Chicken Wings in Instant Pot

Wondering how to make amazing appetizers like you have been with one pot meals? We will show you how to steam wings and then crisp them at the end, just like you picture them. Just one of many Instant Pot recipes on our site. (affiliate links present)

Chicken Wings in Instant Pot Recipe

You can use the mixture of seasonings we have below or use our dry rub for chicken wings mixture here. Brush with sauce when done and caramelize under your broiler, or pop in to make air fryer chicken wings. I like to have all my basis covered because not everyone has every single kitchen appliance.

in Ninja Foodi

Ninja Foodiusing the air crisp function. If you have the new lid, you can now make Instant Pot air fryer chicken wings this way too.

You can certainly crisp as Instant Pot Air Fryer Chicken Wings when done but with a Foodi there’s no need to move. Take off lid that isn’t attached, drain water, set down lid that is attached and make crispy at 400 F for about 3 minutes. I like to add sauce right before so it kinda’ bakes on to the outside.

Ingredients

• About 1 chicken wings, timing is for defrosted
• 3/4 c water for the bottom so they can steam and fall off the bone (almost)
• Salt and pepper for a bit of seasoning but go ahead and add your favorites
• Garlic powder and onion powder are a few faves in our house
• Cayenne pepper works for some heat but your sauce might be enough, I love dry Sriracha too
• Simple sauce you can whip up if you don’t have one you use on a regular basis
  • 1/2 c hot sauce optional
  • Butter melted
  • OR when crispy toss in our asian chicken wing sauce if you like a lot of heat

Equipment

You will need one accessory, in order to keep the food out of the water below. A bit of liquid is necessary to essentially steam them perfectly. Right in the pot would make them boil instead which is a no go. You could us a vegetable steamer basket instead of a trivet.

Try to keep them as separated as possible. Meaning you don’t want them to overlap a lot because that prevents the hot steam from reaching the whole area. If you have much more or want to make a double batch I would highly suggest that you cook them twice, not together piled up high.

Directions

• Combine dry seasonings in a bowl and coat all of your wings.
• Pour water in the pot with a trivet in the bottom to keep meat out of the meat. Then lay drumettes and wingettes inside overlapping the least.
• Set to high pressure followed by a quick release.
• Pour favorite sauce of your choice or whisk together hot sauce and melted butter like we suggest in a bowl, toss to coat. Preheat oven to broil.
• Lay non stick foil on a baking sheet. Lay on top in a single layer. Broil for about 2 minutes until crispy. OR you can air fry for a few minutes.
• When Instant Pot buffalo wings are crispy as you’d like remove. Toss with more sauce if you’d like to coat and serve.

Want something different to serve with these so your guests for Game Day have all the choices beyond barbecue sauce? Try all of our dipping sauces for chicken wings.

How to crisp chicken wings after pressure cooking

To crisp you’d want a baking sheet to broil or your Cosori preheated to 400F for a few minutes until the skins are crispy and golden brown to your liking. Use a large bowl to toss wings in bbq sauce or your favorite one like teriyaki when done and tender. Blue cheese and ranch are great for dipping.

If you have a Foodi you can do it all in one pot and not transfer them at all. Spray black round basket with non stick spray and you can use that for both steps. That is the really nice thing about having a pressure cooker and air fryer together. Saves dirtying more apparatuses and moving from one place to another.

Of course the sauce is up to you. Buffalo has a wide array of interpretations from mild hot to spicy out of control you won’t feel your tongue at the end of the meal. For best results I would have a variety to try if this one is new to you and see which y’all prefer. If some like it hotter than others then toss separately. That is what I typically do.

Nutritional information including saturated fat, calorie content and more are listed below. That will vary according to how fatty your meat is though so it is an estimate. Refer to the package information you have for more accurate percentages.

How to reheat leftovers

If you do have leftovers, no worries. I shared a post on how to reheat chicken wings air fryer style and believe it or not they come out so good this way!! Crisps the outside up quickly so you can enjoy them again the next day for lunch. I wouldn’t keep longer than the next day though because beyond that the outside gets kinda’ too soggy.

How Long to Cook Chicken Wings in Instant Pot

10 minutes cook time is generally about perfect. Now for reference this will take about 30 minutes from start to finish because it does take a bit of time to come to pressure before it starts to cook on high pressure.

What to serve with wings

Crisp, brush on a bit more sauce to moisturize and add another kick and then serve. If you made it super spicy it is nice to have a bit of something to cool you off. Celery and carrot sticks with cold ranch dressing is where it’s at as far as I am concerned. A side of our Hawaiian coleslaw is a nice cooling side dish to go with this too for sure.

Have another favorite buffalo sauce you whip together at your house we should try? Gimme the recipe so the next time I make these I can try your creations too. We all have “secret recipes” that need to be shared with special friends (I’d love to be that one, let me know!) Happy Super Bowl appetizer dish y’all (or whatever occasion it is).

It depends on what you’re looking for. If you want REALLY crispy chicken skin I would opt for air fryer chicken wings. In order to get very tender meat on the inside you should pressure cook and then just air fry for a few minutes at the end to get a bit of a crunch.