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Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches are filled with a spicy, creamy buffalo chicken that's to die for! The buffalo chicken itself is low-carb and keto and can be used to make many other quick dinners. This has become one of my go-to's to get dinner on the table fast!
I absolutely love buffalo chicken wings, and then when buffalo chicken dip came about, I was in heaven. I love all things spicy and this dip had me obsessed.
With my buffalo chicken dip obsession, I basically just wanted to eat it with a spoon. I decided to create a buffalo chicken recipe where I could practically do this. Buffalo chicken sandwiches was the solution to my problem.
All Things Buffalo Chicken
According to the National Chicken Council, buffalo wings were created in the 1960's in Buffalo, New York by all things….a mom cooking up a late night snack for her son and his friends. Imagine that!
The original buffalo wings were chicken wings tossed in hot sauce and served with celery and blue cheese dressing. Ranch dressing is also frequently used in place of the blue cheese.
Buffalo chicken dip is basically all of those things combined in to dip form, with the addition of cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Shredded chicken, celery, cream cheese, buffalo wing sauce, blue cheese or ranch dressing and topped with cheddar cheese.
I make my Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches with all of these ingredients, I throw them in the Instant Pot and serve it on sandwich potato buns. (I also like to use the buffalo chicken to make buffalo chicken sliders to serve on a game day!) This is seriously the easiest shredded buffalo chicken sandwich recipe to make.
How To Make Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
Make The Shredded Chicken
The first step is to make the shredded chicken. When I have frozen chicken breasts, I make sure they are completely thawed before cooking in the Instant Pot.
Add boneless skinless chicken breasts to the metal pot and cover completely with water, about an inch over the chicken. Put the lid on and lock it. The Instant Pot will make a little sing-song beepy noise when it's locked. (Not sure how else to describe it!) Next, you want to make sure the steam release handle near the back is set to Sealing. Select the Meat button and that's it!
It will take a bit to come up to pressure and then it will begin counting down. The Instant Pot will beep when it's done and then you have two options:
- Natural Release (takes longer) - just let the Instant Pot sit and do nothing until it naturally releases the pressure. There's a small metal float valve next to the steam release handle that lets you know whether it's still pressurized or not. If it's raised, there is still pressure. It will drop down when the pressure has been released.
- Quick Release (quicker, hence the name) - with a towel, turn the steam release handle from Sealing to Venting. The towel will protect your hand from the steam that will shoot out of the steam release handle. Again, the metal float valve will drop when the pressure has been released.
After the chicken is cooked, drain the water and shred the chicken. This is one of the many benefits of cooking meat in the Instant Pot. It will shred chicken, and any other meat for that matter, with minimal effort. It really is amazing how easy it shreds.
Cook The Buffalo Chicken Mixture
You can also use a regular pressure cooker to cook the chicken, but the rest of the recipe will need to be cooked on the stove. This is the other feature I love about the Instant Pot…the Saute function. The Saute function basically turns it into a regular cooktop. A slow cooker is also an option to cook the chicken, but I really prefer how quick the Instant Pot gets the job done.
Clean the metal pot and return it to the Instant Pot. Select the Saute function and add the olive oil until heated. It heats up really fast and should only take a minute. Add the chopped celery and saute for 2-3 minutes until semi-soft.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix until heated through. If you have a ranch seasoning packet instead of ranch dressing, you can add ¼ of the ranch packet and a ½ cup of mayo. If the mixture is too thick, add a splash of milk.
Serve the shredded buffalo chicken mixture on potato sandwich buns with a slice of cheddar cheese.
What Else Can I Make with Shredded Buffalo Chicken?
If you're not in the mood for sandwiches, there are so many other things you can make with shredded buffalo chicken.
- tacos
- wraps
- quesadillas
- pasta - add a splash of cream and mix with cooked pasta
- rice - mix with cooked rice, top with shredded cheddar cheese and bake for a quick casserole dinner
- lettuce wraps
- chili
- can be a quick alternative to slow cooker buffalo chicken dip or crockpot buffalo chicken dip
Is Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches Keto?
Yes! The shredded buffalo chicken mixture is totally keto. The potato bun I used is not, but you can easily add a keto-friendly bun as a replacement.
The only ingredient in the buffalo chicken that should be scrutinized more carefully is the buffalo sauce. Most buffalo hot sauces are low carb, but just double check as they can vary between brands. I prefer to use Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Hot Sauce
. It has zero carbs.
📋 Recipe
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup celery chopped
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- ½ cup ranch dressing
- ⅓ cup Frank's Original Red Hot Sauce
- 4 potato buns
- 4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Add chicken breasts to Instant Pot with enough water to cover the chicken. Add salt to water. Put the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the steam release handle in the back is set to Sealing. Select Meat cook option and let the Instant Pot do it's thing!
- After the timer has gone off, you can release the pressure one of two ways. Natural release = do nothing until the metal float valve next to the steam release handle lowers. This method can take a while, possibly 30 minutes or more. The other option is Quick Release. With a towel or hand mitt, move the steam release handle to Venting. The steam will escape through this handle and the metal float valve should drop in a minute or two. After the metal float valve has dropped, you can then open the Instant Pot.
- Remove chicken and shred the meat.
- Clean metal insert and place back into the Instant Pot. Turn on the Saute function. Add olive oil and heat about 1 minute. Add celery and saute until just soft, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add shredded chicken, cream cheese, ranch dressing and hot sauce. Mix until blended and heated through.
- Serve on potato buns and top with a slice of cheddar cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
If you're looking for other Instant Pot Recipes check out my Instant Pot Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta. If you want to get dinner on the table fast, browse through my Quick Dinners and don't spend all night in the kitchen!
I do also have a great Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip recipe you may want to check out!
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