Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks

5 from 1 vote

Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks

Make juicy and tender chicken drumsticks in your Instant Pot. You only need a few ingredients, and dinner is ready in less than half an hour.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Course: Appetizer, Chicken, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 156kcal

Author: Adina

Equipment

Instant pot

Ingredients

8 chicken drumsticks Note 1
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 teaspoons chicken seasoning Notes 2, 3
1 teaspoon salt Note 4 - important
1 cup chicken broth 250 ml, Note 5

Instructions

Prepare the chicken: Pat the pieces dry with paper towels. Rub the with the oil. Add the mixed spices and rub the drumsticks to coat them all over.
8 chicken drumsticks + 2 tablespoons olive oil + 3-4 teaspoons chicken seasoning + 1 teaspoon salt if required
Place the trivet into the pot and add the liquid. Arrange the legs on top of the trivet. It’s okay if they overlap slightly (Note 6).
1 cup chicken broth / 250 ml
Cook: Close the lid and ensure the steam valve is closed. Set the pot to high pressure and select a cooking time of 10 minutes.
Allow natural release for 5 minutes, then press the button to release the remaining pressure. Remove the meat from the pot and broil it if desired.
Optional sauce: Choose the "Sauté" mode and let the sauce simmer, occasionally stirring, for a few minutes until slightly thickened.
Broil: Preheat the broiler. Place the drumsticks on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Broil them for 4-6 minutes, flipping halfway and ensuring they don’t burn under the broiler. You can brush them with 3-4 tablespoon BBQ sauce or another sauce of choice before broiling (Note 7).

Notes

Chicken: Fresh or frozen legs with or without skin. For frozen ones, increase the cooking time to 12 minutes and allow a natural release of 5 minutes. For whole chicken legs (fresh), increase the cooking time to 14 minutes.
Seasoning: Salt and ground black pepper are the basic seasoning, and you can stick to that. Add more spices like garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and dried herbs for extra flavor. Other seasoning ideas: Standard store-bought chicken dry rub or all-purpose, rotisserie seasoning, Cajun seasoning, curry powder, and so on. Try our Wing Seasoning.
Amount of seasoning: You'll require a combined total of 3-4 teaspoons of seasoning, whether a blend of the mentioned seasonings or a store-bought seasoning mix.
Salt: The amount you need depends on whether the seasoning mix you are using contains salt or not. When using a store-bought seasoning mix, be sure to check the salt content and adjust the amount of salt accordingly if it's already included.
Cooking liquid: Chicken broth, stock, or water. If you want to use the cooking liquid to make a sauce, it’s better to use low-sodium broth or stock to prevent the sauce from being overly salty.
Stacking in the pot: Arrange the drumsticks in a circle on the trivet, overlapping them slightly for a layered effect. Continue adding more legs in a circular pattern, maintaining even spacing to allow thorough cooking with proper air circulation. As you position the chicken parts, allow the meaty part of one drumstick to lay on the bone of the previous one.
Sauce: Use your favorite, such as barbecue sauce, buffalo, hot or sweet sauce, etc.

Nutrition