This Shredded Buffalo Chicken is quick and easy recipe with simple ingredients. With its tender, juicy meat and bold buffalo flavor, this is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Use this as a meal starter for buffalo chicken pasta or as a substitute for pre-cooked chicken in other recipes. Works in the Instant Pot or Crockpot with fresh or frozen chicken.
Why Make Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken
Whether you’re hosting a game day gathering or simply craving some zesty comfort food, shredded buffalo chicken is here to satisfy your cravings and leave you smiling from ear to ear.
Here are some of my top reasons to make this dish:
- Great for meal prep: this mildly spicy buffalo chicken works well in a variety of recipes. From buffalo chicken pasta to buffalo chicken lettuce wraps, there are so many options.
- Easy recipe: this instant pot recipe uses basic ingredients that you mostly just add to the bottom of your instant pot and cook!
Ingredients Needed
This shredded instant pot buffalo chicken recipe, doesn’t take much. Here’s what you’ll need to gather:
- Chicken thighs: I’m using boneless skinless chicken thighs. Though I’m using raw chicken, this recipe can also work with frozen chicken thighs (without thawing) if you have those instead.
- Ranch Dressing Mix: ranch seasoning is really just a mixture of garlic powder, onion powder, and herbs like parsley, chives, and dill. With that, I love to use it as an easy full flavor seasoning option in some recipes.
- Smoked Paprika: this gives the chicken a slightly smoky flavor. It tastes different from regular paprika. So, if you don’t have this in your pantry, do yourself a favor and grab a bottle from the spice aisle at your local grocery store. It makes a difference!
- Hot sauce: your favorite brand of hot sauce works. I prefer to use Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (Original or Buffalo Wing Sauce) since it includes peppers, vinegar as well as spices like garlic powder. You can also use your favorite homemade buffalo sauce.
- Chicken broth: any low sodium chicken broth will work in this recipe. You can also do what I do, which is mix water with better than bouillon (chicken flavor).
Be sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full ingredient amounts and exact step-by-step instructions.
How to Make Buffalo Shredded Chicken in the Instant Pot
- Add the chicken thighs, ranch seasoning, smoked paprika, hot sauce, and broth to the bottom of the Instant Pot cooking pot. Mix to incorporate.
- Pressure cook the chicken on High Pressure for 10 minutes.
- Use the Quick release setting to remove the steam.
- Remove the chicken thighs from the cooking pot and shred the meat.
- Return the meat to the cooking liquid. Turn on the sear/saute function to medium. Reduce the cooking liquid by half (about 5 minutes).
Shredded Buffalo Chicken in the Crockpot
You can make this recipe in the slow cooker as well. For that, you just need to cook the raw chicken on high for about 2.5 hours or low for 5 hours.
If you use bone-in chicken thighs, then you’ll need to cook it on low for 3-4 hours or high for 6-8 hours. For shredded chicken, it’s much easier to use boneless and skinless chicken though.
Top Cooking Tips & FAQs
- Works with fresh or frozen chicken thighs: for the best recipes, use fresh boneless chicken thighs. But, if you’re in a pinch, you can cook frozen chicken thighs in the pressure cooker too.
- For frozen chicken thighs: adjust the pressure cooking time by 2 minutes. This will allow the meat to thaw and then cook. For best results, be sure to use frozen chicken thighs from the store (they come individually frozen) as to a block of frozen chicken.
Using Shredded Buffalo Chicken
There are different ways to use this shredded chicken.
For example, it works as a mildly spicy alternative to pre-cooked or leftover rotisserie chicken in recipes like chicken bone broth soup or creamy buffalo chicken dip.
You can also keep things simple and use this chicken to make an easy dinner like:
- Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches: add the meat to a toasted brioche bun or toasted Hawaiian rolls with lettuce, onions, blue cheese crumbles and more
- Buffalo Chicken Tacos: pair this with your favorite toasted tortilla with shredded iceberg lettuce and a dollop of sour cream
- Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps: add the meat to washed butter lettuce and serve it with a blue cheese dressing as a dip.
Storage and Leftovers
Store your leftover buffalo shredded chicken in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
You can also add it to a freezer bag and store it in the freezer for up to four months. Just thaw the meat out overnight in the refrigerator the next time you want to use it.
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts and chicken thighs are two popular options. Chicken breasts are leaner, but I prefer chicken thighs since they are juicier, forgiving for new cooks, and have more flavor.
The fastest way to shred chicken is by using two forks. Start by cooking the chicken until it’s fully cooked and tender. Then, while the chicken is still hot, use two forks to pull and shred the meat apart, moving in opposite directions. Alternatively, you can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for even faster shredding.
More Buffalo Chicken Recipes
- Buffalo Chicken Pasta
- Honey Buffalo Chicken Wings
- Buffalo Chicken Thighs
- Buffalo Chicken Dip
Shredded Buffalo Chicken
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Chicken thighs boneless and skinless
- 1 tbsp Ranch seasonig
- 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/2 cup Hot sauce I used Frank’s Red Hot
- 1/2 cup Chicken broth I used 1/2 cup water mixed with 1 tsp better than bouillon
Instructions
- Add the chicken thighs, ranch seasoning, smoked paprika, hot sauce, and broth to the bottom of the Instant Pot cooking pot. Mix to incorporate.
- Pressure cook the chicken on High for 10 minutes.
- Use the Quick release setting to remove the steam.
- Remove the chicken thighs from the cooking pot and shred the meat.
- Return the meat to the cooking liquid. Turn on the sear/saute function to medium. Reduce the cooking liquid by half (about 5 minutes).