This Instant Pot Shredded Buffalo Chicken will knock your socks off with its flavor!!! This pulled Buffalo chicken is SO straight forward to make - it's a true "dump and start" Instant Pot recipe.
Serve it in sandwiches, lettuce wraps, as a creamy spicy Buffalo pasta sauce, or turn it into a cheesy Buffalo Chicken dip... it's AMAZING either way! I'll show you how to adjust the heat level, in case that's a concern.
Look at the creamy Buffalo goodness!
This recipe is for you if:
- You love a good Buffalo sauce chicken
- You're always up for a great chicken dinner that makes amazing leftovers and can be repurposed into sandwiches, pasta, a Buffalo chicken dip, and more
- You want a no-fuss recipe that requires minimal work on your part with just 4-5 ingredients
- You love the idea of making a low carb chicken recipe, but having options for serving it in a sandwich or in lettuce wraps
- Love your Instant Pot and are looking to try new Instant Pot chicken recipes
This recipe is also great for using in my baked Buffalo Chicken Ring, which is an amazing appetizer or fun dinner idea.
This recipe is NOT for you, if you don't like Buffalo chicken. (Obviously).
Just 5 ingredients
The ingredients for this Buffalo chicken recipe are:
- Chicken breast (or boneless, skinless thighs) - about 2 lb
- Sliced onion (optional, feel free to skip this if you're feeling lazy)
- Cream cheese (8 oz - or you can use 4 oz for a lower-fat, slightly less creamy version)
- Buffalo sauce (anywhere from 2 tablespoons to ½ cup - based on your spice preference!)
- Salt & pepper
And of course, you need about ½ cup of water to bring the Instant Pot to pressure. I love my 8 quart Instant Pot. I think it's perfect for fitting in lots of food!
Craving more delicious shredded chicken? Try Sous Vide Chicken and then mix it with Buffalo sauce!
How to make Buffalo chicken in the Instant Pot
This is a true dump and start recipe:
Just place the sliced onion at the bottom of the Instant Pot, place the chicken on top, season the chicken with salt and pepper, place the cream cheese on top, pour the Buffalo wing sauce on top, and add a half a cup of water to the Instant Pot.
Close the lid, turn the valve to sealing, and pressure cook on the manual setting at high pressure for 20 minutes. You can do 15 minutes if you're in a hurry.
Allow the pressure to naturally release for about 10 minutes, then manually release the pressure. The cooked chicken and hot cream cheese won't look too appetizing at this point, but that is OK!!
Press the saute button, and use a spatula to roughly break apart the chicken and stir the cream cheese into the hot liquid. Continue to saute stirring frequently for about 5-10 minutes, or until the cream cheese is fully melted into a creamy Buffalo sauce, the chicken is shredded, and the sauce thickens.
More creamy shredded chicken dinners: Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Gravy
How to serve creamy Buffalo chicken
If you want to make Buffalo chicken pasta or make a creamy Buffalo chicken dip, you'll want to leave the sauce a little saucier, so saute for about 5 minutes. Same for these Buffalo chicken tortilla pinwheels.
If you want to serve this as sandwiches, wraps, or Buffalo chicken lettuce wraps, you'll want to saute for about 10 minutes, or until most of the sauce evaporates - we don't want soggy sandwiches, do we???
Keep it low carb with a Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wrap!
Add some Ranch or Blue cheese dressing and crumbled blue cheese to the Buffalo chicken for some extra pizzazz!
Make Buffalo chicken pasta:
To make Buffalo chicken pasta, add al dente cooked pasta (elbows or bow ties are my favorite here!) either right to the Instant Pot, or in a heat-proof bowl or casserole dish, and stir together with the Buffalo chicken.
The spicy Buffalo sauce is AMAZING with pasta!
Make a cheesy Buffalo chicken dip:
You can easily turn this Instant Pot shredded buffalo chicken into a dip that's perfect for game day! Just add a handful or two of shredded cheddar cheese to the creamy chicken mixture when it's done cooking, and transfer to a serving bowl!
You can also stir in finely diced bell pepper, celery, and/or fresh parsley.
You can top with more shredded cheese and broil the dip for 1-2 minutes to get an amazing melty, crispy cheesy top (make sure to use a broil-safe dish!).
Or top it with breadcrumbs and broil for a minute - be careful not to let them burn!
Can I freeze Buffalo shredded chicken?
Yes, you can freeze this if you want to meal prep some Buffalo chicken. Your future self will thank you!!
To freeze Buffalo Chicken: wait until the cooked chicken cools completely, then carefully spoon it into a quart-size freezer bag, and seal it, pushing as much air out as possible. Lay flat in the freezer so it freezes evenly.
To thaw, just move it from the freezer to the fridge the day before you want to eat it.
A few tips about the Buffalo sauce:
- If you don't have Buffalo sauce, you can use any hot sauce you prefer. If using regular hot sauce, use 2-4 tablespoons (depending on your heat preference), and increase the water amount to ½ cups.
- This recipe makes SPICY Buffalo chicken. If you are not sure you can handle the spice, start by adding a tablespoon of Buffalo sauce or hot sauce in step 1. You can always stir in additional hot sauce during the sautéing step, but you can't undo it!!!
However you decide to modify or serve this Buffalo shredded chicken recipe, I hope you love it as much as we did!
If you end up making it, please take a picture and tag me on INSTAGRAM or FACEBOOK. You can find me at @babaganoshblog on both. I love seeing your creations!
Other fantastic Instant Pot recipes you will love:
- BBQ Pulled Chicken
- Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Instant Pot Sausage Jambalaya
- Instant Pot Quinoa and Sausage with Vegetables
- Honey Garlic Ginger Chicken Wings
Other amazing chicken recipes to try:
- Bourbon Chicken - with a sticky-sweet bourbon sauce that will blow your mind!
- Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Thighs
- Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs
- Spicy Crunchy Chicken Salad
- Hawaiian Chicken Salad
- Best Easiest Chicken Salad
- Spinach and Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Instant Pot Shredded Buffalo Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 onion - sliced
- 2 lb chicken breast - (or boneless thighs, skin removed)
- Salt and pepper - to taste
- ½ cup Buffalo sauce - (see notes)
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ¼ cup water
- Buns, lettuce, etc for serving - See notes for ideas!
Special equipment
Instructions
- Place the ingredients in the Instant Pot in the following order: sliced onions, chicken breasts (seasoned with salt and pepper), block of cream cheese, Buffalo sauce, water.
- Close the lid on the Instant Pot, set the valve to sealing, and cook using the manual setting for 20 minutes using high pressure. Allow the pressure to naturally release for 8-10 minutes, then manually release the pressure.
- Press the saute button on the Instant Pot, and saute for 5-10 minutes, using a spatula to break up the chicken and stir the softened cream cheese into the sauce. The cream cheese will look clumpy at first, but that's OK, it will melt into the sauce. Saute until desired thickness, stirring frequently. Serve warm in a sandwich, in wraps, or stir in pasta and combine with the sauce (see notes).
Video
Notes
- If you don't have Buffalo sauce, you can use any hot sauce you prefer. If using hot sauce, use 2-4 tablespoons (depending on your heat preference), and increase the water amount to ½ cups.
- This recipe makes SPICY Buffalo chicken. If you are not sure you can handle the spice, start by adding a tablespoon of Buffalo sauce or hot sauce in step 1. You can always stir in additional hot sauce during the sauteing step, but you can't undo it!!!
- Ideas for serving: Buns, lettuce wraps, blue cheese dressing, crumbled blue cheese, chopped scallions, or stir in cooked pasta - see below:
- This creamy Buffalo chicken is FANTASTIC in sandwiches or in lettuce wraps, but also makes a really good pasta.
- If you plan on making sandwiches or wraps, continue sauteing until most of the liquid evaporates, since you don't want soggy sandwiches.
- If you plan on making pasta, stop sauteing after about 5 minutes and stir in al dente cooked pasta (elbows or bow ties are my favorite here!) - the spicy creamy sauce is AMAZING on pasta!
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.
Kim
Monday 21st of March 2022
Can I use frozen chicken breast or must they be thawed first?
Kate
Tuesday 22nd of March 2022
You can use frozen! I would add 5-10 minutes cooking time, probably 10 minutes to be safe... maybe more if the chicken is frozen together in a large lump.
Beth
Monday 14th of June 2021
How many ounces is one serving?
Kate
Thursday 17th of June 2021
Hi Beth, I really haven't measured in ounces, but 2 large chicken breasts usually makes 8 small servings for us - perfect for serving in a sandwich with other sides, or 4-6 servings if we're feeling hungry or if we're not eating many sides with the chicken.