The Insta-Pot Wing Wizardry: Unlocking Buffalo Hot Wings At Home

Can You Make Buffalo Hot Wings in an Instant Pot?

Yes, you can make buffalo hot wings in an instant pot. The instant pot is a great way to make chicken wings, as it allows them to get tender before being crisped to perfection under a broiler. This method is almost foolproof and is a great alternative to air frying or deep frying your wings.

How to make buffalo hot wings in an Insta Pot

Ingredients:

• Chicken wings
• Seasoned salt
• Water
• Hot sauce
• Butter
• Garlic powder
• Honey (optional)

Method:

• Separate the drumettes and flats from each other, removing and discarding the tips if desired.
• Place the wings into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the seasoned salt over the chicken. Toss well to coat the wings evenly with the seasonings.
• Place a trivet or rack in the inner pot of your Insta Pot and pour in the water.
• Place the seasoned wings on the trivet or rack.
• Secure the lid of the Insta Pot and cook on high pressure for 8-10 minutes for fresh or defrosted chicken wings and 12-15 minutes for frozen.
• While the wings are cooking, prepare your buffalo sauce by mixing together the hot sauce, butter, garlic powder and honey (if using).
• Once the cooking time has elapsed, release the pressure and remove the wings from the inner pot.
• Place the wings into a clean bowl and drizzle with half the prepared buffalo sauce. Toss to coat.
• Place the wings on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil until the skin is crispy, flipping once to ensure both sides are golden.
• Once the wings are broiled, brush with the remaining buffalo sauce and serve immediately.

The best sauces to use for buffalo hot wings

Buffalo sauce is a blend of hot sauce, vinegar, salt, butter, and other ingredients. It is named after Buffalo, New York, where it was invented by Teressa Bellissimo, owner of Anchor Bar, in 1964. The sauce is usually available in mild, medium, and hot options, with the level of spiciness determined by the amount of cayenne pepper used.

Frank's Red Hot Original Sauce

This sauce is a classic and one of the biggest contenders in the style of slightly thick, spicy, super vinegary hot sauces. It has a mildly sweet, sour, and spicy flavour that lingers on the lips. It scored the highest on the tangy-ness meter in a taste test.

Texas Pete Hot Sauce

Texas Pete's is another one of the biggest contenders in the style of hot sauces that work well for buffalo wings. It has a nice vinegar hit, a rich butter taste, and delivers a good amount of heat.

Anchor Bar Buffalo Wing Sauce

Anchor Bar, the self-proclaimed birthplace of wings, makes a bottled wing sauce. Although their original recipe was based on Frank's Red Hot, their bottled sauce won the best wing sauce in a taste test because it lacked the artificial butter flavour that its competitors suffered from. It was described as a little sweet, with a rounded heat and a strong vinegar flavour.

Crystal Hot Sauce

Crystal is another one of the three biggest contenders in the style of hot sauce that works well for buffalo wings. It is a cayenne pepper hot sauce with a short list of natural ingredients like cayenne pepper, vinegar, and salt.

Tabasco

Although not recommended by some for making buffalo wings, Tabasco can be used if you prefer a spicier sauce.

Homemade Buffalo Sauce

You can also make your own buffalo sauce at home with a few simple ingredients. Here is a basic recipe:

• 2/3 cup hot pepper sauce (such as Frank's RedHot)
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine all the ingredients in a pot, bring to a simmer, and whisk until the sauce is nice and thick. You can adjust the spiciness to your taste by adding more or less cayenne pepper.

How to make buffalo hot wings in an Insta Pot without a trivet

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of chicken wings
• ¾ cup buffalo wing sauce
• 2 teaspoons dry ranch dressing mix
• ¾ cup of water or chicken stock
• Salt
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• Carrot sticks, celery, blue cheese dressing, and ranch dressing for serving (optional)

Method:

• Cut the chicken wings at the joint and remove the wing tips.
• Season the wings with salt, garlic powder, paprika, and pepper. Toss to coat.
• Pour water or chicken stock into the Insta Pot. Place the seasoned wings directly into the pot. Do not use a trivet.
• Secure the lid, seal the valve, and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
• While the wings are cooking, make the sauce by melting the butter and whisking it together with the buffalo wing sauce, ranch dressing mix, vinegar, black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper (if using).
• Once the wings are done, release the pressure and remove the lid carefully.
• Transfer the wings to a bowl and toss with half of the sauce.
• Place the wings on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes on each side, or until crispy.
• Remove the wings from the oven and drizzle with the remaining sauce.
• Serve with carrot sticks, celery, blue cheese dressing, and ranch dressing if desired.

How to make buffalo hot wings in an Insta Pot with frozen wings

Ingredients:

• Chicken wings
• Buffalo wing sauce
• Dry ranch dressing mix
• Chicken stock or water
• Salt
• Butter
• White vinegar
• Black pepper
• Garlic powder
• Cayenne pepper

Method:

• Place your frozen wings in the refrigerator to thaw completely before cooking.
• Pour water or chicken stock into your Insta Pot and place a trivet inside.
• Cut the wings into drummettes and flats, and sprinkle with salt.
• Place the wings on the trivet, secure the lid, and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
• While the wings are cooking, make your sauce by combining butter, hot sauce, vinegar, black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute.
• After the wings have finished cooking, release the pressure carefully and remove the lid.
• Transfer the wings to a bowl and toss with the sauce.
• Place the wings on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil for 4-6 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crispy.
• Remove from the oven, toss with any remaining sauce, and serve with carrot sticks, celery, and ranch or blue cheese dressing.

How to make buffalo hot wings in an Insta Pot with fresh wings

Ingredients:

• Fresh chicken wings
• Buffalo wing sauce
• Dry ranch dressing mix
• Chicken stock or water
• Salt
• Butter
• White vinegar
• Black pepper
• Garlic powder
• Cayenne pepper

Method:

• Cut the fresh chicken wings at the joint and remove the wing tips.
• Sprinkle the wings with salt and place them on a trivet inside the Insta Pot.
• Pour water or chicken stock into the Insta Pot and secure the lid.
• Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
• While the wings are cooking, make the sauce by combining the buffalo sauce, butter, vinegar, black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper in a saucepan. Simmer for 1 minute.
• Once the wings are cooked, carefully release the pressure and remove the lid.
• Transfer the wings to a bowl and toss with the sauce.
• Place the wings on a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet and broil until crispy, about 5 minutes per side.
• Serve with carrot and celery sticks, and ranch or blue cheese dressing for dipping.

Tips:

• You can adjust the spiciness of the wings by adding more or less cayenne pepper to the sauce.
• For milder wings, replace some of the hot sauce with tomato sauce.
• If you want crispier wings, bake them in the oven on a wire rack before tossing them in the sauce.

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