Cooking with an Instant Pot has given me motivation in the kitchen that I have been lacking for years. Sure, I think it is silly that I am one of those people who jumped on the bandwagon and gave the Instant Pot a go…but seriously, it’s been life changing! Meals made in minutes, and a family that is excited to eat what I cook. It is a win-win across the board. As I have been trying new recipes, I have found a few things I love, and a few things I don’t. However, one of the best things I have made so far is this recipe I have adapted to my liking for Instant Pot Hot Wings.
The first time I made Instant Pot hot wings, I made the mistake of letting the chicken sit too long in the pot before depressurizing it. The chicken was so tender and moist that it just fell completely off the bone. Who likes to eat hot wings with a fork? I sure don’t. So I knew I needed to try again.
So, after analyzing what I did wrong and right, I realized I could make my own recipe using the techniques I learned my first time around. Sure, I had some hesitation about it, but as soon as I took my first bite of my Instant Pot Hot Wings recipe, I knew I struck food heaven!
Editors Note: I am using the Instant Pot Lux 5 qt series. So if you have a larger size, you can most certainly increase this recipe and cook it accordingly. 4lbs of chicken wings equates to about 18 pieces. I did not have any problem getting an entire bag into my IP…however, I could not add any additional chicken wings than what was in a 4lb bag.
Now, without any further delay, I give you the easiest, most moist, and delicious Instant Pot Hot Wings recipe everyone can enjoy.
Instant Pot Hot Wings
Total cook time: Approximately 60 minutes from start to finish
Ingredients
For the Instant Pot:
4lbs Chicken Wing Pieces
1 Cup Water or Chicken Broth
1tsp Sea Salt
For the Sauce:
1 Bottle of Taco Bell Hot Sauce
1 Package Ranch Dressing Mix
1 Stick of butter (melted)
Step-by-Step Directions
- Place wire rack on bottom of Instant Pot. (My IP came with a wire rack, if you don’t have one it is okay to skip this step.) Add Chicken Wings.
- Sprinkle with sea salt & add 1 cup water, or chicken broth, into the instant pot. (I like to use chicken broth because it gives the meat a more flavor infused taste.)
- Secure the lid, making sure the valve is SEALED. Press the MANUAL button, and cook for 10 minutes on high pressure mode. (I think that most IPs go into high pressure mode when using the manual mode, but if you are unsure if this is true, just refer to your IP booklet and search the manual button mode. Also, you should note that it will take longer than 10 minutes for the chicken wings to be done. As the IP pressurizes, the cooking time does not begin.)
- Mix together the hot sauce while waiting for the chicken wings to cook. Using a medium sized microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Then pour in the entire jar of hot sauce and the ranch packet. Mix until clumps are dissolved. Set aside.
- When the timer dings indicating the high pressure cook time has completed, do a QUICK RELEASE. This is done by moving the sealed valve to the left or right releasing all the pressure that has built up inside the pot. Be careful not to get your hands or face near the valve release point or you will most likely get burned.
- Turn oven on to High Broil and prepare a cookie sheet, using a tin foil base, to put the hot wings on. (Yall, I have never really used the broil function on my oven before I got an Instant Pot. Well, I did once, while attempting to melt butter on my French bread….needless to say, the fire alarms went off…..so for me, using broil is more stressful then cooking with my Instant Pot. ha)
- Drain liquid from chicken wings and let air dry for a minute or two. If you feel that your chicken wings are still too wet, just dab them with a paper towel.
- Dip the chicken wings into the hot sauce mixture. Make sure to fully coat each wing. Then arrange them neatly on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Broil for 4 to 5 minutes, then remove from oven.
- Carefully dip each wing again in remaining sauce and broil again for 4-5 minutes. (If you want to have a more crispy outer layer, I suggest broiling for 5-6 minutes. Just keep your eyes on it and take it out when it looks good to you.)
- Remove from oven and serve.
See, that wasn’t so bad. Was it? I hope the step-by-step instructions help you have success making this recipe. I have read a lot of recipes that just do an overview of each step, and it leaves me with questions and doubt. My goal is to eliminate that stress and give you a great experience that you will want to share with everyone!
I am weakling to spicy foods, but the taco bell hot sauce was just right for me. It is not an intense heat, but also not too mild. If you want a more spicy sauce, then you can substitute whatever hot sauce you want. I am sure it will taste great no matter what brand of hot sauce you use.
Please don’t hesitate to comment below with any questions, or experiences you had after using this recipe. I would love to hear from you. As always, ENJOY!
If you love this recipe, I encourage you to also check out my other Instant Pot Recipe posts:
28 Kid-Friendly Instant Pot Recipes
just wondering if you threw the wings in frozen or thawed? Sorry if you have gotten this question, i can’t see comments!
Hey Megan. Thanks for asking. These ones were put in thawed. However you can add frozen ones instead. You do not need to change any of the cooking time instructions, however, from the research I have done, it will take your IP a longer time to come to pressure with frozen wings vs thawed.
Are your wings thawed or frozen when you put them in the IP?
Oh my gosh everyone asked the same question. Thanks though!
When you broiled the chicken wings, which rack did you put the pan on? The one at the top (closest to the heat) or 2nd one down, 3rd one down?