Name: Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 cup water; 1 lb chicken breasts; 1 cup buffalo wing sauce; 2 tbsp melted butter; 1/4 tsp salt; 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles; Carrots, celery and cucumber (to serve); Salad dressing (to serve)

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This Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken is super easy to make and comes together with buffalo wing sauce and blue cheese – serve with carrot sticks and celery for a full meal!

Ingredients in buffalo chicken

I like to use chicken breast for recipes like this one. You will be shredding the chicken after it cooks. It’s easier to use chicken breasts because it shreds well and there are no skin or bones to have to discard.

Other ingredients you will need for this recipe are:

Buffalo wing sauce – Buffalo sauce is typically made with hot sauce, vinegar, worchestire sauce, butter and seasonings. The original Buffalo sauce uses Franks Red Hot sauce as the secret ingredients. This sauce is a little spicy because of the hot sauce. If you want something more mild, it’s easy to make your own Buffalo sauce and adjust the amount of hot sauce you use.
Butter and salt
Blue cheese crumbles

I like to serve this with fresh veggies on the side, just like you would get Buffalo chicken wings in a restaurant.

How to make buffalo chicken in the Instant Pot

In less than 30 minutes, you will have a delicious meal or a refrigerator full of healthy lunches. The great taste of Buffalo wings comes in a healthier serving of chicken breasts and is super quick when you use your Instant Pot.

Here’s how to make Instant Pot buffalo chicken:

Add water to the bottom of the Instant Pot. The Instant Pot works based on the pressure from the steam the water produces. You always need liquid in the Instant Pot for it to work and not burn.
Place the trivet in the bottom of the pot. While you do need the water for the Instant Pot to work, you don’t want your meat sitting in the water. The trivet comes with the Instant Pot and is so useful for recipes like this!
Put the chicken on top of the trivet and set the Instant Pot to cook for eight minutes
Let the pressure release naturally. This means you don’t have to do a thing while the Instant Pot cools. It continues to cook the chicken while the pressure drops.
Shred the chicken. Use a knife or pull it apart with two forks.
Toss the chicken with Buffalo sauce, butter and salt (the butter cuts the heat of the hot sauce!)

Can you use frozen chicken?

One advantage of an Instant Pot is that you can cook chicken from frozen in it. Unlike a crock pot that takes a long time to heat, the Instant Pot increases the temperature very quickly. The meat does not sit at a dangerous temperature or allow bacteria to grow in the Instant Pot.

If you are using frozen chicken breasts, you will need to increase the cooking time. It will take 11-14 minutes with a natural release depending on the size of the breasts.

More topping ideas

I like to serve this Instant Pot Buffalo chicken with blue cheese crumbles, just like you would eat Buffalo wings. You can try different toppings to create unique combinations. Here are some more topping ideas:

Diced red onion
Jalapenos
Cheddar cheese
Avocado
Cilantro
Chives

What to serve with buffalo chicken

The side dishes are more than just a vehicle to get that smothered Buffalo chicken to your mouth. These great pairings let the Buffalo taste shine and enhance the creamy sauce:

Fresh veggies like carrots, celery and bell peppers
Tortilla chips
Crackers
Bagettes
French fries
Pretzels

Ways to use up Buffalo chicken

Since it’s easy to double this recipe, you can use it to feed a crowd at a party. You can also use it as the base of several other meals. Shredded Buffalo chicken tastes great as part of these other dishes as well:

On a sandwich
Topping for pizza
In a wrap
Loaded French fries or potato skins
Mixed with pasta
Stuffed in an egg roll or wonton
Wrapped in crescent rolls

Storing and reheating

Instant Pot Buffalo chicken will last in the refrigerator for five days. That means that you can make this in advance or divide it into individual portions or use it for meal prep.

To reheat individual servings, put it in the microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Stir and continue to heat it if needed.

If you make the entire dish in advance, you can reheat the Buffalo chicken on the stove top or in the oven. Add a little more Buffalo sauce or water if it starts to dry out.

Freezing shredded Buffalo chicken

You can freeze Buffalo chicken for about three months. This is true of any shredded cooked chicken.

You can follow this recipe to quickly cook shredded chicken to freeze. Then you can season it as you wish when you are ready to eat it.

Thaw chicken in the refrigerator overnight before reheating it for a minute or two in the microwave. You can also reheat from frozen for 5-6 minutes – make sure to sprinkle some water overtop before reheating and stir halfway through.

More Instant Pot chicken recipes

Meal prep tools for this recipe

The trivet that comes with your Instant Pot
Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this chicken into weekly lunches
I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen
Get a meat thermometerto make sure your chicken is cooked through
Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months

Instant Pot resources

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