Chipotle Honey Chicken

Chipotle Honey Chicken is a homemade pulled barbecue chicken recipe made with a chipotle chili pepper dry rub, then tossed in a sweet honey barbecue sauce. It’s the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. This recipe can be made in an Instant Pot, slow cooker, in the oven, or on the grill and enjoyed all year long. Use it on sandwiches, in tacos, or in many other recipes. It’s delicious!

This post contains affiliate links. See our Disclosure Statement for more information.

Last year, I worked really hard on a recipe for Chipotle Honey Barbecue Ribs. It turned out so amazing, that I wanted to use the same flavors in another recipe for chicken.

Because I leave all the grilling to my fiancé, I wanted to make this recipe for Chipotle Honey Chicken something that I could easily make myself any time of the year. I follow the same general idea as my ribs recipe, but use the Instant Pot as either a pressure cooker or slow cooker instead of the grill. You could also use a traditional slow cooker or Crock pot.

And, this recipe can also be made in the oven, or yes, even on the grill. See the notes section of the recipe card for the directions on how to make this recipe with either of those methods.

Why This Recipe Works

Cooking chicken in an Instant Pot or slow cooker with a little bit of chicken stock will result in chicken that’s moist, juicy, and easy to shred.

The chicken is seasoned with chipotle chili powder to give it a little heat. The homemade barbecue sauce is made with honey and brown sugar. It’s a delicious combination of sweet and spicy.

Use this pulled barbecue chicken on sandwiches, in tacos, or with a variety of other recipes.

How to Make Chipotle Honey Chicken in a Slow Cooker

What You Need To Make This Recipe

To make the Chipotle Chicken for this recipe, you will need:

• 2-3 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons chipotle chili powder
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chicken stock

To make the Honey Barbecue Sauce, you will need:

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

The entire recipe and instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can also print the recipe from the card, if needed.

Note: the chicken breasts in the photo are huge. We use Instacart for our shopping sometimes, and while I ordered organic chicken breasts, they were out of stock and my shopper showed up with these unusually massive chicken breasts. They do weigh between 2-3 pounds total, as the recipe calls for.

Prep!

Set up your slow cooker and have all of the ingredients out for the chicken.

You can make the barbecue sauce later, or make it ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator until you need it.

Create!

Mix together the chipotle chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and salt in a small bowl.

Rub the mixture onto both sides of all of the chicken breasts.

Add the chicken broth to the bottom of the slow cooker and place the chicken breasts inside, as well.

Secure the lid and cook on low for 6 hours.

 

Once the chicken is cooked, remove it to a bowl and shred it with two forks. Drain all but 1/2 cup of liquid from the slow cooker, and return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker set on warm.

To make the Honey Barbecue Sauce, whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, white vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.

Pour the sauce over the chicken. Stir until well combined.

Present!

At this point you can leave it in the slow cooker on warm until needed, or serve it right away.

How To Make Chipotle Honey Chicken In An Instant Pot

To make this recipe in an Instant Pot, the only change you will make is how you cook the prepared chicken. Follow the instructions above for how to season the chicken and prepare the barbecue sauce.

1. Place the trivet and the chicken stock into the bottom of your Instant Pot. Lay the seasoned chicken breasts on top of the trivet and close the lid ensuring that the valve is in the sealed position.
2. Set to pressure cook on high for 12 minutes for 2 pounds of chicken, or 15 minutes for 3 pounds of chicken.
3. Once the time is up, allow the Instant Pot to do a natural release for 10 minutes, then open the valve to release and remaining pressure and carefully open the lid.
4. Remove the chicken to a bowl and shred with 2 forks. Drain all but 1/2 cup of liquid from the bottom of the pot, return the shredded chicken and toss with the barbecue sauce.
5. Set the Instant Pot to Keep Warm, as needed.

Tips and Techniques

• To make this recipe in the oven, or on the grill, season the chicken as directed in the recipe card. Preheat your grill or oven to 350°F and cook the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (cooking time will vary with the size of your chicken). Shred the cooked chicken and toss with the barbecue sauce as directed in the recipe card.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Use within 3-4 days.

FAQ’s

What Goes Good With Barbecue Chicken?

You can pair this chicken with a huge variety of sides. Traditional barbecue sides like corn on the cob and potato salad are excellent choices.

You can also make roasted potatoes, any vegetable side dish, or coleslaw to serve with this recipe.

More Chicken Recipes

Here are a few more chicken recipes that you might like:

• Pulled Chicken Tacos with Mango Salsa
• Chicken Enchilada Pasta
• Bruschetta Chicken Pasta with Garlic Breadcrumbs
• Grilled Buffalo Chicken Wraps Recipe
• Chicken Roll Ups with Smoked Mozzarella & Bacon

Love this Chipotle Honey Chicken Recipe? Follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for more!

If you try this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would please leave a comment and star rating. Thanks!

This recipe was originally published on June 20, 2018. It was updated with new images, more thorough instructions, including alternative cooking methods, tips, techniques, and FAQ’s in October 2020.