How Long to Cook Chicken Wings in Instant Pot to Crispy

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How long to cook chicken wings in Instant Pot answer is here. Cook in Ninja Foodi pressure cooker too or any other brand so meat becomes fall off the bone tender. You may have made Instant Pot frozen chicken wings but this is faster!

A hand holding a seasoned chicken wing garnished with fresh herbs over a white plate with additional Instant Pot Buffalo Wings in the background. The nails on the hand are painted with light-colored nail polish.

You love your IP or Crockpot Express right? Wondering how to make amazing appetizers like you have been with one pot meals? We will show you how to steam Instant Pot chicken wings and then crisp them at the end, just like you picture them. Just one of many Instant Pot recipes for beginners on our site. (affiliate links present)

Instant Pot Chicken Wings Recipe

You can use the mixture of seasonings we have below or use our dry rub for chicken wings mixture here. Brush with sauce when done and caramelize under your broiler, or pop into your Ninja Foodi using the air crisp function. If you have the new lid, you can now make Instant Pot air fryer chicken wings this way too.

Of course you can just cook and enjoy them as is right off of the trivet but we like all things sauced. We made these first as air fryer hot wings but realized I hadn’t shared this method. I like to have all my basis covered because not everyone has every single kitchen appliance.

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Then PRINT this —–> Instant Pot cooking times cheat sheet that will help you understand how long meat, vegetables and beans take to cook in your pressure cooker.
I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot.
- You should know how to deglaze a pressure cooker after sautéing but it won’t have as many issues with this better liner.

For reference, this is the model I have (a 6 quart) and use for all recipe creations.

A white Instant Pot with a Star Wars theme sits on the kitchen counter, ready to tackle your favorite beef arm roast recipe. The digital display glows "On." Next to it lie a patterned cloth and some green onions, all against the backdrop of blue kitchen cabinets and a stovetop.

Ninja Foodi Buffalo Wings

You can certainly crisp as Instant Pot Air Fryer Chicken Wings when done but with a Foodi there’s no need to move. Take off lid that isn’t attached, drain water, set down lid that is attached and make crispy at 400 F for about 3 minutes. I like to add sauce right before so it kinda’ bakes on to the outside.

Are wings better in air fryer or Instant Pot?

It depends on what you’re looking for. If you want REALLY crispy chicken skin I would opt for air fryer chicken wings. In order to get very tender meat on the inside you should pressure cook and then just air fry for a few minutes at the end to get a bit of a crunch.

You will need one accessory, in order to keep the food out of the water below. A bit of liquid is necessary to essentially steam them perfectly. Right in the pot would make them boil instead which is a no go. You could us a vegetable steamer basket instead of a trivet like this.

You wouldn’t need it if you were making something like a Instant Pot buffalo chicken sandwich where it’s meant to be shredded. These are better on the bone, but super tender.

Try to keep them as separated as possible. Meaning you don’t want them to overlap a lot because that prevents the hot steam from reaching the whole area. If you have much more or want to make a double batch I would highly suggest that you cook them twice, not together piled up high.

Ingredients

About 1 chicken wings, timing is for defrosted
3/4 c water for the bottom so they can steam and fall off the bone (almost)
Salt and pepper for a bit of seasoning but go ahead and add your favorites
Garlic powder and onion powder are a few faves in our house
Cayenne pepper works for some heat but your sauce might be enough, I love dry Sriracha too
Simple sauce you can whip up if you don’t have one you use on a regular basis
- 1/2 c hot sauce optional
- Butter melted
- OR when crispy toss in our asian chicken wing sauce if you like a lot of heat

It has never been easier to enjoy this Instant Pot appetizer idea.

How Long to Cook Fresh Chicken Wings in Instant Pot

10 minutes cook time is generally about perfect. Now for reference this will take about 30 minutes from start to finish because it does take a bit of time to come to pressure before it starts to cook on high pressure.

How Long to Cook Frozen Wings in Instant Pot

Like with fresh there will be a slight difference in timing depending on how large they are. If you want them to become fall off the bone tender and you aren’t going to broil and crisp the skins after I would set to 18 minutes for these.

How to crisp chicken wings after pressure cooking

To crisp you’d want a baking sheet to broil or your Cosori preheated to 400F for a few minutes until the skins are crispy and golden brown to your liking. Use a large bowl to toss wings in bbq sauce or your favorite one like teriyaki when done and tender. Blue cheese and ranch are great for dipping.

Directions

In a bowl combine dry seasonings. Sprinkle on all sides of wings.
Pour water into pressure cooker and lower down a trivet or vegetable steamer basket. Lay seasoned wings inside overlapping the least amount possible.
Close lid and steam valve. Set to high pressure for 10 minutes cook time followed by a quick release.
If you want to add a sauce whisk together hot sauce and melted butter. Preheat oven to broil.
Lay non stick foil or parchment paper on a baking sheet.
- Put cooked wings on baking sheet without overlapping.
- Brush sauce on both sides and broil for about 2 minutes until crispy.
- Or air fry at 400 degrees F for about 3 minutes.
When Instant Pot buffalo chicken wings are crispy as you’d like remove. Put into a bowl and pour remaining sauce over the top. Toss to coat and serve.

Want something different to serve with these so your guests for Game Day have all the choices beyond barbecue sauce? Try all of our dipping sauces for chicken wings.

If you have a Foodi you can do it all in one pot and not transfer them at all. Spray black round basket with non stick spray and you can use that for both steps. That is the really nice thing about having a pressure cooker and air fryer together. Saves dirtying more apparatuses and moving from one place to another.

Of course the sauce is up to you. Buffalo has a wide array of interpretations from mild hot to spicy out of control you won’t feel your tongue at the end of the meal. For best results I would have a variety to try if this one is new to you and see which y’all prefer. If some like it hotter than others then toss separately. That is what I typically do.

Nutritional information including saturated fat, calorie content and more are listed below. That will vary according to how fatty your meat is though so it is an estimate. Refer to the package information you have for more accurate percentages.

How to reheat leftovers

If you do have leftovers, no worries. I shared a post on how to reheat chicken wings air fryer style and believe it or not they come out so good this way!! Crisps the outside up quickly so you can enjoy them again the next day for lunch. I wouldn’t keep longer than the next day though because beyond that the outside gets kinda’ too soggy.

What to serve with wings

Crisp, brush on a bit more sauce to moisturize and add another kick and then serve. If you made it super spicy it is nice to have a bit of something to cool you off. Celery and carrot sticks with cold ranch dressing is where it’s at as far as I am concerned. A side of our Hawaiian coleslaw is a nice cooling side dish to go with this too for sure.

Have another favorite buffalo sauce you whip together at your house we should try? Gimme the recipe so the next time I make these I can try your creations too. We all have “secret recipes” that need to be shared with special friends (I’d love to be that one, let me know!) Happy Super Bowl appetizer dish y’all (or whatever occasion it is).