Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Casserole–barbecue sauce basted chicken with melty cheese and bacon crumbles all served atop a bed of mashed potatoes and cabbage. You can make this in the Instant Pot or the slow cooker!

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Casserole
This chicken dish with a potato/cabbage mash is easy enough to whip up any day of the week. My family was a little apprehensive about the cabbage but once they tried it they all loved it! The cooked cabbage flavor is not overpowering and it’s soft, just like the potatoes.
- We love Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce. Use your favorite type of BBQ sauce.
- We cooked full pieces of bacon on our outdoor Blackstone Griddle. If you want to cut down on prep time use real bacon crumbles. I like to buy the big bag from Costco or Sam’s Club.
- The recipe calls for a combination of cheddar and Monterey Jack chesses. You can mix it up and use whatever combination of cheeses you like…parmesan, colby jack, mozzarella, etc.
- I used peeled and cubed Russet potatoes. You can also use Yukon Golds or red potatoes and leave the skins on.
- I liked using boneless, skinless chicken thighs but you can also use chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins as well.
- I used a heavy cream for the cabbage/potato mash for ultimate creaminess. You can also use milk or half and half.

More Recipes You’ll Love…
Instant Pot Dr. Pepper Chicken
Instant Pot Alice Springs Chicken
Air Fryer Sunday Dinner Chicken
Instant Pot Smoky Mountain Chicken
Want More Tried And True Instant Pot Recipes?
- Sign up to receive daily Instant Pot recipes (it’s FREE)
- Join the 365 Days of Instant Pot Recipes Facebook group
- Subscribe to my YouTube channel
- Buy the 365 Days of Pressure Cooking Cookbook

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
BBQ sauce basted chicken with melty cheese and bacon crumbles all served atop a bed of mashed potatoes and cabbage.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 3 cups shredded cabbage
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4–6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, breasts, or tenders (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Pour broth into Instant Pot. Add in the potatoes, cabbage and butter. Sprinkle with the garlic salt, paprika and pepper.
- Place the chicken thighs on top of the cabbage. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 12 minutes for fresh thighs/breasts, 15 minutes for frozen thighs/breasts or 5 minutes for tenders. When time is up let the pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Use tongs to place chicken on a plate.
- Drain most of the extra liquid. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes and cabbage together like mashed potatoes. Stir in the heavy cream. If needed, salt and pepper to taste.
- Place chicken back into the pot. Baste the chicken with BBQ sauce and sprinkle with cheese and bacon. Cover with air fryer lid and cook for 3 minutes, until cheese is melted.
- Serve and enjoy!
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Pour broth into slow cooker. Add in the potatoes, cabbage and butter. Sprinkle with the garlic salt, paprika and pepper.
- Place the chicken thighs on top of the cabbage. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours.
- Use tongs to place chicken on a plate.
- Drain most of the extra liquid. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes and cabbage together like mashed potatoes. Stir in the heavy cream. If needed, salt and pepper to taste.
- Place chicken back into the slow cooker. Baste the chicken with BBQ sauce and sprinkle with cheese and bacon. Cover with lid and cook on high for 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
I used my 6 Quart Instant Pot Duo Crisp 11-in-1 Multi-Use Pressure Cooker and Air Fryer*.
If you don’t have an air fryer lid you can simply keep the Instant Pot on the warm setting and after you put cheese on the chicken. Then put the normal lid on top and let the cheese melt for a few minutes.
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Instant Pot/Air fryer lid

*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
This looks great. To what temperature would you set the air fryer? Thanks.
I would set it to 300 degrees
Outstanding! My family votes 1-4. We gave this a 4 and the coveted “Serve to Guests” award. Couple of mods: Cooked more bacon and added it into the potato/cabbage mix, added a teaspoon of chives and 4 Oz. cream cheese to the potato/cabbage mix. Wow!
★★★★★
great compliment! Thank you Dennis!
I think this sounds delicious and can’t wait to try it! How long would you recommend cooking it without the meat? I plan to use meat substitutes that will only require as long as the potatoes.
I’d say 5 minutes pressure cook time