Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken is shredded chicken in a buttery, tangy hot sauce, made with just three ingredients: chicken breasts, hot sauce and butter. The chicken cooks for 12 minutes on high pressure in half the sauce, then gets shredded and tossed with the rest, so it’s saucy instead of watery. It makes 5 servings for sandwiches, wraps, salads or rice bowls.
How to make it: Melt the butter into the hot sauce on sauté and set half aside. Lay 2 pounds of chicken in the pot, cook 12 minutes on high pressure and let it release naturally for 5 minutes. Check for 165°F, shred the chicken, simmer the sauce on sauté for a few minutes, and stir the chicken back in with the reserved sauce.
Why You’ll Love It
- Three ingredients: chicken, hot sauce and butter.
- Fast: 12 minutes under pressure and a 5-minute release.
- Saucy, not soupy: half the sauce goes in at the end, after the cooking liquid thickens.
- Good for meal prep: one batch fills sandwiches, wraps and salads all week.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken breasts: Two pounds, boneless, skinless and trimmed. That’s about four 8-ounce breasts. Boneless, skinless thighs work too.
Hot sauce: One cup of your favorite cayenne pepper hot sauce. Half cooks the chicken and half coats it at the end.
Butter: A quarter cup of unsalted butter, melted into the hot sauce. It rounds out the heat and makes the sauce glossy.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed (or boneless, skinless thighs)
- 1 cup hot sauce, divided
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
How to Make Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken
1. Melt the butter into the sauce. Set the pressure cooker to sauté. Add the butter and the hot sauce to the bottom of the pot and use a spatula to work the butter into the hot sauce.
2. Set half the sauce aside. Once the butter has combined into the sauce, remove half of the sauce and set it aside for later.
3. Add the chicken. Put the chicken in the pot in a single layer and coat it with the sauce that’s in the pot.
4. Pressure cook. Lock the lid and set the vent to sealing. Cook on high pressure for 12 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and quick release the rest.
5. Check the temperature. Open the lid and check the thickest piece of chicken with a food thermometer. It must read at least 165°F.
6. Shred the chicken. Move the chicken to a cutting board and shred it with two forks.
7. Thicken the sauce. Stir the sauce in the pot on sauté for about 3 to 5 minutes to thicken it.
8. Toss and serve. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot along with the rest of the hot sauce and stir to coat.
How Long to Pressure Cook the Chicken (and Avoid Watery Chicken)
Cook time depends on how much chicken is in the pot. Here’s how the timing changes with the amount of boneless, skinless breast:
| Amount of chicken | Time on high pressure | Release |
|---|---|---|
| 4 breasts | 10 minutes | Quick release |
| 2 pounds (this recipe) | 12 minutes | 5-minute natural release, then quick release |
| 2 1/2 pounds | 13 minutes | Manual release |
Whatever the amount, the thermometer has the final say. USDA FSIS says all poultry is done at 165°F, so check the thickest piece before you shred.
Lay it flat. Put the chicken in a single, even layer, pour the sauce over and don’t stir.
Expect extra liquid. Chicken gives off juice as it cooks, so the pot will look soupy when you open it. Simmering it on sauté for a few minutes while you shred cooks it down.
Save half the sauce. Stirring the reserved sauce in at the end is what makes the chicken taste bold and saucy.
Let it sit. A few minutes in the sauce after shredding lets the chicken soak it up.
How to Serve Buffalo Chicken
- Sandwiches: pile it on a sturdy bun like ciabatta with lettuce and ranch.
- Wraps and tacos: roll it up in tortillas with lettuce.
- Salads: spoon it over greens.
- Rice bowls: serve it over rice with fresh vegetables.
- Lettuce wraps: tuck it into crisp lettuce leaves.
Variations
- Chicken thighs: use 2 pounds of boneless, skinless thighs in place of the breasts.
- Bottled buffalo sauce: skip the butter and use a ready-made buffalo sauce with a splash of water.
- Sweet heat: stir a little honey and garlic powder into the sauce.
- Seasoning: add salt and pepper to taste; depending on your sauce, you might not need extra salt.
- Buffalo chicken sliders: pile it on slider buns with ranch dressing and coleslaw mix.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers. USDA FSIS says to eat them within 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Freeze the chicken without toppings for 3 to 4 months; lettuce and ranch don’t freeze well. Thaw it in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave.
Reheat: Reheat covered until it reaches 165°F. Don’t reheat it in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
For a full meal, add a big side like layered pasta salad. For a party spread, serve it with crack chicken pinwheels. More shredded chicken ideas: slow cooker cream cheese crack chicken and slow cooker creamy ranch chicken. Craving buffalo flavor? Try cheese steak tacos with buffalo fries. For another pressure cooker dinner, make Instant Pot beef stew.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I pressure cook chicken breasts?
For 2 pounds of boneless, skinless breasts, 12 minutes on high pressure with a 5-minute natural release. Always check for 165°F.
Why is my shredded chicken watery?
Chicken releases liquid as it cooks. Simmer the liquid on sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, then stir in the reserved sauce.
Can I use chicken thighs?
Yes. Boneless, skinless thighs work the same way. Cook them to 165°F.
Do I need to add water?
Not for this recipe. The hot sauce and butter are the only liquid in the pot.
What can I make with buffalo chicken?
Sandwiches, wraps, tacos, salads, rice bowls and lettuce wraps.
Final Notes
This is one of the easiest things you can make in a pressure cooker, and the trick is all in the sauce: cook with half, finish with half. If you make it, tell me in the comments how you served it.
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts boneless, skinless, trimmed; boneless skinless chicken thighs also work
- 1 cup hot sauce half is used to cook the chicken, half is stirred in at the end
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
Instructions
- Set the pressure cooker to sauté. Add the butter and the hot sauce to the bottom of the pot and use a spatula to work the butter into the hot sauce.
- Once the butter has combined into the sauce, remove half of the sauce and set it aside for later.
- Put the chicken in the pot in a single layer and coat it with the sauce that is in the pot.
- Lock the lid and set the vent to sealing. Cook on high pressure for 12 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and quick release the rest.
- Open the lid and check the thickest piece of chicken with a food thermometer. It must read at least 165°F.
- Move the chicken to a cutting board and shred it with two forks.
- Stir the sauce in the pot on sauté for about 3 to 5 minutes to thicken it.
- Add the shredded chicken back to the pot along with the rest of the hot sauce and stir to coat.
