Easy Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks
Make these easy juicy and flavorful Instant Pot chicken drumsticks for healthy and a protein-rich lunch/dinner. You can prepare them in under 30 mins. with simple ingredients. Also, prepare finger-licking sauce from the drippings, which make them so tempting.
Servings: 5
Calories: 182kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 chicken drumsticks
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2-3 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice from ½ fresh lemon
- 2 tablespoon water
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro or parsley
Instructions
Roasting chicken drumsticks
- Turn on high saute mode and let the Instant Pot preheat till it shows the HOT sign.
- Meanwhile, clean and pat dry chicken drumsticks to remove excess moisture as much as possible. Rub salt and pepper generously to coat them evenly.
- Add oil and place chicken drumsticks in a single layer. Roast them for 3-5 min and turn and roast on the other side for 3 more mins.
Pressure cooking
- Turn off the Instant Pot, add 2 tablespoon of water and deglaze the pot by scraping the button using a spatula or the tip of the tongs.
- Add finely chopped garlic, lemon juice, and chicken drumsticks, mix and adjust them evenly into layers.
- Turn back on Instant Pot on manual high pressure. Cover and cook the drumsticks for 10 mins. on normal high pressure.
- Then allow the steam to release naturally for 5 mins. and release the remaining steam manually by turning the valve to the vent position.
Preparing sauce
- Carefully take out chicken drumsticks in a large serving bowl. Evaporate excess water from the drippings in the pot on high saute mode until it gets to a sauce-like consistency.
- Pour the sauce over cooked drumsticks.
- Garnish with herbs and serve warm.
Notes
- Preheating Instant Pot to HOT helps to roast the first batch of chicken drumsticks nicely. Otherwise, it will take a longer time to roast them.
- I always roast 5-6 drumsticks at a time in my 6 qt Instant Pot. Therefore, for 10 drumsticks, I do this step in two batches.
- Pat drying chicken drumsticks is important to remove excess water from the skin. This will help to get the roasted brownish color on the skin in less time.
- Quantity - I have pressure cooked a batch of a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 15 drumsticks this way in my Instant Pot. Adjust the seasonings accordingly, depending on the quantity.
- Sauce - It will take 5-8 mins. or more to thicken the sauce on saute mode after pressure cooking. Again, it will depend on the number of drumsticks being cooked. Also, pour the sauce over the cooked drumsticks evenly and gently mix them to coat the sauce evenly. Make sure not to overmix. The Instant Pot drumsticks are super moist and tender, and the meat can easily break or fall off the bones.
Nutrition
Calories: 182kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.5g | Protein: 25.4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1.8g | Potassium: 194mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg