Super Quick Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Wings
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Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Wings is a super quick, amazingly tender, fall-off-the-bone Buffalo Wings recipe. Packed with game day flavors you love, and healthier than fried wings. It’s a super easy wings recipe everyone loves.
And… they’re ready in less than 30 minutes!
Perfect for Super Bowl, football food, or even Friday night treats.
The first time I made these for my husband, his comments were swift. “They almost melt in your mouth.”
And that pretty much sums it up. They’re easy and quick to make, and… they almost melt in your mouth.
Your people will love you for making these buffalo chicken wings.
What to Love About These Chicken Wings
- They take less than 30 minutes to cook.
- You can make them with fresh or frozen chicken wings. They’re a last-minute life-saver (from personal experience).
- The chicken wings are crispy after a 2 to 3-minute broil in the oven.
- The homemade buffalo sauce is packed with flavor.
Buffalo Chicken Wings Ingredients
Chicken Wings:
Use fresh or frozen chicken wings or chicken drumettes. Be sure to remove the tips and separate the drummettes from the wings if not done already.
Seasonings:
Paprika, salt, garlic powder, cayenne, and Worcestershire sauce bring amazing flavor to these wings.
Buffalo Sauce:
Yes, you can use a store-bought buffalo sauce, and these wings will still be fall-apart tender and delicious. By adding additional seasoning, it takes the wings from delicious to amazingly delicious. And it’s so simple to do!
One more note: If you’re fresh out of hot sauce (like Frank’s), or if you like a milder, sweeter chicken wing, swap the hot sauce for your favorite BBQ sauce. It’s yummy too!
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT CHICKEN WINGS
Toss chicken wings with salt and paprika.
Pour 1 cup water into the bottom of a 6-quart Instant Pot. Place the trivet or rack into the inner pot, and place the seasoned wings on top of the trivet or rack. Lock the lid into place, and set the valve to “sealing.”
Cook the Wings: For fresh wings, select manual high pressure and cook for 10 minutes. For frozen wings, cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Once cooked, let the Instant Pot naturally release for 5 minutes before quickly releasing any remaining pressure.
Transfer the chicken wings to a large bowl, preheat the oven to broil, and line a baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup.
For the Buffalo Sauce: In a small saucepan, combine the hot sauce, honey, garlic powder, cayenne, Worcestershire, and butter. Bring to a simmer (or microwave) until the butter is melted. Divide the sauce in half. Pour 1/2 of the sauce over the chicken wings, and gently toss to coat. Transfer the wings to the foil-lined baking sheet and broil for 2 to 3 minutes per side. This will crisp up the wings.
Remove the wings from the oven, brush the remaining Buffalo sauce over the wings, and serve!
What to Serve with Buffalo Wings
There are so many delicious pairings. Here are some ideas.
I always serve wings with the classic cut celery and carrots, in addition to a Ranch dressing dip.
Other foods that pair well for game day eats are Sweet Potato Fries with Avocado Greek Yogurt Dip, Hot Spinach and Bacon Dip, Instant Pot Baked Beans, a cheeseboard, and hummus.
More Game Day Foods and Ideas
- Quick and Easy Tailgating and Game Day Foods
- Easy Instant Pot Ribs: Fall-Off-The-Bone Delicious
- Super Bowl Recipes for Tailgating at Home
- Easy Tailgating and Game Day Appetizers
Instant Pot Buffalo Wings Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chicken wings or drumettes wings
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 1 cup water
Buffalo Chicken Wing Sauce
- 1 cup hot sauce like Frank's
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Toss chicken wings with salt and paprika.
- Pour 1 cup water into the bottom of a 6-quart Instant Pot. Place the trivet or rack into the inner pot, and place the seasoned wings on top of the trivet or rack. Lock the lid into place, and set the valve to "sealing."
- For fresh wings, select manual high pressure and cook for 10 minutes. For frozen wings, cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Once cooked, let the Instant Pot naturally release for 5 minutes before quickly releasing any remaining pressure.
- Transfer the chicken wings to a large bowl, preheat the oven to broil, and line a baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup.
Buffalo Sauce
- In a small saucepan, combine the hot sauce, honey, garlic powder, cayenne, Worcestershire, and butter. Bring to a simmer (or microwave) until the butter is melted. Divide the sauce in half. Pour 1/2 of the sauce over the chicken wings, and gently toss to coat. Transfer the wings to the foil-lined baking sheet and broil for 2 to 3 minutes per side. This will crisp up the wings.
- Remove the wings from the oven, brush the remaining Buffalo sauce over the wings, and serve!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.