Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Wings

Inside: Heat up your taste buds and make perfectly crispy Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Wings (from frozen chicken if needed) in a matter of minutes. These Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Wings are our favorite go to appetizer for family movie night!

There is just something magical about a cold glass of a crisp ale with finger licking good spicy buffalo wings. Curl up under a fuzzy blanket and spin up a good movie and you have my ideal night in.

The thing is, I hate store bought buffalo wings. They just aren’t the same. Most brands I have tried lack the crispy outer skin with the juicy, tender chicken meat and the drip off your fingers sauce.

You know…the key elements to bbq or buffalo wings…

And when it comes to making buffalo chicken from scratch, y’all I am probably just too lazy because it always seems like a lot of time and effort. That was until I learned how to make buffalo chicken wings in the Instant Pot.

Magic y’all. This is straight up magic.

Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Wings

I think my biggest issue with cooking anything is remembering to thaw it. If I had a slogan, it would be, “Oh Shit. I forgot.”

For like everything.

This is where the love affair with my Instant Pot comes in. Since buying our Instant Pot my kids cereal consumption has gone down…sorry General Mills.

How to Make Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken When Your Meat Is Frozen

For this Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Wings Recipe you can cook them either from thawed chicken wings and legs, or frozen.

If you go the frozen route you will have a bit more grit and fat on them since trimming that junk off of a frozen piece of chicken is pretty much a pain in the ass. But, if you can pull it off, more power to you!

Also, if you are rocking the frozen buffalo in your Instant Pot, it is gonna take a bit more time under pressure. I personally would increase it to at least 12-15 minutes.

If you need some help learning how to adjust your cooking times based on your needs swing over and check out our cheat sheet pdf. That cheat sheet lives on my fridge and is my sanity.

And if you aren’t one to like a good kick in your tastebuds, you can replace the buffalo sauce for any type of sauce you would like. I’m a pretty big fan of Frank’s RedHot®. Their Chile and Lime sauce rocks my socks.

INSTANT POT BUFFALO CHICKEN

YIELDS 6

  • Prep Time: 5 min
  • Cook Time: 25 min
  • Total Time: 30 min

Ingredients

  • 4 lbs. chicken wings trimmed of fat and separated (tips discarded)
  • 2-3 tablespoons seasoned salt – like Cajun garlic powder, or any favorite seasoning mix
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 3/4 cup hot sauce
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  1. After the chicken wings have been trimmed and separated (if necessary), pat dry and place in a medium bowl.
  2. Sprinkle seasoned salt or garlic powder over wings, add in Worcestershire sauce, and toss until covered.
  3. Pour 1/2 cup cold water around the wings in the pot.
  4. Seal the Instant Pot lid. Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes.
  5. While the wings are in your Instant Pot turn your Oven on to Broil, High and move racks to the center. Prep a cookie sheet by lining it with aluminum foil. Place a cooling rack on top of your cookie sheet.
  6. Once the wings are done cooking allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for 10 minutes, then turn the knob to the Venting position to release any additional steam. Remove lid.
  7. Place the wings in a large bowl and pour half of the sauce over the wings. Using a large spoon, toss the wings until all are covered with sauce.
  8. Arrange the wings on the wire rack and place in oven. Broil on each side for 5-10 minutes, until desired crispiness is reached.
  9. Smother wings in remaining sauce and serve.


Nutrition

  • Calories: 3934 cal
  • Fat: 279 g
  • Carbs: 14 g
  • Protein: 321 g

Oh, if you aren’t cooking this spaghetti and meatballs recipe in your pressure cooker for dinner tonight, you’re going to want to pin this post.

Because when you get the craving… You’ll want to be able to come back again and again!

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