Pressure Cooker Buffalo Hot Wings are deliciously wonderful. With only a few ingredients, you can have the same flavor as the famous Hot Wings Cafe on Melrose.
Pressure Cooker Buffalo Hot Wings
There is a cute little café on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, called Hot Wings Café. I used to live and work close by and frequented the place often for lunch.
They served their wings mild, medium and hot in red baskets, lined with waxed paper. I thought, why not make hot wings in my Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker and finish them off in the oven or Air Fryer? Well, it was a success. These Pressure Cooker Buffalo Hot Wings are fantabulous.
Cast of Ingredients for Pressure Cooker Buffalo Wings
So, back to the story. One day, I asked one of the wait staff what they put on the wings. He got the chef and told me the recipe and how the recipe changed for the three options. I was floored at the simplicity and that he gave me their recipe. This was back in the late 80’s.
The ingredients are few as you can see and the recipe packs a beautiful punch.
Whether you finish them off in the oven, air fryer or use a crisping lid with your pressure cooker, these wings will be your go-to wing recipe for years.
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Crisping Lids
- Mealthy CrispLid (buy from Mealthy) / Mealthy CrispLid (buy from Amazon)
- Instant Pot Crisping Lid (buy from Instant Pot) / Instant Pot Crisping Lid (buy from Amazon)
If you have an air fryer, my Air Fryer Hot Wings [Better Than Hot Wings Café] recipe is the way to go!
Years later, my husband and I wanted wings, so we purchased a T-fal Oil Filtration Ultimate EZ Clean Up Deep Fryer, fried the wings and then tossed them in the sauce. It became a Friday night tradition. Slowly, my husband started adding a few extra ingredients and the wings were even better.
If you purchase the whole wings and want to separate them, I recommend Kuhn Rikon Kitchen Shears, as they self sharpen and cut through bone very well.
After several months, we decided that we should try baking the wings at a high temperature to save on calories. While the wings were not as good, obviously, I mean, what’s not to love about anything fried, they were still pretty terrific, but it took quite a while in the oven.
You may also enjoy my Honey Bourbon Chicken Wings or my Asian Sticky Chicken Wings. Or, if you prefer to air fry your wings, please see my Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings recipe.
Water with a Touch of Hot Sauce for Flavor
We use the Pressure Cooker for some stuff, not all, but thought, what the hell, let’s try the making the wings in our Pressure Cooker and then finishing them off in the oven.
Place a Trivet/Steaming Rack into your Pressure Cooker cooking pot and toss in the wings. I like to use a trivet with legs that will keep the wings completely out of the liquid.
Whisk up the Luscious Buffalo Sauce
Whisk up the sauce.
Coat the wings with the sauce and place them on a cookie sheet in the oven to get crisp.
After they are crisp, give them another sauce bath.
Just like Hot Wings Café, without the extra oil. Serve with Blue Cheese Dressing, Celery Sticks and Air Fryer Seasoned French Fries. If you have an Air Fryer, try my Better Than How Wings Cafe, Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings, which are fabulous.
More Chicken Wing Recipes to Make:
- Pressure Cooker Asian Ginger Sticky Chicken Wings (or Thighs or Legs)
- Air Fryer Chinese Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Spicy Bang Bang Chicken Wings
- Crispy Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
- Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker
- J.A. Henckels Classic 8 inch Chef’s Knife
- Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
- Anchor Hocking Glass (Liquid) Measuring Cups
- Rösle Stainless Steel Flat Whisk – a MUST have, probably my most used utensil
- Alton Brown Salt Box
- OXO Good Grips Cutting Board
- Kuhn Rikon Kitchen Shears
- 3.5 Quart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl
- Lock N Lock Small Container
- 1/2 Cookie Sheet
- Reusable Silicone Baking Mat
- OXO Stainless Steel Tongs
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Here is the handy printable recipe:
Ingredients
- 4 pounds Chicken Wing Sections fresh or frozen **
- 6 ounces Water (with a touch of Frank's RedHot® Cayenne Pepper Sauce)
Buffalo Sauce
- 1/2 cup Frank's RedHot® Cayenne Pepper Sauce
- 1/2 cup Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1-2 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Recommended Products
Instructions
Sauce
- Mix together Frank'sFrank's RedHot® Cayenne Pepper Sauce, butter, Worcestershire Sauce, Brown sugar and salt.
- Microwave for 15 seconds, or until butter is melted and set aside.
Wings
- Pour water with a touch of hot sauce into the Instant Pot, Mealthy MultiPot or Pressure Cooker cooking pot.
- Add wings to steamer basket.
- Place basket into cooking pot.
- Lock on lid and close pressure valve. Cook on high (most machines default to high pressure) pressure for 5 minutes.
- When Beep sounds, allow a 5 minute natural release and then a quick release.
- Place oven rack in center of oven and turn oven on to Broil.
- Carefully remove wings from Instant Pot, Mealthy MultiPot or Pressure Cooker and place on cookie sheet.
- Brush generously with the sauce and place in oven for 5 minutes.
- Flip and brush on more sauce and broil for another 5 minutes. If needed, repeat on each side until crisp.
- Remove from oven and toss the wings quickly in the remaining sauce and then serve with Blue Cheese Dressing and celery sticks.
Notes
For a milder sauce, use more butter.
Heat of sauce is determined by the Frank's RedHot® Cayenne Pepper Sauce.
** If you use less than 4 pounds, or more than 4 pounds of wings, the cook time is the same. If you use more than 4 pounds, you may need to make a larger batch of the sauce.
Nutrition
PIN this Pressure Cooker Buffalo Hot Wings!
Pressure Cooker Buffalo Hot Wings
Ooooops I put the butter mixture on the bottom. We shall see lol
what temp is the first 5 min oven bake
Not sure what I did wrong. The sauce was very watery and I was not able to use it as it would not stick to the wings. I had to use some sauce I had in the fridge.
The Sauce is not added to the pot, just mixed it a bowl and then added to the wings when you put it under the broiler. Please check the recipe card at the bottom. Jill
Thanks. I will be giving this another try. Not sure how I read over that detail.
How much time in the pressure cooker should i add for frozen wings?
If I use frozen raw wings, do I do the same amount of time in the instant pot?
Hi Amy. I would subtract one minute. Jill
I don’t have a trivet. Is there a problem with me cooking the wings in the sauce?
Hi Alberta~
The Sauce is put on afterwards. The wings cook above the cooking water. I would not boil my wings in water. Jill
What a blast from the past…I used to go to Hot wings all the time! Their wings were the best! Did they give you the recipe for their amazing blue cheese. Now I’ve got to make this recipe, thank you so much for posting 🙂
Hi Andi~
You know, I never thought to ask, but I will see if I can figure it out. I used to live off of Melrose and La Cienega and went there often.
Jill
I made these yesterday for the Super Bowl, and they were delicious! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. I didn’t know where to get wing pieces, so we used whole wings. With the whole wings, I’d say 4lbs realistically serve 4 instead of 6. They were a delicious flavor and the perfect base level of hot for everyone. Those (like me) who really like them hot with that hot sauce taste just put extra Franks on their plates and rolled the wings around in it for more kick. My friends have asked me to make them again another time!
when you bake the first time what is oven on? the second time says broil
Jill, I love all your recipes & can’t wait to make this for SB ????- but with boneless strips / tenders. How long in the IP? (I’ll broil when done) Ty!
I have a high and low broil option. I assume this would be low broil?
Where I live, wings are over $2 a pound. I remember when they were $.49 pound
Sheila~
Gosh, me too. The more popular they became, the higher the price.
Jill
So are you saying to add the sauce to the bottom of the instant pot or a liquid like a cup of water and keep the sauce separate and use once the wings are cooked? If not the sauce, ho3 much water below the wings? Thanks
I have the same question…the recipe doesn’t read clearly on this and I’d love to make these this weekend.
It took me a few times of rereading to figure it out as I had the same question. It’s confusing because the sauce recipe is separate and first. But you cook the wings with the water or water/franks mix in the IP. The sauce recipe listed with the butter and Worcestershire and whatnot isn’t used until basting before, during, and after broiling. So don’t use the sauce recipe listed in the IP.
Is the cook time the same for frozen wings?
Hi Marya~
Cook time is the same for frozen.
Jill
What I just be able to double the recipe for my 8 quart?
Hi David~
No problem in doubling.
Jill