These Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks are so easy to make – brush them with BBQ sauce and broil in the oven for crispy chicken!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Chicken drumsticks – you can use chicken drumsticks that have skin or skinless for a less fattier cut of meat.
- Paprika – cayenne pepper or chili pepper can be used in place of paprika.
- Garlic powder – granulated garlic or garlic salt are good options. If you choose to use garlic salt you may want to skip the salt.
- Onion powder – if you don’t have onion powder, you can use onion flakes or add extra garlic powder.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- BBQ sauce – use a BBQ sauce of your choice or customize it by choosing any sauce of your liking.
How to cook chicken drumsticks in the Instant Pot
Step 1: Add water and a trivet to the Instant Pot.
Step 2: Season the drumsticks.
Mix together the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, then coat the chicken in the mixture, rubbing well all over.
Step 3: Cook the drumsticks.
Add drumsticks on top of the trivet and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. When done cooking, do a natural pressure release.
Step 4: Broil in the oven.
Broil the chicken on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 1-2 minutes per side.
Step 5: Toss in sauce.
Add chicken to a large bowl and toss with the BBQ sauce.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
Tips for the best drumsticks
Here are a few tips and tricks to get the best Instant Pot chicken drumsticks every time:
- Broil the drumsticks after cooking to ensure they get nice crispy skin. Make sure you keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn!
- Stack the drumsticks to make a bigger batch if you’re feeding a large group or meal prepping.
- Do a natural pressure release for the most tender meat.
- Try different cuts of chicken in the Instant Pot like chicken thighs, chicken breasts, frozen chicken, chicken wings or a whole chicken.
- Mix up the seasonings and create your own dry rub using spices like cayenne, brown sugar, rosemary, cumin and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can definitely stack the chicken legs on top of each other in the Instant Pot! You will want to make sure that you make sure that the chicken legs are evenly seasoned before stacking them. This will make sure that the taste is even with every chicken leg you have and that the bottom layer isn’t oversaturated.
To get nice crispy skin on the outside of the drumstick, broil them on the second highest placement in the oven for 1-2 minutes per side.
You can cook frozen chicken drumsticks in the Instant Pot, but you’ll need to add 10 minutes on to the cooking time. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes instead of 10 minutes, followed by a natural pressure release.
You can serve these Instant Pot drumsticks with any side dish of your choice like scalloped potatoes, tater tots, potato salad or cowboy caviar.
Storing and reheating
Store your chicken drumsticks in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can store your chicken drumsticks all in one container or store individual servings for easy access throughout your week.
When you’re ready to enjoy your chicken drumsticks, there are a few ways you can reheat them:
- Oven: Wrap your drumsticks in foil and bake them in the oven until they’ve warmed up.
- Air fryer: If you prefer your drumsticks to taste crispier, reheat them in an air fryer!
- Microwave: If you’re in a rush, reheat your drumsticks in the microwave for 1-2 minutes and enjoy!
Freezing this recipe
After you’ve cooked the chicken, you can freeze it in Ziploc bags for up to 3 months. Make sure to label the freezer bag so that you remember when you froze it!
When you’re ready to reheat the frozen chicken, move the chicken to the fridge to thaw overnight before warming or reheat it directly from frozen.
More Instant Pot chicken recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this chicken into your weekly lunches.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Get a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is cooked through.
- Use these Ziploc bag holders if you’re marinating the chicken then freezing it.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.
Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup water
- 8 chicken drumsticks
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Add water and trivet to the bottom of Instant Pot. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together spices then coat chicken in the mixture, rubbing well all over.
- Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal. Press the pressure cook button and set to high, then cook for 10 minutes. Instant Pot will take about 5-10 minutes to come to pressure then pressure cook for 10 minutes.
- Let the Instant Pot do a natural pressure release. Meanwhile, set oven to broil on medium-high and adjust wrack to the second highest placement.
- Open the lid when pressure gauge has dropped and the lid opens easily. Carefully remove chicken with tongs, then transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Broil drumsticks for 1-2 minutes per side, watching closely so they don't burn.
- Add chicken to a large bowl then toss in BBQ sauce. Serve and enjoy!
