Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken
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Create the most flavorful Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken with this quick and easy 3 ingredient recipe! Use the shredded chicken to make tacos, dips, salads, sandwiches, or pasta recipes. You can use boneless or bone-in chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or frozen chicken to make this easy Instant Pot recipe.
In 2018, this was the first Instant Pot recipe that I shared on the blog. Since then, I’ve made this recipe dozens of times. It’s the quickest and easiest way to make shredded buffalo chicken to use in dozens of different recipes.
Before the Instant Pot, I used a traditional pressure cooker on the stove to make shredded chicken for tacos, pasta dishes, and sandwiches. Now with the Instant Pot, it’s even easier to make shredded chicken quickly at home.
The difference between my recipe for Instant Pot buffalo chicken, and other recipes you might find online, is my homemade chicken wing seasoning. It’s the secret ingredient that makes this THE BEST shredded buffalo chicken recipe on the internet! If you love the taste of buffalo wings, then you’re going to love this recipe.
The best part about this recipe is that it can be made using fresh or frozen chicken breasts, bone-in or boneless chicken, and chicken breasts or thighs. This makes it a truly versatile recipe, no matter what chicken you have in your fridge or freezer.
I love to use this recipe is to cook frozen chicken breasts that I forgot to defrost. Yup, we’ve all been there! Luckily, there’s no need to defrost chicken before adding it to the Instant Pot. Just pop it right in and let the pressure cooker do the work!
Ingredients
- Boneless or bone-in chicken breasts or thighs – frozen, fresh, boneless or bone-in, chicken breasts or thighs, they’ll all work for this recipe! If using fresh boneless chicken breasts, you’ll want to cook them for 10 minutes, for everything else, add 2 minutes to the cooking time.
- Buffalo sauce – I’m loyal to Frank’s RedHot wing sauce, but feel free to use your favorite brand of buffalo sauce.
- Chicken wing seasoning – It only takes 5 minutes to whip up this easy 6 ingredient spice blend that adds so much flavor to this Instant Pot buffalo chicken recipe. If you don’t have the chicken wing seasoning, I recommend using 1 teaspoon salt + 1 teaspoon chili powder + 1 teaspoon garlic powder to season the chicken.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos above to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Season the chicken breasts, or thighs, with chicken wing seasoning. Add them to an Instant Pot.
- Pour buffalo sauce on top of the chicken in the Instant Pot.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the pressure valve to “sealing”. For bone-in chicken breasts, frozen chicken breasts or chicken thighs, set the timer on the Instant Pot to HIGH pressure for 12 minutes. For fresh (not frozen) boneless chicken breasts, set the timer to pressure cook for 10 minutes.
- Once the timer beeps, allow the Instant Pot to pressure down for 10 minutes. Move the pressure valve from “sealing” to “venting” to release any remaining pressure. Once all of the pressure has been released, remove the lid from the Instant Pot.
- Use two forks or tongs to remove the chicken from the Instant Pot. Place it on a large cutting board.
- Use two forks or meat claws to shred the chicken. Toss the chicken back in the buffalo sauce in the Instant Pot. Use the chicken immediately in a recipe, or place the lid back on the Instant Pot to keep the buffalo chicken warm until you’re ready to use it.
Recipe tips
- One pound of chicken will give you approximately 2 cups of shredded chicken. Chicken breasts vary in size greatly. When determining how much shredded chicken you’ll need for a recipe, I recommend going by weight NOT the number of breasts or thighs.
- This recipe can be made with 1 pound of chicken, or up to 6 pounds of chicken, using a 6 quart Instant Pot. If making the recipe with 1 pound of chicken, cut the seasoning and buffalo sauce in half. Always make sure the bottom of the Instant Pot is covered in liquid, or you risk getting the “burn” signal. If doubling or tripling this recipe to make 4 or 6 pounds of chicken, you’ll want to double or triple the amount of seasoning and buffalo sauce.
- Cooked, shredded chicken will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the shredded chicken in an airtight container, like a freezer bag, for up to 6 months.
- It should take approximately 25-30 minutes to cook buffalo chicken in an Instant Pot. Once you add the ingredients to the pot and set the timer, it will take approximately 6-10 minutes for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure. After that, you’ll need to cook the chicken for 10-12 minutes, then let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes.
- You can cook frozen chicken in an Instant Pot. There’s no defrosting required. And you only need to add 2 minutes to the cooking time if your chicken is frozen.
- To make creamy buffalo chicken, stir in ½ cup ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing, after you’ve cooked and shredded the chicken.
Ways to use it
The great thing about this Instant Pot buffalo chicken recipe is that you can use it to make meals all week for lunch or dinner.
For every pound of chicken, you’ll want to add ¾ cup of buffalo sauce to the Instant Pot. For this recipe, I used two pounds of chicken and 1 ½ cups buffalo sauce, which is 12 ounces, or the standard size bottle of Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce.
Depending on how many recipes you want to prep for the week, you might want to make more chicken. Each pound of chicken will yield approximately 2 cups of shredded buffalo chicken. I’ve listed how many cups of buffalo chicken you’ll need for each recipe below. You can use this guide to determine how much Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken you’ll need to make for a weekly menu of buffalo chicken goodness!
- Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Pasta – you’ll need 2 cups of buffalo chicken and 29 minutes to make the recipe.
- Buffalo Chicken Taco Ring (pictured above) – you’ll need 3 cups of buffalo chicken and 29 minutes to make the recipe.
- Pull Apart Buffalo Chicken Rolls – you’ll need 1 cup of buffalo chicken and 20 minutes to make the recipe.
- Buffalo Chicken Baked Pasta – you’ll need 2 cups of buffalo chicken and 29 minutes to make the recipe.
- Buffalo Chicken Dip Taco Cups – you’ll need 2 cups of buffalo chicken and 29 minutes to make the recipe.
- Buffalo Chicken Wrap – you’ll need 1 cup of buffalo chicken and 5 minutes to make the recipe.
- Buffalo Chicken Salad Sliders – you’ll need 2 cups of buffalo chicken and 10 minutes to make the recipe.
- Buffalo Chicken Tacos – you’ll need 2 cups of buffalo chicken and 29 minutes to make the recipe.
- Buffalo Chicken Phyllo Rolls – you’ll need 2 cups of buffalo chicken and 29 minutes to make the recipe.
- Buffalo Chicken Dip – you’ll need 3 cups of buffalo chicken and 35 minutes to make the recipe.
- Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese – you’ll need 2 cups of buffalo chicken and 10 minutes to make the recipe.
- Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins – you’ll need 1 cup of buffalo chicken and 50 minutes to make the recipe.
- Buffalo Chicken Bites – you’ll need 1 cup of buffalo chicken and 25 minutes to make the recipe.
For each of these recipes, when made with the Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken, you do not need to toss extra buffalo sauce with the chicken. The above time to make each recipe is in addition to the time needed to make the Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken.
To make a simple meal with the shredded buffalo chicken, simply pile it on toasted buns, top it with shredded cheddar cheese, and add any other toppings you like. I always add shredded carrots, sliced onions, and shredded lettuce.
More Instant Pot recipes
Try my other go-to recipes, made in the Instant Pot!
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds skinless chicken breasts, boneless or bone-in, fresh or frozen
- 2 tablespoons chicken wing seasoning, click link for the recipe
- 12 ounces buffalo sauce
Instructions
- Season the chicken with chicken wing seasoning, and add it to an Instant Pot. Pour the buffalo sauce over the chicken in the Instant Pot.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the steam release is set to “sealing”.
- For bone-in chicken breasts, frozen chicken breasts or chicken thighs, set the timer on the Instant Pot to HIGH pressure for 12 minutes. For fresh (not frozen) boneless chicken breasts, set the timer to 10 minutes.
- Once the timer beeps, allow the Instant Pot to pressure down for 10 minutes, then move the pressure valve from “sealing” to “venting” to release any remaining pressure.
- Once all of the pressure has been released, remove the lid from the Instant Pot.
- Use two forks or tongs to remove the chicken from the Instant Pot and place it on a large cutting board. Use two forks or meat claws to shred the chicken.
- Once the chicken is shredded, toss it back in the buffalo sauce in the Instant Pot.
- Use the chicken immediately, or place in an airtight container in the refrigerator for later use.
Notes
- If you don’t have the chicken wing seasoning, I recommend using 1 teaspoon salt + 1 teaspoon chili powder + 1 teaspoon garlic powder to season the chicken.
- One pound of chicken will give you approximately 2 cups of shredded chicken. Chicken breasts vary in size greatly. When determining how much shredded chicken you’ll need for a recipe, I recommend going by weight NOT the number of breasts or thighs.
- This recipe can be made with 1 pound of chicken, or up to 6 pounds of chicken, using a 6 quart Instant Pot. If making the recipe with 1 pound of chicken, cut the seasoning and buffalo sauce in half. Always make sure the bottom of the Instant Pot is covered in liquid, or you risk getting the “burn” signal. If doubling or tripling this recipe to make 4 or 6 pounds of chicken, you’ll want to double or triple the amount of seasoning and buffalo sauce.
- Cooked, shredded chicken will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the shredded chicken in an airtight container, like a freezer bag, for up to 6 months.
Nutrition Facts
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4 Comments on “Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken”
Any idea what the exact times are? Thanks!! Can’t wait ?
Hi Shannon, I’m sorry, I’m a bit confused. What exact times are you asking for?
This is the bomb!!! Love everything buffalo!! ?
My favorite and yours 🙂