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Instant Pot Shredded Buffalo Chicken Bowls

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white bowl with black spoon on a wooden board with buffalo chicken, cabbage, celery, blue cheese, green onions, cabbage and carrots

These Instant Pot Shredded Buffalo Chicken Bowls are super easy to make, so delicious and addictive! Spicy, tangy, and salty incorporated into a healthy bowl with a bit of freshness from the cabbage and vegetables. You can also serve the leftover shredded buffalo chicken in wraps, on slider buns, tacos and more!

Other ideas:

Make it ahead of time!

This Buffalo Chicken Recipe is also great to make ahead and have on hand in the fridge for a few days or store in your freezer. When ready to make the bowls, just thaw the buffalo chicken mixture, reheat and make the bowls. Fast and easy!

Kid friendly

Serve it over rice or pasta for the kids!

Use it as a dip!

You can also use this recipe as a Buffalo Chicken Dip. Make it up in the Instant Pot and serve with crackers, vegetables-such as carrots, celery, and jicama.

Instead of a cabbage base, try it over:

  • zucchini noodles (Zoodles)
  • butternut squash noodles

How to make shredded buffalo chicken in pictures:

Onions and wooden spoon in an Instant Pot

Spray Instant Pot with olive oil spray (paid link). Press, “Sauté.” When hot, add chopped onions and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes until soft.

Raw chicken, Frank's Red Hot Sauce and butter in an Instant Pot

Add the Star of the Show –Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (paid link), spices, chicken and butter. Try to get the chicken down into the liquid. Pressure cook on high for 9 minutes with the seal on, allow to natural release for at least 5 minutes. Then release.

shredded chicken on a plate with fork, sauce in Instant Pot with wooden spoon

Remove chicken and shred with fork. To the sauce, add shredded cheese, and cream cheese chunks. Stir until melted. If it doesn’t melt completely, turn Instant Pot back on, “Sauté,” and heat until melted. Add chicken back into sauce.

How to put together the Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Bowls:

white bowl with cabbage leaves, celery, blue cheese, green onions, cabbage and carrots in plastic containers

For each bowl- add:

  • 1 c. shredded cabbage
  • 1/4 c. shredded carrots
  • 1/4 portion of the chopped celery
  • 3/4 c. buffalo chicken mixture
  • garnish with chopped green onion
  • 1 T. blue cheese crumbles (optional)
Buffalo Chicken Bowl on a wooden board with cabbage, celery, blue cheese, carrots, green onions in plastic containers
These Instant Pot Shredded Buffalo Chicken Bowls are super easy to make, so delicious and addictive!
Want my 20 Best Food and Cooking tips sign from Gourmet Done Skinny on a grey background with beige border and yellow button
white bowl with black spoon on a wooden board with buffalo chicken, cabbage, celery, blue cheese, green onions, cabbage and carrots

Instant Pot Shredded Buffalo Chicken Bowls

Amy Lawrence
These Instant Pot Shredded Buffalo Chicken Bowls are super easy to make, so delicious and addictive! Spicy, tangy, and salty incorporated into a healthy bowl with a bit of freshness from the cabbage and vegetables. You can also serve the leftover shredded buffalo chicken in wraps, on slider buns, tacos and more!
Weight Watchers Points: 8 Smart Points per 3/4 cup serving for all plans. If using breasts 5 Smart Points for all plans.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 19 hours 46 minutes
Total Time 19 hours 46 minutes
Course Main
Cuisine American
Servings 10
Calories 286 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3 lbs. chicken -boneless skinless, thighs or breasts
  • 4 oz light cream cheese 1/3 less fat, cut into chunks
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • olive oil spray
  • 1/2-3/4 c. Frank's Red Hot Sauce see notes at bottom of recipe
  • 1/4 c. chicken broth or water see notes at bottom of recipe
  • 1/4 t. cayenne pepper
  • 1 t. smoked paprika
  • 2 T. unsalted butter
  • 1 c. cheddar cheese shredded
  • 2 c. carrots chopped
  • 1 rib of celery chopped
  • 1 bunch green onions chopped
  • 8-10 c. cabbage - red napa or mixed, chopped
  • few tablespoons of blue cheese crumbles optional, points/calories not included

Instructions
 

  • Trim off visible fat from chicken thighs. Don't worry if you don't get it all, just the easy stuff.
  • Spray Instant Pot with olive oil spray. Press, "Sauté."  When hot, add chopped onions and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes until onions are soft and starting to brown.
  • Add the Frank's Red Hot Sauce, broth or water if using it (make sure you have at least 3/4 c. liquid total in Instant Pot), cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, chicken and butter. Stir well and try to get the chicken down into the liquid.
  • Press, "Manual or Pressure," and cook on high for 9 minutes with the seal on.  Allow to natural release for at least 5 minutes. 
  • Remove chicken with slotted spoon and shred pieces with 2 forks.
  • To the sauce, add shredded cheese, and cream cheese chunks. Stir until melted. If it doesn't melt completely, turn Instant Pot back on, "Sauté," and heat until melted. Add chicken back into sauce.
  • Prepare the bowls. For each bowl add: 1 c. shredded cabbage, 3/4 c. buffalo chicken with some sauce, 1/4 c. shredded carrots, celery, green onions, and blue cheese if desired. Enjoy!
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Notes

This recipe is high in sodium because of the Frank's Red Hot Sauce. If you're trying to cut back on sodium, use 3/4 c. chicken broth and a few tablespoons of Frank's Red Hot Sauce.
My preferred way of making this dish is to use 3/4 c. Frank's Red Hot Sauce (instead of 1/2 c. Frank's plus 1/4 c. broth) but it does increase the sodium. If you don't have a problem with sodium then I recommend you make it this way.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.75cupCalories: 286kcalCarbohydrates: 10.2gProtein: 32.2gFat: 12.8gSaturated Fat: 5.5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1.7gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 149.1mgSodium: 749.4mgPotassium: 644.7mgFiber: 2.4gSugar: 4.9gVitamin A: 236.2IUVitamin C: 43.4mgCalcium: 167.2mgIron: 1.9mg
Keyword buffalo chicken
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

For more Instant Pot Bowl Recipes:

Healthy Instant Pot Korean Beef over kale, cabbage and shredded carrots in a black bowl with Healthy Instant Pot Korean Beef on top on a wooden board from Gourmet Done Skinny

If you like this recipe, you’ll probably love my Instant Pot Korean Beef Over Shredded Kale.

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