Buffalo Chicken Sliders (Instant Pot) (original) (raw)

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Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Sliders are the perfect appetizers for game day or a quick and easy meal. Spicy buffalo chicken is cooked quickly in your pressure cooker and stuffed into mini sandwich rolls for a delicious game day or any day snack!

buffalo chicken sliders, shredded cheese, ranch dressing, green onions, instant pot, white bowls

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These mini buffalo chicken slider sandwiches are slightly spicy, cheesy, and so simple, you are going to love this easy recipe. They are a great addition to your appetizer table, next to some of our other favorites like Fried Ravioli, Cranberry Barbecue Meatballs, and Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls.

Easy Game Day Buffalo Chicken Sliders

With game day right around the corner, it’s time to pull out all your favorite tailgating recipes. These Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Sliders are the perfect starting point for any party!

This Buffalo Chicken Slider recipe is:

Great for entertaining: Of course, you can’t watch football without food, you absolutely must have appetizers and snacks! Sliders are hand held, flavorful and simple to make, plus you can instantly feed a crowd.
Made fast in the pressure cooker: I used the Instant Pot to prepare my chicken because it results in tender, shreddable, super flavorful chicken. And it only takes 15 minutes – you can’t beat that!
Spicy and flavorful: Spicy chicken is sandwiched into a Hawaiian roll and topped with shredded cheese, ranch and sliced green onion for the ultimate Shredded Chicken Slider!
Easily customizable: These sandwiches taste like buffalo chicken but definitely aren’t too spicy. Feel free to add more or less hot sauce depending on your spice tolerance.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Chicken – A few boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Butter – Added for richness.
Chicken broth – The Instant Pot must have liquid to work properly, otherwise the chicken will burn.
Buffalo Sauce – A cayenne pepper sauce, like Frank’s Red Hot. You can use a buffalo wing sauce for something a little milder.
Ranch dressing mix – About half of a packet is needed. Or if you have a large canister of the mix, you’ll need 1 tablespoon.
Garlic
Cheddar cheese – Freshly grated off the block. I do not endorse using pre-shredded cheese as it has a coating that interferes with the melting process.
Hawaiian Rolls – These are the best rolls for making sliders. They’re soft, and the sweetness is the perfect compliment to the spicy buffalo. They’re like mini buns that are perfect for finger food!
Optional Toppings – Thinly sliced green onions and Ranch or blue cheese dressing. You could also add things like tomato, lettuce or different kinds of cheese.

hand holding a buffalo chicken slider with a toothpick

How To Make Buffalo Chicken Sliders

This easy recipe uses simple, easy-to-find ingredients that you probably already have on hand. So grab your pressure cooker and let’s make some Chicken Sliders!

Buffalo chicken. Cut the chicken into chunks and toss that into your instant pot with some butter and a sprinkle of ranch seasoning. Mix together some chicken broth, buffalo sauce, and garlic and pour that over the chicken.
Pressure cook. Secure the lid of your instant pot and set it to manual for 15 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally once it’s finished cooking.
Shred the chicken with 2 forks. The great thing about cooking your buffalo chicken this way is that you can shred and serve the chicken right from the pot. Shred it and stir it up with the sauce. If you prefer more heat, go ahead and add some more hot sauce.

instant pot with shredded chicken and buffalo sauce, black and silver tongs

Slider Assembly and Serving

These sliders aren’t like my Ham and Cheese Sliders that are assembled and then baked – they’re even easier! No baking is required and these sliders are super simple to put together.

Split open some dinner rolls or Hawaiian sweet rolls and scoop some of the saucy chicken on top. Add shredded cheddar cheese, green onions, and a drizzle of ranch dressing. If you like blue cheese, add some crumbles or a drizzle of blue cheese dressing.

Serve as a main meal with some carrot and celery sticks and ranch for dipping, or as a party appetizer.

Can You Make Shredded Buffalo Chicken in the Slow Cooker?

Yes, you can absolutely make the chicken in your slow cooker instead. I love the instant pot because I can whip these sliders up in less than 30 minutes.

But you can put all of the same ingredients into your slow cooker (omit the chicken broth) and cook on high for about 3 hours. Shred the slow cooker buffalo chicken and assemble the sliders.

buffalo chicken on slider rolls with green onions, ranch and cheese, toothpicks, gray plate

Make Ahead, Storage, and Freezing

Make Ahead – If you’re planning to serve these sliders for a party and want to get some prep out of the way, you can cook the buffalo chicken in advance and store it in the fridge for up to 2 days. Just warm it up in the microwave or on the stovetop, assemble the sandwiches and serve.

Storage – Store the buffalo chicken mixture and the rolls separately. If you have leftover assembled sandwiches, they will probably get soggy so try to only make as many as you think will get eaten. Store leftover buffalo chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Freezing – You can easily double the recipe and freeze some to have on hand for another time. Cool completely, then store in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 6 months. To reheat, thaw completely then heat in the microwave or stovetop.

Pro Tips

If you don’t have an Instant Pot:

Substitute any cooked chicken. Omit the chicken broth, and toss cooked and shredded chicken in the remaining sauce ingredients, warming it all together on the stovetop.
Rotisserie chicken works too.
I like to keep a few servings of my Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken in the freezer. It would be perfect for a shortcut in this recipe.