Instant Pot Chicken Wings with Alabama White Sauce
Chicken wings are an ALL-TIME favorite at our house. I’m positive my kiddos would eat chicken wings multiple times a week if I made them that often. I make a BIG batch of wings so we can make two meals out of this recipe. Some recipes cook very well in an instant pot and wings fall on the “cook well” list. A short broil time in the oven is required after you pull the wings out of the instant pot. Keep reading to see how I make my wings at home in an instant pot.
For reference, I use a 6 quart instant pot. No instant pot, no problem. Chicken wings can also be cooked on a grill, in an oven, or in a fryer (air or deep). The texture of your cooked wings will differ dependent upon which method you choose, and you will need to adjust your cooking time as well. You will need the following ingredients to make instant pot chicken wings:
4lbs of chicken wings (wingettes and drummettes, not whole chicken wings)
2 cups of chicken broth
Wayne-o’s southern seasoning or seasoning of choice
Buffalo Sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's)
Start by prepping your chicken wings liberally with your seasoning of choice. My seasoning of choice is Wayne-O’s Seasoning.
After plugging in your instant pot, place your instant pot trivet into it. Pour two cups of chicken broth into your instant pot. Carefully transfer your seasoned wings with tongs onto your trivet. If you are using a 6qt instant pot, these wings will be packed to the max fill line, but all the wings should fit. Lock your instant pot lid into place and move the pressure valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual, make sure the pressure is set to high. Set the cooking time for 9 minutes. When the pressure cooking is complete, allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, before finally releasing any remaining steam by moving the pressure valve to Venting. Once all steam is released, press Cancel and carefully open your instant pot.
Here are some helpful instant pot cooking hints:
I always double check to make sure my sealing ring is in place before I put my instant pot lid into the lock position. If this ring is not properly situated, your instant pot may not come to pressure.
In my experience, the fuller the instant pot, the longer it takes to come to pressure. If you are new to instant pot cooking, note that the instant pot has to come to pressure before the cooking time begins. So allow extra time outside of the actual cooking time.
The best place to release steam is under your vent hood with the fan running.
While the wings are cooking, line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack onto the baking sheet. Spray the wire rack with cooking spray. Transfer your wings with tongs from your instant pot to your baking sheet. Set your oven to broil with your oven rack in the upper quadrant. Broil your wings on high for 4-5 minutes, until the skin becomes crispy. I broil half of the wings (about 2 lbs) without buffalo sauce first. On the remaining half, I generously pour Sweet Baby Ray’s Buffalo Sauce (my go to Buffalo Sauce) onto the wings before I broil them for 4-5 minutes. I use the same baking sheet with a wire rack to broil my wings in two batches, starting with the seasoned only wings and finishing with the buffalo wings. You could use two separate baking sheets, but I always try to use the least amount of dishes possible for ease of cleanup.
Delicious on their own, but even better with Alabama White Sauce. I keep a big batch of this white sauce in my fridge because we grill out A LOT this time of year. This sauce compliments poultry so well. You will need the following ingredients to make Alabama White Sauce:
2 cups of mayo (Duke’s is my brand of choice)
½ cup white distilled vinegar
2 tbsp of creole mustard (Zatarain’s is my brand of choice)
2 tbsp of prepared horseradish sauce
1 tsp of kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
3/4 tsp of paprika
In a bowl, whisk together all ingredients until fully combined. Transfer sauce to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least four hours before serving.
I prefer to buy wings that are already cut apart, but whole wings are usually sold at a better price point. Publix will often have whole wings on sale, and the Publix butchers, in my experience, will gladly cut the whole wings into wingettes and drumettes at no additional charge. Click here to see a method on how to cut whole wings at home.
As I was typing this post, my oldest walked in and asked me what I was doing. I said “writing my recipe for chicken wings”. He asked excitedly, “Can we have those again soon!?!” I'm sure I will make wings again soon, and I hope you will try my recipe for chicken wings with Alabama White Sauce. Happy Father's Day weekend!!
-XOXO-
Sally
Instant Pot Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 4lbs of cut chicken wings (wingettes and drummettes, not whole chicken wings)
- 1 cup of chicken broth
- Wayne-o’s southern seasoning or seasoning of choice, to taste
- Buffalo Sauce (such as Sweet Baby Ray's Buffalo Sauce)
Instructions
- For reference, I use a 6 quart instant pot. Chicken wings can be cooked on a grill, in an oven, or in a fryer (deep or air). You will need to adjust your cooking time according to what method you choose to use. Also, the texture of your cooked wings will differ dependent upon which method you choose to cook your wings. Instant pot wings tend to be a bit more on the tender side.
- Start by prepping your chicken wings liberally with your seasoning of choice. My seasoning of choice is Wayne-O’s Seasoning.
- After plugging in your instant pot, place your instant pot trivet into your instant pot. Pour one cup of chicken broth into your instant pot. Carefully transfer your seasoned wings with tongs onto your trivet. If you are using a 6qt instant pot, these wings will be packed to the max fill line, but all the wings should fit. Lock your instant pot lid into place and move the pressure valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual, make sure the pressure is set to high. Set the cooking time for 8 minutes. When the pressure cooking is complete, allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, before finally releasing any remaining steam by moving the pressure valve to Venting. Once all steam is released, press Cancel and carefully open your instant pot.
- While the wings are cooking, line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack onto the baking sheet. Spray the wire rack with cooking spray. Transfer your wings with tongs from your instant pot to your baking sheet. Set your oven to broil with your oven rack in the upper quadrant. Broil your wings on high for 5-9 minutes, or until desired crispiness is reached on the skin. I broil half of the wings (about 2 lbs) without buffalo sauce first. On the remaining half, I toss the wings in Sweet Baby Ray’s Buffalo Sauce before I broil them for 5-9 minutes or until desired crispiness is reached. I use the same baking sheet with a wire rack to broil my wings in two batches, starting with the seasoned only wings and finishing with the buffalo wings. You could use two separate baking sheets, but I always try to use the least amount of dishes possible for ease of cleanup.
Alabama White Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups of mayo
- ½ cup white distilled vinegar
- 2 tbsp of creole mustard
- 2 tbsp of prepared horseradish sauce
- 1 tsp of kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp of paprika
- Pickle juice to taste, about 1/2 tsp
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together all ingredients until fully combined. Transfer sauce to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.