Our Instant Pot chicken legs recipe will liven up your dinner routine with simple ingredients you might already have on hand.
In this recipe, the quick-steamed chicken legs are coated with a flavorful homemade sauce. They are then perfectly baked in the oven until they become juicy on the inside with caramelized, crispy skin on the outside.
Bookmark this recipe now so it can be your go-to way to get a low-cost and delectable meal. You can even use the leftovers to create a whole new dish.
Is This Instant Pot Chicken Legs Recipe Healthy?
Yes, our Instant Pot chicken legs are healthy.
Each serving of our Instant Pot chicken legs contains 471 calories. We serve it with salad, French fries, and juice for a 750-calorie meal, ensuring you enough energy to last until the next meal of the day.
Besides, we go easy on the added sugar and salt in each dish. For this one specifically, there is only ¼ teaspoon of salt and no sweetener added, so the recipe contains just 544 milligrams of sodium and 2.3 grams of sugar per serving.
As a result, this recipe makes a wholesome, fulfilling meal with a nutritional value that is in line with the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines.
Seasoning for Chicken Legs
Our blend for chicken legs is addicting and packs a flavor punch. You can buy chicken rubs at stores, but believe it or not, nothing can beat this homemade one designed with your taste buds in mind.
Our seasoning blend features a combination of saltiness, a creamy texture, and a hint of spice. It starts with a base of salt, ketchup, and butter and is made uniquely flavorful by the addition of garlic, onion, and paprika.
The great thing about this homemade rub is that you can adjust the amount of each element in the blend. You can also remove ingredients or add your favorite seasonings.
And don’t worry, the leg of a chicken is naturally more flavorful than its wings or breasts. Thus, even a simple marinade with your readily-available ingredients will be enough to help bring out the best chicken taste.
To have perfectly cooked chicken legs every time, check out our juicy and tasty chicken legs in air fryer.
How to Cook Chicken Legs in the Instant Pot
Our Instant Pot chicken legs recipe is quick and easy to make. The basic process looks like this:
Steam the chicken
Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot
Cook the sauce
Coat the chicken with sauce
Bake in the oven
Make the salad dressing
Layer the vegetables and drizzle the dressing over them
Place the chicken on the salad plate and serve
For detailed instructions and ingredient measurements, please refer to the recipe card below.
Can I Use Frozen Chicken Legs?
Yes, you can. Cooking chicken legs from frozen doesn’t require any special technique, just a little more time in the Instant Pot.
We suggest you increase the cooking time by 3 – 5 minutes depending on the size and thickness of the meat. When the chicken reaches 165°F, it’s good to go.
What to Do With Leftover Chicken Legs
Leftover chicken never needs to go to waste. There are a few ways to transform last night’s bird into new and tasty dishes. One of our favorites is to shred the meat and add it to a hot soup or cook the shredded chicken with milk and seasonings to have on sandwiches or hamburger buns.
It’s also quite simple to combine fresh vegetables with the leftover chicken meat for a healthy to-go lunch. The possibilities are endless, so you can be creative with the ingredients you have on hand and use them to breathe new life into the chicken legs in your refrigerator.
For more instant pot recipe ideas, have a look at our healthy instant pot dinner roundup.
How to Store and Reheat
Start by letting your chicken legs cool completely before putting them in an airtight container or a freezer-safe Ziploc bag. You can keep the chicken all together in the same container or seperate the legs into individual servings and store them for easy access during your week.
The meat can stay in the fridge for 2 – 3 days. Cooked chicken can also be frozen for up to 3 months without any noticeable deterioration in quality.
To reheat the food, you can use the microwave if you’re in a hurry. However, the chicken’s skin won’t stay crispy.
We love to reheat the meat using the broiler or oven, though these methods will take a little longer. The result is an amazingly flavorful interior with a crunchy exterior that everyone will love!
If this recipe got you craving some more chicken, check out our list of 50 healthy chicken recipes or 20+ amazing chicken thigh roundup. They are our versatile collection of delicious and diverse chicken dishes!
What to Serve With Instant Pot Chicken Legs
These Instant Pot chicken legs can lend themselves to almost any flavor profile, so you can serve them with anything your heart desires!
Salad: It’s always a good idea to side your protein with salad. Green salad topped with fresh fruits and crunchy nuts can quickly refresh your taste buds and liven up the meal.
Soup: A hot and creamy soup is all you need to turn this succulent chicken into a comforting meal. This combination is perfect for cold winter days.
French Fries: Not only do these air-fryer French fries have crispy edges and a creamy taste you’ll love, but they can also be made easily in just a few minutes.
Some More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes You’ll Love:
Love chicken? These 4 Instant Pot chicken recipes are some of our most delicious picks:
- Instant Pot Chicken Wings Recipe
- Instant Pot Chicken Adobo Recipe
- Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Recipe
- Instant Pot Chicken Breast Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Legs Recipe
This Instant Pot chicken legs recipe is a quick and effortless way to get a juicy, well-seasoned chicken meal on the table.
- cook TIME 35 mins
- prep TIME 10 mins
- total TIME 45 mins
- COURSE Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
- CUISINE American
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 476 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 0.5 cupunsalted chicken broth
- 42 ozchicken drumsticks
- 2 tbspHeinz ketchup
- 0.5 tspgarlic powder
- 0.5 tsponion powder
- 0.3 tspsalt
- 1 tsppaprika
- 0.3 tspground pepper
- 2.5 tbspunsalted butter
- 2 tspItalian seasoning
- 2 fl ozwater
- 2 tbspall-purpose flour
- 2.5 tbspolive oil
- 1 tspapple cider vinegar
- 2 tbspcoriander
- 2 tbspJapanese mayonnaise
- 2 tbspplain Greek yogurt
- 1 tbspgarlic (chopped)
- 2 ozred leaf lettuce
- 1 ozradish (sliced)
- 1 ozbaby carrot (sliced)
- 3 ozlettuce
- 4 ozcucumber (sliced)
- 1 ozred onion (sliced)
INSTRUCTIONS
Cook the Chicken:
Pour 1/2 cup unsalted chicken broth into the Instant Pot. Put a trivet in the pot and place the chicken legs on top. Cover the pot with a lid and set it to “Stew Meat Mode” for 15 minutes.
Naturally release the pressure. Open the lid and transfer the chicken to a plate.
Turn on the “Sauté Mode,” add 2 tbsp Heinz ketchup, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp ground pepper, 2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, 2 tsp Italian seasoning, and 2 fl.oz water and 2 tbsp all-purpose flour mixture to the pot. Cook for 7 minutes.
Add steamed chicken to a bowl. Gently toss the chicken to coat the sauce evenly.
Place the chicken on the baking tray and brush the chicken with sauce. Bake at 380 ℉ for 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and brush with the sauce. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the oven. Keep the remaining sauce for dipping.
Make the Salad:
Make salad dressing: Whisk together 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp coriander, 2 tbsp mayonnaise, 2 tbsp Greek yogurt, and 1 tbsp garlic in a small bowl.
Layer 2 oz red leaf lettuce, 1 oz radish, 1 oz baby carrot, 3 oz lettuce, 4 oz cucumber, and 1 oz red onion on a salad plate. Drizzle with dressing.
Place the chicken on the same plate.
Serve.
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD
Nutrition Reviewer