Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken

Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken is quick, easy, and only uses a handful of ingredients! The shredded chicken is tender and juicy, with tons of spicy buffalo flavor. Use it in tacos, sandwiches, salads, and so much more.

Right now I am in utter exhaustion world…

I don’t know what is happening to me, but I feel like I have been totally drained. It’s mid-day when I am writing this to schedule for tomorrow, and I can barely keep my eyes open over here LOL. 

So I am back with an easy peasy recipe that can make your life, whether it’s dinner tonight or meal prep for the week, so much smoother (and tastier).

If you follow me over on Instagram, you might have seen me mention from time to time my love of Instant Pot shredded chicken. I use it throughout the week for lunches and even for dinners like chicken enchiladas, burritos, and rice bowls. 

This is a brand new way to make that tasty shredded chicken, with a ton of spicy flavor!

It’s such a simple recipe that yields plenty of delightfully juicy shredded chicken that is tender and has a really good kick to it. It only takes 25 minutes from start to finish, with the Instant Pot doing all of the work for you (minus the shredding of course! If only there were a model of the appliance that could do that…). 

You can use it in salads, sandwiches, mac and cheese, sliders, and so on and so forth. The uses of it are totally endless! So let’s dive in and I’ll show you just how to make it.

If you love all things buffalo, buffalo shrimp should be on your list next! They are spicy and oh-so tasty.

Other yummy Instant Pot recipes: IP Chipotle Chicken Tacos | IP Tortilla Soup | IP White Cheddar Mac and Cheese | IP Philly Cheesesteaks

this recipe’s must-haves

Obviously, the number one tool for this recipe is an Instant Pot! I have an Instant Pot Ultra, but the Instant Pot Duo and Pro are both great models as well.

For the sauce you’ll need a whisk to stir it together before you add it to the insert and then after everything has been cooked down. 

Finally, you can use a cutting board and two forks for shredding the chicken. Personally, I love the shortcut of use an electric hand mixer! It’s SO fast.

here’s how to make Instant Pot buffalo chicken! 

make sauce

Whisk together all of the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and then pour over the chicken in the Instant Pot insert. 

pressure cook

Pressure cook on High for 15 minutes, then let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes before you manually release any remaining pressure.

reduce sauce

Remove the chicken from the insert.

Set the Instant Pot to Sauté and reduce for about 5 minutes, until thickened. There’s no need for a cornstarch slurry!

shred

Shred chicken either with two forks on a cutting board, or in a bowl with a hand mixer! Add the chicken back to the sauce, stir it all together and serve.

Need some more inspiration for dinner this week? Check out my dinner recipes page!

can I make this in a slow cooker?

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, this recipe can easily be made in a slow cooker! Follow the same directions and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, high for 3 to 4 hours. Then finish off just as the recipe says with shredding the chicken and stirring it back into the buffalo sauce. 

how can I use this shredded buffalo chicken?

Here are some of my favorite ideas for using this chicken!

• Wrap it up in a wrap with some greens
• Make buffalo chicken sliders
• Stuff is in a baked potato (russet or sweet potato!)
• In buffalo chicken tacos
• On a salad
• In a sandwich topped with shredded cabbage and ranch dressing
• In quesadillas
• Use in a buffalo chicken dip

Finally, if you make this instant pot buffalo chicken recipe, please be sure to give this recipe a star rating on the recipe card and/or leave a comment! I love to hear when you all make recipes, and I do take the time to respond to every single comment.

Feel free to drop questions below too, if you have them!

Oh and be sure to tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest if you make the recipe! I love being able to see these recipes come to life in your homes – it’s my favorite thing to look through those photos. It really means the world to me!