Pressure-Cooker Cola BBQ Chicken

Labor Day weekend. The end of a summer that didn't feel like summer — no Summerfest (canceled), no big cookouts (limited gatherings), no normal anything. But the weather doesn't know about pandemics. Eighty degrees. Lake Michigan blue. Bay View in September is still beautiful, even when the world isn't. Dad's cookout, version 2020: just Mom, Dad, and me. Outdoors. Socially distanced. Paper plates. Dad grilled brats — his territory, forever. I brought smoked wings and the patriotic potato salad and a case of Kowalski Lager. We ate at the picnic table in the backyard, six feet apart, and Dad said, "This isn't right," meaning the distance, meaning the masks, meaning all of it. He's right. It isn't right. But it's what we've got. Mom asked about the podcast. I recorded it on Thursday — a forty-five-minute conversation about Polish food, immigrant traditions, cooking through grief, and the role food plays in preserving identity. The host was thoughtful and the conversation flowed. I talked about Babcia, about the recipe cards, about Mrs. Wojcik, about the deliveries during lockdown. I also talked about Helen's — on a podcast with a hundred thousand listeners, I talked about my dream of opening a pierogi shop. The dream is fully public now. There's no taking it back. The podcast drops next week. I'm nervous in a way that's becoming familiar — the pre-publication jitters, the vulnerability of putting your life on a microphone and sending it into the void. Cooked Dad's birthday dinner early — his birthday is in November but I wanted to do something while we can still eat outside. Beer-braised short ribs with horseradish mashed potatoes. The short ribs are braised in Forest Floor (the porter — dark, smoky, the cherry notes melting into the meat sauce). Four hours of simmering. The meat falls apart. The sauce is glossy and deep. Dad had two and said, "These again. Good." "These again. Good." The Kowalski family review system: if Dad asks for it again, it's entered the canon.

Dad’s review system has exactly one tier: if he asks for it again, it’s canon. That Labor Day, it was the short ribs that earned the nod—four hours of dark porter and low heat doing what only time can do to tough meat. But the principle translates to anything braised low and slow in something sweet and dark, which is exactly what this pressure-cooker cola BBQ chicken delivers in a fraction of the time. It’s the same instinct—use what you have, apply heat, let the sauce go glossy—just scaled down to a weeknight when you need something that tastes like you meant it.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

3 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 6 thighs)
1 can (12 oz) cola (not diet)
1 cup barbecue sauce, divided
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Instructions

Season the chicken. Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Combine smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl; rub evenly over all sides of the chicken.
Sear for color. Set your electric pressure cooker to the “Sauté” function and add the vegetable oil. Once shimmering, sear the chicken thighs skin-side down for 3–4 minutes until golden. Work in batches to avoid crowding. Remove and set aside.
Build the braising liquid. Pour the cola into the pot and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Stir in 3/4 cup of the barbecue sauce, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce until combined.
Pressure cook. Return the chicken to the pot, skin-side up, nestling the pieces into the liquid. Seal the lid and cook on High Pressure for 18 minutes. Allow a natural pressure release for 5 minutes, then quick-release any remaining pressure.
Reduce the sauce. Transfer chicken to a rimmed baking sheet. Switch the pressure cooker back to “Sauté” and simmer the cooking liquid for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it reduces by about half into a glossy sauce. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup barbecue sauce.
Finish under the broiler. Brush the reduced sauce generously over the chicken thighs. Broil on the top rack for 3–4 minutes until the skin is lacquered and slightly charred at the edges. Watch closely.
Serve. Spoon extra sauce over the top and serve immediately alongside mashed potatoes, coleslaw, or crusty bread to catch the drippings.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pressure-Cooker Cola BBQ Chicken — Dad Said “These Again” and That Was Enough