Easy, quick, and crispy Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Wings are another great reason to own 1, 2, or 5 Instant Pots. This pressure cooker version is sooooo much healthier than the deep fried. Slather them in buffalo or barbecue sauce, cook from fresh or frozen. Get ready to be blown away!
At the top of the list of things I never thought I would eat, let alone like: Chicken Wings. Followed closely by Halibut, Pork Ribs, and Butternut Squash. Sushi's gonna stay on the “not goin' there” list though. I'm 99% sure of it.
I was floored by how amazing these chicken wings turned out. Fa-LOORED! Even more shocking was that my daughter devoured my husband's share while he was napping. I even had to deal with her snickering at my fork and knife method of eating them. “Come on mom, eat em' like a man!” Whoa, wait. What did you just say to me?
Never have I eaten such tender, juicy, crispy baked, not deep-fried, chicken wings.
One caveat, if you're new to the world of wings. Don't be like me and just grab whatever package looks decent. I was sure I had bought the right thing. But to my dismay, when I opened the package I realized I had bought WHOLE wings. As in the drumette, wingette, and tip.
Typically when you order wings from a restaurant, you are getting just the wingette. I dreaded how hideous the pictures would look if I just cooked them as they were. I knew I was gonna have to break these babies down.
I channeled a past segment of Master Chef and broke them down into 3 pieces as quickly as I could. It was not easy, it was mostly gross (cracking bones and all), and I'm shocked I still ate the final product, after all was said and done.
PREPPING THE CHICKEN WING
If you want the adventure, check out this video tutorial on How to Break Down a Chicken Wing. This video will give you a step by step tutorial of how to prepare chicken wings before you pressure cook them. You will learn how to break down a whole chicken wing into the drumette, wingette, and the tip. However, might I suggest just cutting yourself a break and make sure you buy the meatiest looking WINGETTES on the grocery store shelf. You'll be so glad you did.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE INSTANT POT CHICKEN WINGS
- Make 1 pound or make 3. Cook time and effort will remain the same
- Healthier, crispy, tender wings, without the deep fry. Translation: you can eat more wings
- You'll be the talk of the town at football game parties . . . so I hear anyway. I don't go to those. I'll ride motorcycles instead, thank you very much
- It just might convince a chicken nugget only crew (lookin' at you kids) that there is life beyond the nugget
- Buffalo sauce below, WOW it's good! I'll put it on salads, on wraps, on pasta, or in a small dixie cup for sipping. I'm not ashamed
- Blue Cheese Dip below, again, WOW, it's good and good for you! Not even kidding.
- The wings (not the dip) can easily be made Paleo-friendly by using Franks Red Hot and omitting the Worcestershire sauce
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHIER CHICKEN WINGS
- Season wings and place on a trivet inside the pot
- Let the pressure cooker cook them to perfection
- Sauce em' generously
- Place them on a cooling rack on top of a sheet pan
- Throw them under the broiler until both sides are browned and crisp
- Devour! Either with a knife and fork like myself or “like a man” like my daughter
SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR DETAILED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
BEST CHICKEN WINGS EVER!
My proof:
- I don't like wings and I LOVED these
- My daughter is a fast food hamburger lovin' vegetarian and she LOVED these
- My husband is a chicken wing snob and typically shares his food. He LOVED these and was slappin' hands that were trying to steal his wings
EXTRA SPICY WINGS
Note: As written, these wings are mildly spicy due to the addition of the tomato sauce with the hot sauce. If you want more heat, simply add extra hot sauce to the wing sauce.
BEST WAY TO SERVE
The best way to serve wings is hot out of the oven with a side of carrot and celery sticks (classic!) and a bowl each of blue cheese or ranch dressing. Everyone is happy and the wing haters can eat carrots – I can say that because I used to be a wing hater 🙂
Make them for game days, birthdays, or plain ol' weekdays. They're easy enough to whip out for all three and beyond.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN WINGS FROM FROZEN IN AN INSTANT POT PRESSURE COOKER
Frozen will need a little extra time, but you can find some really amazing, meaty, already broken down wings in the freezer aisle. Simply cook frozen wings time and a half, which means for this recipe you'll cook them for 8 minutes, with a full natural pressure release.
FYI: A natural pressure release is when you simply allow the pressure to come down on its own, without flipping the pressure release knob. When the pressure is gone, you will hear a quiet click, and the lid will twist off with ease. For wings, this process will take less than 10 minutes.
Tip: When cooking from frozen, I like to check the temperature of the meat. The best way to know if the chicken is undercooked is to use a meat thermometer. The proper temperature for chicken is 165°F.
SAUCE VARIATIONS
Keep your wing game strong by switching up the flavors or even better, have a party with several trays of differently sauced wings! Here are some of my favorite sauces that I believe would be amazing on wings
MORE GAME DAY FOOD IDEAS
- Instant Pot Kung Pao Meatballs
- Instant Pot Lemonade
- Instant Pot Popcorn
- Pepperoncini Beef Baked Egg Rolls
TOOLS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS
MORE INSTANT POT CHICKEN RECIPES
New to the Instant Pot? Here are our favorite beginner’s recipes:
- Pressure Cooker Basics
- Instant Pot Appetizers & Snacks
- Freezer Friendly Pressure Cooker Meals
- Our Reader Favorite Pressure Cooker Meals
- Instant Pot Side Dishes
Instant Pot Easy Buffalo Chicken Wings
Quick and easy, healthier Buffalo Chicken Wings. Make them mild or spicy and dip them in a good for you blue cheese sauce
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 5 - 6 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Wings
- 2 pounds chicken wings (look for just wingettes)
- salt, pepper, garlic powder
For the Buffalo Sauce
- 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (like Franks Buffalo Sauce), add extra for more spicy kick
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
For the Blue Cheese Dip
- 3/4 cups homemade yogurt or fat free greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1 tablespoon mayo
- juice of small lemon
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
To serve:
- carrot, celery, and jicama sticks
- Ranch Dip
Instructions
- Pat wings dry. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Pour 1 cup of water into the pressure cooker pot and place a trivet inside. Place wings on top of the trivet.
- Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes.
- While the wings cook, prepare Buffalo Sauce by whisking all of the ingredients in a medium size bowl.
- Prepare Blue Cheese Dip by aggressively whisking all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk well to help break down some of the blue cheese crumbles into the yogurt.
- When pressure cooking is complete, use a natural release.
- Toss wings in the bowl with the buffalo sauce, coating them well.
- Preheat oven broiler.
- Line a sheet pan with foil (optional for easy clean up) and place a cooling rack on top. Arrange wings on top of the rack.
- Place wings under the broiler and let cook 3-5 minutes on each side until browned and crispy.
- Serve wings hot from the oven, with a side of extra Buffalo Sauce and Blue Cheese or ranch dip. Add a handful of carrot, celery, and jicama sticks. Enjoy!
Freezer Instructions
- Place frozen wings on trivet as in step 2. Cook at high pressure for 8 minutes followed by a natural release
- Proceed with remaining instructions in step 4
Notes
- Look for packages that contain only wingettes to avoid having to break down an entire chicken wing
- Don't stop with just buffalo sauce! Serve with any of your favorite dips and sauces, the wings are very versatile
- Up to 3 pounds of chicken will work for the above directions.
- Nutrition information includes just the chicken wings. Results will vary depending on which dip is used
Keywords: instant pot recipes, buffalo wings, healthy wings
Blue Cheese Dip Adapted From Skinny Taste
Welcome! I’m Marci, wife to my motorcycle dream man and mother of 3. I have a passion for creating and cooking delicious masterpieces in my kitchen and am ecstatic to share my discoveries on TIDBITS! I like my food tasty, wholesome, memorable, and always, ALWAYS followed by dark, salty chocolate.
Hello, so I’m getting ready to use my Instant Pot Duo Plus for the first time and bought everything to make this these chic. wings. Probably not the smartest choice for first time but to late now. Since it does a natural pressure release do I set it on sealing and it will beep when done or do I need to press cancel. Please help. Thank you
Christie, sorry if this came too late! I typically unplug it, but hitting cancel works too. You can even leave it on keep warm if you forget.
Thank you , they turned out great and the leftovers the next day at work I had. I actually thought the blue cheese was tastier and more flavorful the second time. I was surprised to of liked it as I’m not a yogurt fan at all so Instant potting hear I come. Your blog is such an inspiration to me and I’m so excited now that I’ve got thru that first recipe. Thank you
★★★★★
Christie, Congrats! This is only the beginning, you’ll love this style of cooking :). I’m glad you liked the wings and sauce.
Hello, so this receipe is for non frozen , correct? Thank you for verifying.
Christie, correct, not frozen. If you cook them from frozen, you’ll want to add an extra 2 -3 minutes depending on how big they are.
We loved this!
★★★★★
Absolutely wonderful…fast, delicious, and oh so easy! Using the Instant Pot also provides an Instant Clean Kitchen!
★★★★★
Carol, It’s magical in so many ways:). Chicken wings have never been so easy, right?!
When making from frozen, do you eliminate the water in the pot? (or is everything else the same, except for the cooking time?) Can’t wait to try these 🙂
Shelley, only the time changes, you will definitely still need water in the pot. They are awesome!