Instant Pot Chicken Legs

I actually have three easy Instant Pot chicken legs recipes here for you today! This one you see here can be made as spicy as you like, or mild with enchilada sauce! Definitely one of our favorite easy easy Instant Pot recipes.

If you’ve never made any type of pressure cooker chicken drumsticks they are so easy and a healthy meal too! We have directions for how to cook frozen chicken above too, but if they’re defrosted use this one. Fresh or thawed meat is always best as far as getting fork tender poultry.

If you like a little crisp on the outside you just pop them under your broiler, air fryer or Ninja Foodi chicken legs recipe. You can brush sauce on so it bakes and caramelizes a bit or just season lightly. They are perfection I tell you!

How Long to Cook Chicken Legs in Instant Pot

All you need is 15 minutes! I don’t know of anyone who who debone this cut so yes we are talking about bone-in legs of course in this case. You will want to allow a bit of a natural release at the end too (as with all other meats cooked under high pressure to keep them juicy).

• Trial 1 – I made these with a can of enchilada sauce
• Our trial 2 – Using barbecue sauce (don’t choose honey style as that will trigger the burn message) came out great too.
• 3rd trial we used our Birria Taco Sauce for a spicy option

All have the ability to be as mild or as spicy as you want. I will show you how to crisp up the chicken skin (or outside if there’s no skin) once your Instant Pot chicken legs are cooked.

I say if I can feed my family of five for under $15 it is a win, and this pressure cooker chicken dinner is one of those…..I share my others in this post with lots of cheap Instant Pot recipes. This takes just 15 minutes too so it a real win win for all.

Ingredient Notes

You are going to want the obvious, Chicken legs bone-in. 8 medium sized drumsticks fit well in my 6 qt. IP just for reference. Note that they do vary in size, we prefer organic because they are a bit smaller but with a lot less fat.

I used a very large 28 oz. can of enchilada sauce – any brand and heat level or alternatively you can use 1 bottle of bbq sauce + 3/4 c. water. You can find mild, medium, and spicy versions at the store and for us mild is enough heat with tons of flavor! You could use veri veri teriyaki like we do to make our teriyaki chicken drumsticks if you wanted a bit sweeter flavor.

And I like to add 1 onion sliced in there but is definitely optional, sliced or diced works either way to add flavor and texture.

How to Crisp the Skin

We generally don’t eat chicken skin but still like a bit of browning on the top. Just 3-4 minutes on the broiler setting of my oven makes them perfect, or if you have a Foodi you can change the lids and use the one that is attached at 400F for the same amount of time.

Can you add potatoes?

Yes, you could cut russets in half widthwise and place them on the very top if you wanted to. They take about the same amount of time so you’ll get a one pot meal. Both are going to use high pressure cooking temperature with short cooking times and a quick release for this one.

It only takes about 15 minutes to get the meat tender and pretty much fall off of the bone. That makes it a family favorite that is easy and delicious served with a simple side dish like Instant Pot vegetables. My kids say it’s a great recipe because “chicken legs rock”, no matter what sauce is used really. 😉

Can you stack chicken legs in the Instant Pot?

Typically I do not with other cuts but when making drumsticks I do, yes. The more they overlap the less they can steam properly so some spots won’t be as done as much as the other parts will be but there isn’t really a problem in all the times we have made this.

To serve, plate with steamed rice, a piece of chicken then drizzle some of the reduced sauce over the chicken. You can remove the bay leaves and discard them. Enjoy!

How to reheat leftovers

First start by heating the oven to 400 put pieces in a baking dish rather than a pan to catch juices. Add about 1 cup of chicken broth into your pan so it is about 1/4 of an inch high. Once preheated, place inside until the liquid is bubbling and meat is warmed all the way to the middle. You could throw them into your air fryer too if you want really crispy

Other pressure cooker chicken recipes you’ll love

Looking for more Instant Pot chicken recipes we have a bunch! Instant Pot chicken and dumplings recipe is great as well as this Instant Pot Korean chicken over rice

Pressure cooker chicken and rice is a Campbell’s classic dish. Our Instant Pot Hawaiian chicken is oh so tasty too