Instant Pot Rocky Top Chicken–barbecue chicken with lots of flavor plus cheese and bacon on top!
Note: the Instant Pot and slow cooker instructions are both listed in the recipe card below.
Instant Pot Rocky Top Chicken
This recipe is a take on a dish that used to appear on the Longhorn Steakhouse menu. It’s basically loaded barbecue chicken. It’s got a spice rub, barbecue sauce, cheese, bacon, tomatoes and green onions. It brings boring chicken to a new, exciting level.
I love using tender chicken thighs for this recipe. You can use boneless or bone-in. Fresh works best since the rub sticks to it nicely. I haven’t tried this with chicken breasts yet but if you’re a white meat fan you can definitely try it.
If you need to make this recipe for a crowd I suggest making it in the oven instead of in the Instant Pot so there is room for the chicken to stretch out. Line a baking sheet with foil and place seasoned chicken pieces on top. Brush each piece with barbecue sauce and bake at 425 for 25 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Add the cheese and bacon and bake until melted. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes and then serve.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Smoked paprika
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs–this recipe is best with fresh thighs. You can also use bone-in chicken thighs. Chicken breasts will also work although they won’t be as moist and tender (use same cooking time).
- BBQ sauce–I like Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce.
- Monterey jack cheese–or another type of cheese like mozzarella or pepper jack.
- Bacon crumbles–You can also fry up about 3-4 pieces of bacon and crumble over the top.
- Roma tomato
- Green onions
Steps
- Make a rub: In a shallow dish stir together the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Season the chicken: Dredge each piece of chicken in the seasonings until coated.
- Prepare Instant Pot: Pour 1 ½ cups water into bottom of Instant Pot. Place a trivet in the bottom of the pot. Lay the chicken pieces on top of the trivet.
- Pressure cook: Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 12 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Finish off the chicken under a broiler: Use tongs to place chicken on a foil-lined pan. Brush 2 Tbsp of BBQ sauce on each piece of chicken. Place a piece of cheese on each piece of chicken. Sprinkle each piece of chicken with 1 Tbsp of bacon. Broil the chicken for 2 minutes.
- Serve each piece of chicken topped with tomatoes and green onions.
Notes/Tips
- You can also complete step 5 in your Instant Pot if you have an air fryer lid. Dump out the water and dry out the pot. Place loaded chicken in bottom of Instant Pot and then use the air fryer lid for about 2 minutes at 400 degrees to melt the cheese.
- Serve with steamed vegetables and a baked potato.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in an 8 quart pot.
- This chicken is so tasty I would suggest doubling the recipe. Just make sure when you place the chicken on the trivet it’s not directly on top of each other. Double all the ingredients (not the water under the trivet) and keep the cooking time the same.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes you can make with smoked paprika are Instant Pot Smoky Mountain Casserole and Keep A Man Chicken (Air Fryer Or Oven).
5 More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes…
Instant Pot Apricot Chicken
Sticky apricot glazed chicken that is full of flavor. With only 5 ingredients this dump and go recipe will become a staple at your house!
Instant Pot Chicken Julienne
Chicken tenderloins in a creamy lemon paprika sauce. An easy, dump and go, saucy chicken recipe.
Instant Pot Perfect Chicken
Creamy chicken, mushrooms, onions and sauce with lots of flavor from seasonings and lemon juice. With a little effort you can have an amazing tasting dinner!
Instant Pot Shoyu Chicken
Soy sauce and brown sugar marinated chicken thigh pieces cooked quickly in your Instant Pot. A flavorful chicken that tastes great over rice.
Instant Pot Smothered Chicken and Rice
Creamy rice with chicken smothered in cheddar and bacon crumbles. An easy recipe that takes only a few minutes to prep and cook!
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Instant Pot Rocky Top Chicken
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 37 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Barbecue chicken with lots of flavor plus cheese and bacon on top!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
- 4 slices of monterey jack cheese
- 4 Tbsp bacon crumbles
- 1 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 green onion, sliced
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- In a shallow dish stir together the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Dredge each piece of chicken in the seasonings until coated.
- Pour 1 ½ cups water into bottom of Instant Pot. Place a trivet in the bottom of the pot. Lay the chicken pieces on top of the trivet.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 12 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Use tongs to place chicken on a foil-lined pan. Brush 2 Tbsp of BBQ sauce on each piece of chicken. Place a piece of cheese on each piece of chicken. Sprinkle each piece of chicken with 1 Tbsp of bacon. Broil the chicken for 2 minutes.
- Serve each piece of chicken topped with tomatoes and green onions.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- In a shallow dish stir together the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Dredge each piece of chicken in the seasonings until coated.
- Lay each piece of chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker. Brush 2 Tbsp of BBQ sauce on each piece of chicken.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours.
- Place a piece of cheese on each piece of chicken. Sprinkle each piece of chicken with 1 Tbsp of bacon. Replace the lid and let cook for a couple more minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Serve each piece of chicken topped with tomatoes and green onions.
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Instant Pot
*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.
The 3rd paragraph at the top of this page says “ If you need to make this recipe for a crowd I suggest making it in the oven instead of in the Instant Pot so there is room for the chicken to stretch out. Line a baking sheet with foil and place seasoned chicken pieces on top. Brush each piece with barbecue sauce and bake at 425 for 25 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Add the cheese and bacon and bake until melted. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes and then serve.”
Hope this will be helpful.
I am sure that it can. I haven’t tried it though so I’m not sure on the time and temp. If you experiment with it let me know!