Instant Pot Crispy Chicken Wings

Instant Pot Crispy Buffalo Wings! These fall-off-the-bone crispy buffalo wings are cooked through in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker and then crisped to perfection under a broiler or in an air fryer. The secret to the crisp? Baking powder!

Fellow wing addicts rejoice! With assistance from an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker, you can make these restaurant-quality CRISPY buffalo wings from the comfort of your kitchen.

I blame Applebee’s for my chicken wing addiction. In high school, we took full advantage of half-price appetizers after 10 PM, and I ordered buffalo wings every. single. time. It started with boneless wings and then breaded bone-in wings and now I’m all about non-breaded crispy buffalo wings made in an instant pot.

The instant pot changed the homemade wing game (this is the Instant Pot I use daily). Pressure cooking wings tenderizes the meat to the point that it falls right off the bone. Some seasoning and a quick trip under the broiler or air fryer quickly crisps the skin while keeping the meat tender and juicy.

BUT the secret to truly crispy wings is baking powder. Just trust me on this! And for my Whole30 & paleo friends, you can omit baking powder and your wings will still be crispy and delicious.

🤔 Why Make Chicken Wings in the Instant Pot?

Cooking chicken wings in the Instant Pot is a simple and efficient way to achieve melt-in your-mouth juicy wings every time.

The best part? 😊 You can use fresh or frozen wings! No need to panic when you forget to pull the wings out of the freezer on game day.

🍗 Ingredients You’ll Need

Chicken Wings (flats and drumettes) – You can use fresh or frozen chicken wings! If using whole wings, separate the flat piece from the drumette.

Baking Powder – drys out the outer surface of the wings, leaving the skin crispy and crunchy without using any breading (OMIT FOR WHOLE30).

Buffalo Sauce – The line of sauces from The New Primal are fantastic AND Whole30 approved!

Salt & Pepper – to taste.

📖 How To Make Instant Pot Chicken Wings

1️⃣ Prep Instant Pot and wings. Place trivet in Instant Pot and pour in 1 cup of water. Pat wings dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.

2️⃣ Pressure cook chicken wings. Dump wings onto the trivet in the Instant Pot. Set Instant Pot to cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 5 minutes for thawed wings and 8 minutes for frozen wings. When the time is up, manually release pressure.

3️⃣ Crisp wings. Promptly remove wings from Instant Pot and arrange in a single-layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with baking powder and then place under hot broiler for 5 to 8 minutes (until the skin becomes firm and crisped).

4️⃣ Sauce wings. Place crispy wings in a large bowl and toss with buffalo sauce. Then, place wings back on baking sheet and back under the broiler for 5 minutes (or until desired crisp is reached). Serve with a cool side of ranch or blue cheese dressing and enjoy!

🔥Air Fryer Crispy Buffalo Wings

Instead of broiling to achieve crispy skins, you could also use your air fryer.

1️⃣ Once the wings are finished cooking through in the Instant Pot, coat them in baking powder and a light coating of cooking spray.

2️⃣ Place wings in air fryer basket without overcrowding the basket (you may need to work in batches). Cook at 380 degrees until the skins crisp (5 to 7 minutes). Toss wings in sauce and then return to air fryer for an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until wings are crisped to your liking.

📝 Recipe Tips

Do not forget to use the trivet. It keeps the wings from touching the water and makes it easier to lift them out of the pot.

Remove wings from Instant Pot carefully (using tongs) so the tender meat does not slide off the bone before broiling (wings are for fingers, not for forks).

For easy cleanup, line baking sheet with parchment paper.

🔁Variations

The beauty of chicken wings is all of the amazing sauces and dry rubs they can take on. When I want to switch things up, I love tossing wings in my homemade BBQ Sauce. For Whole30 approved sauce options, check out the links below.

The New Primal Classic BBQ Sauce
The New Primal Mustard BBQ
The New Primal Buffalo Sauce: Medium
The New Primal Marinade Pack

If you prefer dry-rubbed chicken wings, try using dry buffalo seasoning, Old Bay, Cajun seasoning or lemon pepper!

♻Storing, Freezing & Reheating

To store cooked chicken wings, let cool to room temperature before placing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

To reheat cooked chicken wings, place on a baking sheet and heat in 350 degree preheated oven until wings are re-crisped and warmed through.

To freeze, wrap cooked chicken tightly in plastic wrap and store in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.

More Instant Pot Recipes

Instant Pot Crab Legs
Instant Pot Pork Ribs
Instant Pot Ghee
Instant Pot Boiled Peanuts
Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs

❔FAQ