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    Recipes » Recipes

    Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Recipe

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure for more information. Published: Jul 16, 2018 · Modified: Mar 25, 2021 by Dee

    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!

    Jump to Recipe -

    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 salsa verde chicken
    • Instant Pot whole chicken
    • Instant Pot chicken soup
    • Instant Pot honey mustard curry chicken

    Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Recipe

    instant pot buffalo chicken recipe shredded in white bowl

    Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Recipe

    Published by Dee
    This easy Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Recipe uses only 5 ingredients and makes shredded chicken for sliders,  wraps, salads, appetizers and dip. 
    5 from 9 votes
    Print Recipe Share by Email
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time 2 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 22 mins
    Course Main
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8
    Calories 200 kcal

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

    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

    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 information is estimated. Please do your own calculation to fit special diets.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 200kcal
    Tried this recipe? Please comment and rate it! Show me your dish on Instagram!Mention @meatloafandmelodrama or tag #meatloafandmelodrama!

    I hope you love this easy Instant Pot Buffalo chicken recipe as much as we do!

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    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. PSULadylion says

      April 08, 2021 at 5:10 pm

      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

      Reply
      • Dee says

        April 08, 2021 at 8:17 pm

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

    2. Lizzy says

      January 19, 2021 at 8:23 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • Dee says

        January 20, 2021 at 9:08 pm

        You can use chicken thighs without changing anything. 🙂

    3. Dee P. says

      December 06, 2020 at 7:19 am

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

      Reply
      • Dee says

        December 06, 2020 at 12:29 pm

        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

      July 22, 2020 at 8:45 pm

      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

      Reply
      • Dee says

        July 22, 2020 at 10:36 pm

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

    5. Emily says

      July 17, 2020 at 1:07 am

      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

      Reply
      • Dee says

        July 22, 2020 at 10:47 pm

        So happy to hear this, Emily. Thanks!

    6. Jackie says

      January 29, 2020 at 12:51 pm

      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?

      Reply
      • Dee says

        January 29, 2020 at 5:27 pm

        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

      December 09, 2019 at 7:14 am

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

      Reply
      • Dee says

        December 09, 2019 at 7:44 am

        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.

      • Mlowmel says

        April 20, 2020 at 12:08 pm

        Can also thicken sauce with Corn Starch.

    8. Rachel D’Eredita says

      November 13, 2019 at 1:17 pm

      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

      Reply
      • Dee says

        November 14, 2019 at 8:07 am

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

    9. Robert Mallard says

      April 11, 2019 at 6:03 am

      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

      Reply
      • Dee says

        April 11, 2019 at 8:25 am

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

    10. Clare says

      March 13, 2019 at 1:37 pm

      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

      Reply
      • Dee says

        March 14, 2019 at 9:26 am

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

    11. Jeremy says

      March 08, 2019 at 4:49 pm

      Can you sub buffalo sauce with like teriyaki or dry garlic and get the same affect minus taste obviously?

      Reply
      • Dee says

        March 09, 2019 at 12:25 pm

        You can, but you might have to add a little more or less water depending on how thick or thin the teriyaki sauce is.

    12. Manish says

      January 22, 2019 at 5:45 pm

      Hi! I made this recipe (but with four chicken breasts, just adding in a little extra of the ingredients). II find it very tasty, but too liquidy. I think when I eat the leftovers, I'll use tongs, as seen in one of the pics, to pour some chicken out . Aside from that, very tasty and easy. Such a nice kick!

      Reply
      • Dee says

        January 23, 2019 at 11:26 pm

        I'm glad you liked the flavor! There is a lot of sauce, and there will be more if you add more chicken or liquid. We use tongs for serving since it does allow extra sauce to drip off.

    13. Lori says

      November 09, 2018 at 6:32 pm

      Have you tried starting with frozen chicken breasts ?

      Reply
      • Dee says

        November 09, 2018 at 9:58 pm

        I haven't personally used frozen chicken, but people do and say it turns out fine. It just takes longer to reach pressure.

    14. Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says

      July 17, 2018 at 11:54 pm

      Looks delicious and so easy to make! !5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        July 18, 2018 at 11:01 am

        Thanks, Erin! It's super easy to make!

    15. Krista says

      July 17, 2018 at 12:14 pm

      We love buffalo chicken anything! I have to make this!

      Reply
    16. Toni | Boulder Locavore says

      July 17, 2018 at 10:42 am

      This will be a sure hit in my house! Can't wait to give it a try!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        July 17, 2018 at 2:38 pm

        Thanks, Toni. I hope you like it as much as we do! 🙂

    17. Sabrina says

      July 16, 2018 at 7:44 pm

      I need to add this to our menu for next week! Love that there are so many ways to use this!

      Reply
    18. Demeter says

      July 16, 2018 at 7:42 pm

      This sounds so flavorful! What a great way to spice things up!

      Reply
    19. Jamielyn says

      July 16, 2018 at 5:04 pm

      Looks delicious! One of my favorites!

      Reply
      • Dee says

        July 17, 2018 at 10:03 am

        Thanks, Jamielyn. It's one of our favorites, too! 🙂

    20. Amanda says

      July 16, 2018 at 2:01 pm

      This is one of my all time favorite things to make and you just made it so much simpler!! Thank you!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        July 17, 2018 at 10:02 am

        Thanks, Amanda! I think we'll be making this on a lot in the fall! 🙂

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    I’m the blogger, chief cook, recipe developer and photographer behind Meatloaf and Melodrama. I absolutely love to create easy, budget-friendly, homemade meals and treats for my family. I also love to think of new ways to repurpose leftovers so that my family will actually eat them!

    More about me →

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