Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken

This Instant Pot buffalo chicken recipe makes the most delicious sandwiches! If you like it spicy, you will love this. 

These buffalo chicken sandwiches are the perfect thing to throw together for a potluck, BBQ, or for game day. You don’t need many ingredients for this tender shredded chicken breast recipe. The Instant Pot does all the heavy lifting. 😉 This recipe is also quick… it’s ready in about half an hour.

I kept messing up the photos, and on one occasion I actually realized that I ran out of Frank’s Red Hot sauce after I put the other ingredients in the Instant Pot, so let’s just say this recipe has been well tested. Pro tip: Don’t substitute Frank’s Red Hot with sriracha. Just don’t.

Sandwiches are my least favorite thing to photograph (it’s a tie with tacos actually). Shocking, right? I think I complain about this on every single sandwich post. I tend to avoid sandwiches since I dislike photographing them, so I don’t get the practice needed for my photos to improve. Oh well! We all have our issues, right.

If you love Instant Pot shredded chicken, you may also like my Instant Pot BBQ chicken or my Instant Pot chicken tacos.

Pro tip: Buffalo chicken and ranch dressing are a match made in heaven. You can either use my homemade ranch dressing, bottled dressing, or those Hidden Valley Ranch packets (yummmm). The ranch dressing provides a cooling effect and just makes these sandwiches 1000% better. Alternatively, you could also use a blue cheese dressing. Either would be delicious! 

How to make buffalo chicken in the Instant Pot

1. Sauté the onion;
2. Add Frank’s Red Hot, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic to the Instant Pot;
3. Add the chicken;
4. Cook for 10 minutes on high pressure;
5. Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes then manually release the rest of the pressure;
6. Stir in the butter while you’re shredding the chicken, then add it all back in and coat with the sauce. 

Recipe tips:

• Want to make this recipe with chicken thighs? I’d give them 12-13 minutes then do the 5 minute natural pressure release.
• If, for whatever reason, you don’t want onions in here, you can definitely leave them out. I do love the extra flavor they provide.
• Letting the Instant Pot naturally release for 5 minutes is totally worth it. I’ve done a lot of experimenting, and quick releasing chicken breasts in recipes like this tends to make them rubbery.

What to serve with buffalo chicken

I love to serve buffalo chicken in soft buns with shredded iceberg lettuce and ranch dressing (or try blue cheese). You could even add some blue cheese crumbles if you wish!

Love buffalo chicken? Try my epic buffalo chicken soup, my easy buffalo chicken dip, these buffalo chicken tacos, this buffalo chicken chili, or my buffalo chicken flatbread pizza.

Will you make these easy Instant Pot buffalo chicken sandwiches? 

Questions? Talk to me in the comments below!

5 from 5 votes

Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken

By Natasha Bull

This Instant Pot buffalo chicken recipe makes the most delicious sandwiches! If you like it spicy, you will love this. 

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Inactive time: 15 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 6

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Ingredients 

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• ▢ 2 large chicken breasts
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1/2 medium onion chopped
• ▢ 3/4 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 3 tablespoons butter

For serving:

• ▢ Buns
• ▢ Ranch dressing
• ▢ Shredded iceberg lettuce

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Instructions 

• Add the oil to your Instant Pot and press the sauté button. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes. Turn off the sauté function when it's done.
• Add the hot sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder to your pressure cooker. Give it a good stir.
• Add the chicken and give it a stir so it's all nicely coated in the sauce.
• Close the Instant Pot's lid, set the valve on "sealing", and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. It'll take 5-10 minutes for it to reach pressure.
• While the chicken is cooking, prep your lettuce and buns. Make the ranch dressing if you're using my ranch recipe.
• Once the countdown has finished, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, and then do a quick release for the remaining pressure.
• Once the chicken's done, take it out of the Instant Pot. Add the butter to the Instant Pot, and while it's melting, shred the chicken using two forks. Add the chicken back into the Instant Pot and stir to coat with the sauce. Assemble sandwiches as desired. 

Notes

• I use Frank's Red Hot original, not their spicy buffalo. I believe that version is even spicier, so it'll really knock your socks off.
• I use this 6-quart Instant Pot.
• Inactive time indicates the time it takes the Instant Pot to get up to pressure and release pressure naturally.

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