes, mess, which is what it should be. I pile it on the sandwich, in a heap. The final addition is coleslaw for the crunch and brightness of vegetables. The creaminess of the coleslaw is a pleasant contrast to the acidic barbeque sauce. Use your favorite coleslaw or make your own. I buy the prepared coleslaw mix in the produce section and add a mix of mayonnaise, pickle juice, and sugar.
Not just for sandwiches
This pulled chicken has many uses. I add it to tortilla chips for a play on nachos with a cheese such as shredded chihuahua and a dollop of sour cream. Add it to crostini for a type of bruschetta. Make mini sliders for a group of kids. I like to make a salad with crispy lettuce like romaine, the aforementioned coleslaw, and chihuahua cheese. Eat it hot or cold.
Cooking for friends
I always find it hardest to cook for just myself. But give me a group of friends and the slightest reason for a together and I am knee-deep in a mess in my kitchen cooking something I hope they enjoy.
So for T, C, O, and C - this one is for you. When you want to celebrate with friends on a warm summer night, try the Instant Pot Peach Barbeque Pulled Chicken. This easy meal comes together super quick so you can spend your time catching up with friends!
Instant Pot Peach Barbeque Pulled Chicken
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- frying pan
- 3 pie plates or low edged bowls
Ingredients
Peach Barbeque Pulled Chicken
- ¾ cup peach jam
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon grated onion
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 chicken breasts
- 6 brioche buns
Fried Green Tomatoes
- 1 green tomato
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
Instructions
Pulled Chicken
- Combine all the sauce ingredients - peach jam through red pepper flakes - in a medium-sized bowl. Pour the peach barbeque sauce into the Instant Pot. Add the chicken breasts, turning to cover with the sauce.
- Put the cover on the Instant Pot and set it for high pressure for 15 minutes. The pot will need to warm up for about 12 minutes.
- When the Instant Pot beeps and has finished pressure cooking, leave the pot to naturally release for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, free any remaining pressure with the quick release. Using two forks, shred the chicken. Toss the shredded chicken in the sauce.
Fried Green Tomatoes
- While the chicken is cooking in the Instant Pot, cut the green tomato into slices. I used 1 tomato for 6 slices. You may want thicker slices, in which case you may need 2 tomatoes.
- Beat the whole egg and combine it with the buttermilk.
- Add salt and pepper to the cornmeal.
- Set up a dredging station. On pie plates or in low-edged bowls, pour flour into one, egg/buttermilk mix in one, and the cornmeal into a third.
- The order of operations is to place the sliced tomato in the flour and coat both sides. With a fork, pick up the tomato and put it in the bowl of egg/buttermilk mix. Again make sure both sides are coated. Lastly, with the fork, place the tomato in the cornmeal. Again make sure all surfaces are covered.
- Have vegetable oil heating in a frying pan over medium-high heat. The oil should be 350 degrees to start frying. Put the tip of a wooden skewer in the oil. If small bubbles start to accumulate around the skewer, the oil should be ready.
- After the tomato slice is dredged, add it carefully to the oil. When the cornmeal is golden brown, turn the slice over to continue cooking. It takes about 3 minutes per side to fry the tomatoes.
- Drain the tomatoes on a paper-towel lined plate. Sprinkle with kosher salt and set aside until the chicken is ready. Repeat with the rest of the tomatoes.
- To assemble the sandwich, I place a fried green tomato on the bottom of a bun. I like to use toasted brioche buns. Add about ⅔ cup of the pulled chicken on top. Top the chicken with our favorite coleslaw.
Nutrition
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