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Cooked drumsticks on a plate
4.90 from 59 votes

Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks

These Instant Pot drumsticks are moist, flavorful and so easy to make with a simple dry rub, 5 minutes of prep time, and just 15 minutes of hands-off cook time!
Author Diana
Servings 10 drumsticks
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Coming to pressure 7 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes

Equipment

  • 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot

Ingredients

Dry rub

  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper

For the chicken

  • 2 ½ pounds (1.2kg) chicken drumsticks about 10 pieces
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 cup chicken stock or water

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, combine paprika with oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. That’s your dry rub.
  • Season the drumsticks with the seasoning from all sides.
  • On the Instant Pot, press on SAUTE, add the oil, and melt the butter. Brown the chicken skin side down (2-3 minutes), flip and brown it from the other side (2 minutes). When the chicken is golden brown, remove from the pot and set aside. Work in 2 batches.
  • Add the chicken stock or water, and deglaze scraping off any stuck brown bits to the bottom of the pot.
  • Insert a trivet, and put the chicken drumsticks on the trivet. Overlapping is ok.
  • Secure the lid and set the vent to SEALING. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 10 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will take around 6-7 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, allow to naturally release the steam for fall of the bone chicken, or quickly release the steam.
  • Transfer chicken drumsticks to a serving plate, and to thicken the sauce to make gravy (optional), set the Instant Pot to SAUTE mode, and add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of water. Add that to the sauce, and whisk until the sauce thickens. Have a taste and add more salt if needed.
  • Pour the sauce over the chicken, and garnish with chopped parsley leaves.

Video

Notes

  • Cook chicken drumsticks from frozen. You’ll need to tack on a bit of cook time to 14 minutes and then allow it to naturally release for 5 minutes.
  • Storing. Once completely cooled, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Transfer to a freezer-friendly Ziploc to keep frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating. 

Nutrition

Calories: 146kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 443mg | Potassium: 183mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 175IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg