These Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks are the perfect easy weeknight dinner! In just 30 minutes, including the time to pressure up, you'll have juicy, flavorful chicken cooked to perfection.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
Instant Pot chicken drumsticks are my new favorite way to make chicken legs on busy weeknights. They’re juicy and flavorful, and they cook in a fraction of the time it would take to roast them in the oven.
Cover with sauce and pop them under the broiler for delicious BBQ chicken your family will love. Serve with your favorite sides or on a bed of rice for a complete meal your whole family will love.
❤️ Why this recipe works
- A delicious, easy chicken dish that's perfect for any night of the week.
- It's a quick and easy recipe, even if you're new to using the Instant Pot.
- It's ready in 30 minutes.
- Cook as many legs as you can fit in your Instant Pot.
- Leftovers make a great lunch or dinner the next day, great for meal prep!
🍗 Ingredients & Substitutions
All that is required to make this instant pot chicken drumstick recipe are simple ingredients you can easily find at your local grocery store. You will need:
- Chicken drumsticks. I used chicken legs from Costco. I like to buy them on sale and freeze them. If using frozen drumsticks, add a few extra minutes to the cooking time. You can also use bone-in chicken thighs.
- Olive oil. You can use avocado oil as well.
- Dry rub. I used my homemade dry rub for chicken. Feel free to use your favorite seasonings or chicken rub.
- Water. Use chicken broth for extra flavor.
- BBQ sauce. This is added at the end of the cooking time to make BBQ chicken drumsticks.
For a full list of ingredients and quantities, see the printable recipe card below.
🔥 How To Make Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks
Prepare The Chicken Legs
- Make the dry rub by combining onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, black pepper, brown sugar, Roasted garlic and pepper seasoning, and seasoning salt in a small bowl.
- Pat the chicken legs dry with a paper towel and brush with olive oil.
- Sprinkle the dry rub evenly all over the chicken legs. Use your fingers to push the spice rub in, making sure to coat the bottom and sides.
- Add one cup of water to the bottom of the pot and insert the trivet. Place the chicken legs in a single layer on top of the trivet.
Pressure Cook The Chicken Drumsticks
- Cook the chicken legs on high pressure for 10 minutes. Once done, natural release for another 10 minutes. Then, do a quick release to remove any remaining pressure in the pot before removing the lid.
- Using tongs, place the cooked drumsticks on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush one side of each leg with your favorite BBQ sauce and put the pan of chicken under your broiler for a few minutes.
- Once the top side looks crispy, pull the legs out, flip them, add BBQ sauce to the other side, and repeat. This extra step will give you deliciously crispy skin on your chicken.
- Serve with your favorite side dishes and enjoy!
📖 Variations
- If you want to try a completely different flavor, replace the BBQ sauce with buffalo sauce, Sriracha sauce, or a homemade teriyaki sauce.
- Add some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to the dry rub to make them spicy.
- Add some peeled garlic cloves to the water in the Instant Pot to infuse garlic flavor into the chicken.
Related Recipes: Smoked Chicken Legs, Air Fryer Butterflied Chicken Legs, Air Fryer Chicken Quarters.
🥗 What to serve with delicious instant pot chicken drumsticks
I like to serve these chicken drumsticks with a side of Instant Pot Jasmine Rice or coconut rice, along with Frozen Broccoli in Air Fryer and Easy Air Fryer Carrots.
They also go great with a side of Miracle Whip Coleslaw, Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries, and Air Fryer Broccoli and Cauliflower.
🍽 Equipment
- To make these Instant Pot drumsticks, you will need an electric pressure cooker. I used an 8-quart Instant Pot.
- You will also need a sheet pan to broil the chicken on and a pastry brush for spreading the olive oil and BBQ sauce.
🌡️ Storage
If you have leftover chicken drumsticks, place them in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. They will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 four days, or in the freezer for 2 months.
Expert Tips
- You can skip the broiling part if crispy skin isn’t that important to you.
- Avoid overfilling your Instant Pot. Do not fill past the maximum fill line inside the pot.
- Use the chicken drippings to make homemade gravy.
- Keep an eye on the chicken when broiling; it cooks fast!
❓Recipe FAQ's
The cook time for drumsticks in the instant pot will vary depending on the size of the drumsticks. For average-size drumsticks, cook for 10 minutes on high pressure. For larger drumsticks, cook for 12 minutes on high pressure.
Yes, you can stack chicken in an Instant Pot. Stagger the chicken so there are gaps between each piece.
There is no need to brown the chicken before pressure cooking it. The high pressure and heat of the pressure cooker will cook the chicken through perfectly without any extra help, and the broiling step at the end will give you nicely browned chicken.
Here's what readers have to say about these Instant Pot Chicken Legs:
Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"I am OBSESSED with this chicken. It is sooo good!!! I think it is your dry rub recipe that really seals the deal, but this recipe is easy, fast, and I've made it 3 times in the last month. I live alone so that's okay hahaha."
- our reader, Jaime
More Chicken Recipes
👩🏻🍳 More Instant Pot Recipes
Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter for fresh NEW RECIPES and TIPS delivered to your inbox each week. If you enjoyed this recipe, save it now so you can easily find it later. Your support means the world to me! ❤️
- Jeri
Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
- Sheet pan
- Basting brush
Ingredients
- 8 chicken drumsticks
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons dry chicken rub, or your favorite rub the recipe below makes 9 tablespoons. Store extra in a jar for future use.
- 1 cup water or chicken broth
- ½-1 cup barbecue sauce
Homemade Chicken Rub
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons Roasted Garlic and Peppers seasoning a Club House seasoning
- 2 teaspoons paprika or smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the chicken rub.
- Pat the chicken legs dry with a paper towel and brush the chicken with olive oil.
- Sprinkle the dry rub evenly on the chicken legs. Use your fingers to push the rub into the chicken.
- Add one cup of water to the bottom of the Instant Pot and insert the trivet. Place the chicken legs in a single layer on top of the trivet.
- Cook the chicken drumsticks on high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Once done, natural release for another 10 minutes. Then, do a quick release to remove any remaining pressure in the pot before removing the lid.
- Using tongs, place the cooked drumsticks on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush one side of each leg with your favorite BBQ sauce.
- Place the pan of chicken under your broiler for 2-3 minutes. Once the top looks crispy, pull the legs out, flip them, add BBQ sauce to the other side, and repeat.
- Serve with your favorite sides and enjoy!
Video
Save This Recipe 💌
Enter your email below and I'll send the recipe straight to your inbox! Plus, you'll get new recipes from me each week!
Recipe Notes:
- Skip the broiling part if crispy skin isn’t that important for you.
- Avoid overfilling your Instant Pot. Do not fill past the maximum fill line inside the pot.
- Use the chicken drippings to make homemade gravy.
- Keep an eye on the chicken when broiling; it cooks fast!
NUTRITION INFORMATION
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
About Jeri Walker
Jeri Walker is the founder and CEO of Winding Creek Ranch. She is a self-taught home cook who specializes in easy family-friendly recipes. Jeri is also a food writer who regularly writes articles for MSN. Read about Jeri's journey and connect with her on your favorite social media channels!
jaime says
I am OBSESSED with this chicken. it is sooo good!!! I think it is your dry rub recipe that really seals the deal, but this recipe is easy, fast, and I've made it 3 times in the last month. I live alone so that's okay hahaha.
Jeri says
Thank you so much for your kind words about this Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks Recipe, Jaime! I'm so thrilled that you love it and have made it multiple times! The dry rub recipe is definitely a fan favorite! Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment! 🙂
Rod says
This recipe really gets your taste Buds going. Definitely finger licking good.