I love making Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken. It is flavorful, with a hint of spice. Keeping this in the freezer, ready and waiting, is the key to having a diverse menu plan. Meal prepping is the key to making sure my family has delicious food options when the temptation of grabbing fast food or junk instead. Using the Instant Pot makes meal prepping simple and quick.
Use shredded buffalo chicken for all sorts of meals. Tired of ground beef for dinner over and over? Add buffalo chicken sliders topped with creamy ranch or blue cheese dressing and a side of french fries - with extra ranch dressing for dipping. Make buffalo chicken rice bowls! Perfect for using up leftovers or a great way to meal prep lunch! Make a couple of rice bowls ready and waiting for you during the week.
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Five Ingredients
- Chicken - Boneless chicken breasts work perfectly for this recipe.
- Buffalo Sauce - Use homemade Buffalo sauce or your favorite Buffalo wing sauce. Frank's Red Hot is a great option. Make sure it is wing sauce and not hot sauce. There is a difference.
- Chicken Broth - This is used to tamper down the spice of the buffalo sauce as well as moisture to the chicken while it cooks.
- Salt and Pepper - Just a bit of additional flavor for the chicken.
See the recipe card for the exact measurements and complete instructions. Selected ingredients are based on current serving sizes measured by the Monash App at the time of publishing. As always, follow your gut and modify as needed.
How To Make Buffalo Chicken
Grab an Instant Pot or whatever brand of electric pressure cooker you have, and make sure the seal is set on the cover. Spray the liner with cooking spray for easy cleanup. To the Instant Pot inner pot, add the buffalo sauce and chicken broth. Stir.
Nestle the chicken breasts into the sauce. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the chicken. Add the Instant Pot lid and set it to sealing. Cook on normal pressure for 12 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release for ten minutes, then do a quick release any remaining pressure and remove the cover.
Remove the cooked chicken breasts and shred them. My favorite way to do this is to discard the cooking liquid and place the chicken breasts back into the Instant Pot.
Grab a hand mixer and shred the warm chicken right away. Using two forks and a cutting board will also work, as well as a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
Add the remaining ½ cup of buffalo sauce and stir into the chicken. If you would prefer a more mild flavored chicken, leave the remaining buffalo sauce off and add as needed.
Use the shredded chicken for buffalo chicken sliders, buffalo chicken rice bowls, buffalo chicken lettuce wraps, and so much more. See below for additional meal ideas.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Chicken Options: Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Another option is chicken tenders. The same cooking times apply to the chicken thighs or chicken tenders.
- Chicken Stock: Use chicken stock in place of the chicken broth. They are interchangeable. Also, if you do not have chicken stock or broth, water will work.
Storing And Reheating
To Store: Keep shredded chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
To Reheat: Reheat the chicken in a microwave-safe container or a small saucepan on the stovetop until warm. Add additional buffalo sauce if needed.
To Freeze: Store chilled leftovers in a freezer-friendly container in the freezer for up to four months. Defrost the night before you want to use the leftover chicken.
Meal Planning
Let me count the ways to use buffalo chicken in menu planning.
Buffalo Chicken Sliders: The simplest dinner idea, the perfect appetizer for game day. Grab a package of Hawaiian rolls and ranch dressing. I love homemade ranch dressing. Pile on the shredded chicken, drizzle with ranch dressing, add a chopped green onion, and dinner is done.
Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls: A perfect way to use leftovers or items in your fridge. I love the combination of rice, sweet potatoes, chopped celery sticks, carrots, blue cheese crumbles drizzled with ranch dressing. There are so many different ways to make a rice bowl.
Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps: A low carb way to enjoy buffalo chicken! My favorite option is butter lettuce, but romaine or iceberg lettuce will work, too.
Get creative. Use buffalo chicken as a flavorful protein option in all sorts of meals. Need a different cooking method? Try using a Dutch oven to poach chicken breasts in the oven.
FAQs
Absolutely. A crockpot will make buffalo chicken, too, but it will just take time compared to an Instant Pot. Nestle the chicken in a crockpot liner and cook on low for 2-3 hours or until the internal temp of the chicken breasts reaches 165 degrees F on a digital thermometer. Proceed with shredding while the chicken is still warm.
Shred the chicken while it is still warm. Cold chicken is easier to slice versus shred. The best tools to shred chicken - are an electric mixer, a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or two forks.
Additional Instant Pot Recipes
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- White Chicken Chili
- Mashed Potatoes
- Chipotle Shredded Chicken
- Greek Sliced Chicken
Recipe
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken
Equipment
- Electric Mixer
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, 3-4 breasts
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 cup buffalo sauce divided
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Use a 6-quart Instant Pot or whatever brand of electric pressure cooker you have. Place the seal in place on the cover. Spray the liner with cooking spray for easy cleanup.
- To the Instant Pot inner pot, add the buffalo sauce and chicken broth. Stir.
- Nestle the chicken breasts into the sauce. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the chicken.
- Add the cover and set it to sealing. Cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release for ten minutes, then do a quick release of any remaining pressure and remove the cover.
- Remove the chicken breasts and shred them. My favorite way to do this is to discard the cooking liquid and place the chicken breasts back into the Instant Pot. Grab an electric hand mixer and shred the warm chicken right away. Using two forks will also work, as well as a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
- Add the remaining ½ cup of buffalo sauce and stir into the chicken. If you would prefer a more mild flavored chicken, leave the remaining buffalo sauce off and add as needed.
- Store the shredded chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
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