We made Instant Pot buffalo chicken sandwich recipe the other night and they were a great spicy meal made in no time! Served on top of slider buns we have made this with fresh boneless skinless breasts or frozen chicken in Instant Pot and both are delicious.
Jump To
- Why do they call it buffalo chicken?
- Ingredient Notes
- Frozen Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken
- Tips for Success
- Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Recipe
- Made with Frozen Chicken
- How to Make Buffalo Chicken Sliders
- What goes with buffalo chicken?
- How to save leftovers
- How do you thaw frozen shredded chicken?
- Other one pot dinners you’ll love
Buffalo chicken is the bomb! We tested and tested again to share the easiest way to make shredded chicken with Franks Hot Sauce in a pressure cooker with just a few simple ingredients. It turned out to become one of our favorite easy Instant Pot recipes and now my teenagers make it when friends come over.
We make Instant Pot chicken quite a bit. It’s one of the pressure cooker cheap meals that everyone in the house loves, which is a huge win. This one is actually a great appetizer too for football parties, or just make for a fun meal during the week.
If you have ever made our Publix buffalo chicken dip this is a bit like this but thicker so you can serve like sliders. You only need 4 ingredients. In addition to your breasts or thighs you just need hot sauce, barbecue sauce and dry Ranch dressing mix!
Why do they call it buffalo chicken?
It actually has nothing to do with the animal itself rather a restaurant in the city of Buffalo created it. Anchor Bar created this spicy dish that people loved and the idea spread.
Ingredient Notes
As for the protein itself, you could use boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs. I find the latter to be more tender, cheaper and more flavorful. If they are very large, slice then in half so they’re thinner. The sauce is quite powerful though so it’s likely the spiciness will not make a huge difference. I typically buy what is on sale. Either way you want medium sized pieces (not too thick) and I recommend organic free range for the best texture.
To tone down the spice level of the dish you will use dry Ranch Dressing Mix. You could alternatively use cubes of cream cheese instead but I choose the lower calorie option. Use more to make mild or less to keep the higher heat level.
As for the hot sauce is concerned there are many brands out there but Franks I think is the best over the years. It is yes spicy but offers a great flavor too.
As far as barbecue sauce in a pressure cooker is concerned you want to NOT choose honey style, that may trigger the burn notice on the pot which will stop the cooking entirely.
Frozen Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken
If all you had was meat right out of the freezer that would work too. You’re going to shred it anyway. I would increase the time to 20 minutes with a natural release of at least 10 minutes at the end, but the rest remains the same. OH MY Is this so good. And so cheap!! I mean if you are having a bunch of people over or have a large household with hungry boys in it, they’ll love this.
Tips for Success
Fresh meat is always best so they can really soak in the sauce. If you use frozen chicken breasts the sauce will be a bit thinner because the meat will emit extra liquid when defrosting in the pot.
If you are making this as an easy Ninja Foodi recipe you will want to use the lid that is not attached and the pressure cook button on the front. When it’s done the meat should be super tender. No need to cut it and it should shred easily with just 2 forks with no problem. If it is tough to pull it needs more time so just put the lid back on and add 5 minutes with a natural release.
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3-4 medium chicken breasts
- 1 cup buffalo sauce
- 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
- 1 tbsp Ranch dressing mix, or more, add 1 tbsp at a time at end to tone down heat
Instructions
- Pour half buffalo sauce on bottom of pot, then place breasts on top. In a bowl whisk together remaining buffalo sauce + bbq sauce. Pour this on top of meat.
- Close the lid and steam valve. Set to high pressure for 14 minutes.
- Allow to naturally release steam for 3 minutes, then release rest.
- Use forks to shred meat in pot or on a cutting board. Return to pot and stir with remaining sauce in pot so everything is well coated. If you want to tone down heat stir in 1 tbsp dry ranch mix at a time until it is to your liking.
- Serve on slider buns with some cole slaw on top and crumbled blue cheese!
Video
Notes
Made with Frozen Chicken
If you want to use frozen chicken they need to be small boneless skinless breasts or thighs. Separate them from one another, you can do this under cool water and pull apart before adding into the pot. Set to high pressure for 20 minutes instead of 14 with a natural release. Shred when done.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Sliders
If you’re making sandwiches I’d top them with Hawaiian coleslaw and/or blue cheese crumbles. I like to make a batch of air fryer garlic rolls first so they are ready when the meat is and serve all 3 together letting everyone create their own.
What goes with buffalo chicken?
I mean, so many things and it depends on how you’re serving it really. If you want a low carb meal then you’d just want to serve some air fryer vegetables along side this. You can serve this over Instant Pot white rice, inside small buns, or throw it into small air fryer tortillas with lots of toppings.
- You can just put some Instant Pot brown rice on the side if you want
- Pressure cooker chicken taco bowls are yummy
- Or just throw out sliced avocados, cabbage, tomatoes and more to make air fryer tacos.
How to save leftovers
If you like batch cooking and make a double or triple batch of this, you’ll save lots of time for future dinners. The most important thing you can do when freezing chicken is to store it in airtight containers. You could use freezer bags too. I like to separate into portions that we will use all at one time. Zip and flatten and freeze.
How do you thaw frozen shredded chicken?
The best way is to put the frozen package in your fridge overnight. That will allow it to defrost gradually so it doesn’t grow bacteria. Do not leave it on the countertop, I don’t like microwaving it from frozen either.
Other one pot dinners you’ll love
Rather make Crockpot buffalo chicken sliders? You totally can! Our Instant Pot shredded beef recipe is excellent too.
