With this quick and easy Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Drumsticks recipe, dinner will be ready in no time. Your family can prepare tasty drumsticks in the pressure cooker in a matter of minutes with just 5 ingredients.
How to make Instant Pot chicken drumsticks
This recipe for chicken drumsticks in the Instant Pot is simple to prepare if you’re just starting out. To get the most out of your electric pressure cooker, make sure you are familiar with all the features. .
Combine the ingredients for the dry rub in a small bowl.
Pat the chicken legs dry with a paper towel. Discard the paper towel.
Brush the chicken legs with olive oil.
Sprinkle the dry rub evenly on the chicken legs. Then, work the rub into the chicken using your fingers. Make sure you coat the bottom and sides.
Insert the trivet into the bottom of the Instant Pot after adding one cup of water. On top of the trivet, arrange the chicken legs in a single layer.
Using the pressure cook button, set the Instant Pot for 10 minutes at high pressure.
Let it go on natural release for another 10 minutes. Before removing the lid, perform a quick release to release any remaining pressure in the pot.
Place the cooked drumsticks on a parchment-lined baking sheet using tongs.
Put the chicken in a pan, brush one side of each leg with your favorite BBQ sauce, and place it under your broiler for a few minutes, watching it closely to make sure nothing burns.
Pull the legs out, flip them over, top with BBQ sauce, and repeat until the top side appears crispy. You can achieve deliciously crispy chicken skin by taking this extra step.
Serve with your favorite sides, and enjoy!
The recipe is quite adaptable and can be made in a variety of ways. Here are some potential substitutions:
Buffalo sauce, honey Sriracha sauce, or homemade teriyaki sauce can all be used in place of the BBQ sauce if you want to experiment with a completely different flavor profile.
You can add cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to your dry rub to give your Instant Pot drumsticks a kick. Feel free to play around with the dry rub; we suggest experimenting with seasoned salts or dried herbs.
To flavor the drumsticks, you can also add aromatics like garlic cloves to the water at the bottom of the pot.
How long does it take to cook chicken drumsticks
Ten minutes are needed for pressure cooking and five minutes for natural release. It’s important to remember that the instant pot needs approximately 10 minutes to reach pressure. Check out my post on how to use an instant pot if you’re new to it.
Separate the chicken if cooking from frozen, then season with a dry spice blend. Since you can’t sauté to brown the sides, start at step 6 and fill the inner pot with water or chicken broth before setting a trivet on top of the pot. Place the chicken drumsticks on the trivet, then cover the Instant Pot. 15 minutes of manual pressure cooking in the instant pot followed by a 5-minute natural pressure release For 10 minutes (5 minutes on each side), broil in the oven.
What to serve with Chicken Legs:
The main course or an appetizer can both be served with BBQ chicken drumsticks. When we host guests, we typically serve an appetizer.
The chicken legs are excellent as an appetizer or as a main course. Include a potato and a vegetable if serving as a main course. Knowing that my family is eating a full meal makes me feel better.