Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks Recipe – made with a handful of simple ingredients and taste absolutely delicious! Serve Scalloped Potatoes and Eggplant Casserole for a casual and impressive dinner for everyone to enjoy!
This recipe for cooking chicken drumsticks in an Instant Pot has become one of my family’s favorite meals! Not only is it juicy with incredible flavor but it’s also fall-off-the-bone tender. My kids love them!
Using the pressure cooker gives the flavors of that delicious gravy to infuse right into the meat. The initial sear gives that golden brown skin and while they cook you can whip up a couple of quick side dishes while the main course is practically making itself.
It’s always a good choice for serving a crowd because you can spend more time socializing with your guests and less time in the kitchen!
When YOU make this Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks Recipe, take a picture & tag your Food on Instagram @MunchkinTimeBlog we would love to see your creation!
Ingredients Needed to Make Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks
- Chicken drumsticks: This recipe is written for about 5-8 drumsticks. If you have an 8-quart Instant Pot, you could probably fit in more without any adjustment to the cooking time.
- Oil: Used for browning the meat. I use avocado or grape-seed oil as a healthy fat with a high smoke point, but you can use whatever oil you have on hand. Olive oil is also great.
- Onion & Garlic: Aromatics are added to the base of the gravy to give it amazing flavor.
- All-purpose flour: Adding a little flour to the base of the sauce helps to thicken it up into a gravy rather than a runny liquid.
- Dry white wine: Go as cheap or as expensive as you’d like. Some great options are sauvignon blanc, a riesling, or pinot grigio. If you’re not interested in cooking with wine, just replace it with more chicken broth.
- Chicken broth: Homemade or store-bought will work. Since we’re adding salt to taste, you can go with a low sodium broth if you prefer. That way you can control the amount.
- Salt & pepper: To taste!
- Greens: Chopped greens or fresh herbs to garnish the dish. Parsley is my fave!
How to Cook Chicken Drumsticks in Instant Pot
Step 1: Pour the oil into the Instant Pot and set it to sauté mode. In the meantime, pat your drumsticks dry with a paper towel. Getting rid of the excess moisture will help to give them a good sear.
Step 2: Add chicken to the pot and cook on both sides for about 6 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer each one to a plate.
Step 3: While the pot is still on sauté mode, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Then, add the garlic and flour and stir continuously while it cooks for 1 minute.
Step 4: Slowly whisk in the wine, getting rid of all the lumps as you go. You also want to deglaze the pot, using those brown bottom bits to add a ton of flavor to the sauce. When it starts to boil, pour in the chicken broth, season with salt and pepper, and allow it to boil.
Step 5: Return the drumsticks to the pot, cover with the lid and cook for 20 minutes using the meat/stew setting. Don’t forget to set the valve to the sealing position!
Step 6: Once the cooking time is up, do a quick release of the pressure by moving the valve to venting. Be careful of splatter, and keep your hands and face away from the lid. Once the pressure is gone, open the lid and serve! Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
Top Cooking Tips
- Not dairy free. If you’re ok with using dairy, not only is a sprinkling of parmesan a great idea for added flavor but using butter to sauté the chicken instead of oil also gives it a little something extra.
- Extra crispy skin. Ok, so the Instant Pot does have a sauté function and it will brown the outside, but if you want that extra crispy skin, you can place it under the broiler for a bit, if you like. This can either be done before you add it back into the pot or once it’s all done.
- Gluten-free. Swap the flour for cornstarch. Using a cornstarch slurry at will also help to thicken the sauce instead of making a roux.
How Long to Cook Chicken Drumsticks in the Instant Pot?
I recommend setting it for 20 minutes and doing a quick release. However, you can also do it for 10-12 minutes with a natural release. Don’t forget to account for the time the pot takes to come to pressure. That time is spent also beginning to cook the chicken.
What to Serve with Chicken Drumsticks?
You can always stick to the classic white rice or pasta. Baked or mashed potatoes are also great. Don’t forget a side salad and even some grilled veggies would be nice. We always have a basket of bread on the side to scoop up any leftover gravy on our plates. So good!
How to Store Leftover Chicken Drumsticks?
Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge. Reheat the next day for an easy lunch or quick dinner idea.
Can I Use Frozen Drumsticks?
Technically yes, however, if you put them in frozen, you’ll have to skip the browning of the chicken. They’ll just stick to the pot and not do much unless you thaw them first.
If you add them in frozen, add a few extra minutes to the cooking time and do a 5-minute natural release before moving the valve to venting.
Easy Side Dishes to Serve with Drumsticks
Best Caesar Salad Recipe with Salad Dressing
Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5-8 chicken drumsticks pat dried with paper towel
- 2 tablespoon avocado
- 1 onion chopped
- 3-5 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons flour all-purpose
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 1/2 cup chicken broth I use Homemade Golden Chicken Broth
- salt & pepper to taste
- chopped greens for garnish like parsley
Instructions
- Pour oil into the Instant Pot and set it on a sauté mode. Add chicken drumsticks and cook on both sides for about 6 minutes or until golden color, transfer to a plate.
- Into the instant pot add onion and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring few times. Next, add garlic and flour, cook for about 1 minute stirring non stop.
- Slowly whisk in white wine, smoothing out any lumps. When wine starts boiling pour in chicken broth and season with salt and pepper to taste, bring it to a boil.
- Return chicken drumsticks back into the Instant Pot, cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes on meat/stew setting.
- Quick release the pressure and carefully open the lid. Garnish with chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Q. – Do YOU like these Chicken Drumsticks in Instant Pot?
Let me know in the comments below, I would love to hear from you!
Thank YOU for YOUR Comment, Share & Recipe Review!
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This post was updated September 7, 2022, recipe didn’t change.
YUM! YUM! YUM! Thank you for sharing this recipe! It was delicious! My family loved it very much! My guys are not fans of drumsticks BUT this recipe definitely changed their minds! They only want drumsticks made this way!
Thank you, Caroline! I am so happy your family loved this drumstick recipe, thank you for giving this recipe a try and for your awesome recipe review!
I just made this delicious recipe and thank You it was Amazing!!!! Followed the recipe and my husband wants this once a week. Easy and quick❤️ My kind of recipe.
Thanks So Much!
Thank you so much for this awesome recipe review! So happy you and your husband like this chicken drumsticks recipe!
I’m still getting used to my IP, but, love how easy these are. They look great! Yum.
This looks like a wonderful main dish for dinner! I follow a gluten-free diet, so I’ll use cornstarch instead of flour. I’m sure it will be perfect! Thank you so much!