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This easy Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Recipe is made with just 5 ingredients and is perfect for sliders, wraps and dip — An quick dinner for busy days!

instant pot buffalo chicken recipe shredded in white bowl

If you’re looking for easy Instant Pot recipes with hardly any prep work and few ingredients, this shredded Buffalo chicken recipe is for you. Just dump everything into the Instant Pot, press start, and go!

I’m always looking for easy Instant Pot dinner recipes, and this one is one of the easiest dinner recipes ever! I’ve been meaning to make Buffalo chicken in the pressure cooker for longest time, and  I finally got the chance when we were on vacation last week.

Yes, I admit it. I am one of those people who cook on vacation. But in my defense, we were gone for a week, and eating out every day gets pretty darn pricey! Anyway, this easy chicken dinner is perfect for busy days or when you’re too tired to cook anything too complicated or when you’re on vacation!I

If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can make Buffalo chicken in the Crock-Pot. It’s one of our favorite game day dinners, but honestly, it’s so much faster in the Instant Pot!

How to make Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken

You only need 5 ingredients to make this Instant Pot Buffalo chicken recipe, and one of them is water! Just throw the chicken in the pot, and add the Buffalo sauce, butter and water.

You can even experiment with leaving the water out, but I like to thin the sauce just a tad. You don’t need much since the chicken releases its own juices, making plenty of thin liquid for the pot to come to pressure.

instant pot buffalo chicken recipe with sauce and butter in pot

10 minutes at high pressure and 10 minutes of natural release are all you need to cook the chicken breasts in the Instant Pot. But here’s the thing — If you happen to live at a higher elevation, you’ll have to add a few more minutes.

Normally, I cook recipes at about 1000 feet, but our vacation cabin in Flagstaff was at about 8000 feet, and 15 minutes of high pressure was perfect.

shred instant pot buffalo chicken recipe with hand mixer

You can shred the chicken with a hand mixer, which makes it super quick and easy. The kids love helping out twith this part!

If  you don’t have a mixer, just use two forks to shred the chicken. Toss in a little bit of ranch dressing, and you’re good to go!

instant pot buffalo chicken recipe shredded in tongs

I like to add the ranch for a creamier texture and because it cuts down the heat level a little. The Hubs isn’t a fan of hot sauce, so the ranch dressing makes the Buffalo chicken edible for him! It’s totally optional, though.

instant pot buffalo chicken recipe in white bowl with carrots and celery

You can use the shredded Buffalo chicken in sliders, wraps, pizza, dip or eat it straight up. We had it on slider buns one night and straight out of the fridge over some lettuce the next day. Yum!

Looking for more easy Instant Pot chicken recipes?

Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Recipe

5 from 9 votes

Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Recipe

By: Dee
This easy Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Recipe uses only 5 ingredients and makes shredded chicken for sliders,  wraps, salads, appetizers and dip. 
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients  

  • 3 large boneless chicken breasts (2 pounds)
  • 1 12-ounce bottle Buffalo Sauce (about 2 cups)
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons ranch dressing
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Instructions 

  • Place chicken breasts in the inner liner of Instant Pot
  • Pour Buffalo wing sauce over chicken, and add water and butter
  • Cover, turn valve to Sealing position, and hit PRESSURE COOK (or manual) for 10 minutes.
  • When pot beeps, allow 10 minute natural release, then turn valve to Venting to release remaining pressure.
  • When pin drops, open lid, and stir in ranch dressing. Shred chicken using hand mixer or shred chicken using 2 forks. 

Video

Notes

Recipe was made in 6-quart Instant Pot electric pressure cooker but can also be made in 8 quart.
 
For high altitude, cook for 15 minutes with 10 minute release, or until chicken is at least 165 degrees according to meat thermometer and easily shreds.

Nutrition

Calories: 200kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main
Cuisine: American
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I hope you love this easy Instant Pot Buffalo chicken recipe as much as we do!

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Recipe Rating




38 Comments

  1. PSULadylion says:

    I made this for my family and it was yummmmmmmy! Since my family likes things saucy, I added a cornstarch slurry after I shredded the chicken and put everything back into the IP. We also used Franks and I would suggest only doing 1 cup of the hot sauce unless you likes things with some heat. Add this to a tortilla with some blue cheese and it’s magnifique!5 stars

    1. Dee says:

      Thanks for sharing your tips! I’m glad you liked the Buffalo chicken!

  2. Lizzy says:

    Hi I just got an instant pot and am sort of intimidated so looking for easy recipes and this fits the bill! I am wondering if I could use dark meat—like chicken thighs. And what I would need to do differently cooking wise? Thanks in advance!

    1. Dee says:

      You can use chicken thighs without changing anything. 🙂

  3. Dee P. says:

    Can I cube the chicken before putting it into the pressure cooker and then skip shredding? I prefer cubed chicken rather than shredded.

    1. Dee says:

      You can cube it and brown it on the sauté setting first, and pressure cook it for only 4 minutes, if that’s what you mean. You can also cut the chicken after pressure cooking if you don’t want to shred it.

  4. Lena says:

    I didn’t feel like cooking, but I had some chicken that i had to use up, so I made mini sliders with this. And let me tell you-they were absolutely delicious! This is by far my favorite chicken recipe! I will definitely be making this again.5 stars

    1. Dee says:

      Thank you so much, Lena! I’m super glad you enjoyed the chicken!

  5. Emily says:

    I made this a couple weeks ago and absolutely loved it, so I made it again and again! It’s absolutely perfect for meal prep and leftovers!5 stars

    1. Dee says:

      So happy to hear this, Emily. Thanks!

  6. Jackie says:

    Just curious: What is the reason for the water in this recipe? I’ve made the same thing in the crockpot without water and always have to let it cook a little longer, uncovered, in order to let some of the liquid cook off and soak into the chicken. I haven’t tried it in the instant pot yet, but the pic looks like it’s very liquidy and that’s not what I’m going for so I’m thinking of maybe leaving out the water. Any knowledge on whether the water is necessary?

    1. Dee says:

      The water is just to thin the sauce slightly since Buffalo sauce is on the thick side. You can leave it out, especially if you’re using the regular hot sauce. If you want to shredded chicken to be less saucy, you can remove some of the liquid after cooking.

  7. Carol Knight says:

    can this recipe be doubled in a 6 quart pressure cooker?

    1. Dee says:

      I haven’t tried it, but you should be able to double it as long as the ingredients don’t go over the fill line.

    2. Mlowmel says:

      Can also thicken sauce with Corn Starch.

  8. Rachel D’Eredita says:

    This is the first thing I am attempting in my new instant pot. In the past I have made this in the crockpot and it has taken all day so I am really excited to give this a shot. Thank you!5 stars

    1. Dee says:

      This is one of our favorites! I hope you enjoy it. 🙂

  9. Robert Mallard says:

    I used my insta pot for the first time last night and this was the first meal I made with it. It came out great even though I forgot to add the butter. Big time recommendation.5 stars

    1. Dee says:

      Thanks so much, Robert! I’m super glad you liked it!

  10. Clare says:

    Loved this recipe! Other recipes that I’ve tried haven’t been as saucy. Great for leftovers! And so easy. The whole family loved it. I don’t care for blue cheese so threw in some Mexican cheese, was delish!

    This pregnant mama will be making this a lot in the next few months!

    Ps having trouble leaving a start rating but definitely 5 stars5 stars

    1. Dee says:

      Thank you so much, Clare! So glad you enjoyed it. The rating is fine. 🙂