Rich in Italian tomato sauce with herbs and garlic and meat falling off the bone, these Instant Pot chicken drumsticks are great for the whole family. Following our step-by-step instructions and recipe tips, you will see just how easy it is to make this chicken recipe with accessible and affordable ingredients. Serve Italian chicken drumsticks with pasta, rice, quinoa, polenta or veggies. This recipe is gluten-free, paleo and Whole30-friendly.
Please note, the recipe has been updated slightly based on everyone’s comments and experience and our further testing. The main change was adding a little bit of water to the cooking broth and a little more tomatoes.
In This Post:
- ℹ️ Overview
- 🛒 Ingredients
- 📷 How To Make It
- 📹 Watch The Video
- 💭 Recipe Tips
- 🥦 What To Serve With
- 📝 Full Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks Italian-Style
This is an Italian-inspired recipe for Instant Pot chicken drumsticks, in which the meat is bathed in a tasty garlic and thyme tomato sauce and pressure cooked until falling-off-the-bone tender.
Making this dish in an Instant Pot pressure cooker means you can have it done and dusted in no time. It’s also healthy and budget-friendly!
The tomato sauce is rich and flavorsome and there is plenty of it to go over pasta noodles, rice, quinoa or polenta. It can be reduced to be even thicker using the Saute setting after cooking is complete.
The chicken drumsticks can be served whole or you can shred the meat off the bone and stir it through the sauce.
We hope you enjoy this delicious chicken drumstick recipe!
More Like This: And if you like this recipe, make sure to check out our Instant Pot Chicken Scarpariello which has a similar vibe to this dish, or try the Italian-inspired Instant Pot poached chicken with creamy tomato sauce. For something hearty and comforting, this chicken, lemon and orzo soup might tickle your fancy. This recipe has been featured in our roundups for best Instant Pot Italian Recipes and 45+ Top Instant Pot Chicken Recipes.
Ingredients
- Chicken – You can use chicken drumsticks or/and wings or chicken thighs in this recipe. Diced chicken breast or turkey meat is also lovely in this dish. We used skin-on chicken thighs, which add more richness and fat (remember = flavor!) but feel free to use skinless drumsticks if you want to reduce calories.
- Onions – we love red onions for this dish but yellow ones are absolutely fine too, as are shallots.
- For flavor- lots of garlic, fresh thyme, lemon zest, salt, pepper and a little chili powder of flakes.
- For broth – canned diced tomatoes (1/2 to 2/3 cup) is what we used but you could replace it with passata or tomato sauce of your choice; aged or caramelized balsamic for acidity and sweetness but if you don’t have this on hand, regular balsamic with a teaspoon or two of honey or sugar could be used. For Whole30 version, use regular unsweetened Balsamic.
- Water or stock – In our original recipe we didn’t add any water or stock and only used canned tomatoes, however some people experience the Burn error due to not enough liquid (this really depends on the model of the Instant Pot). So, we’ve decided to add 1/4 cup of water or chicken stock to the bottom of the pot before the chicken is added.
How To Make Chicken Drumsticks In Instant Pot
You will find the full recipe card with ingredients and nutritional info below. Here are some step-by-step photos and quick instructions.
- Step 1. Saute onions with 1/2 teaspoon salt for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden. Then, add 1/4 cup of water or chicken stock and stir through the onions.
- Step 2. Add the chicken drumsticks and sprinkle with the rest of the salt, pepper and chilli, then add the thyme, lemon zest and whole garlic cloves.
- Step 3. Follow with tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Spread ingredients evenly between the chicken drumsticks but don’t stir through completely. Set to Poultry setting or Pressure Cook/Manual for 15 minutes on High pressure. Once done, leave the pot undisturbed for 5 minutes (Natural release), followed by quick releasing the remaining pressure.
- Step 4. Open the lid and stir through the chicken if needed. If you like a thicker sauce, remove the chicken pieces but leave the sauce in the pot. Press the Sauté button again and let the sauce cook off and reduce slightly for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Then return the chicken to the sauce.
Watch How To Make It
Recipe Tips
- If you don’t have aged or caramelized Balsamic vinegar, use regular Balsamic with 1-2 teaspoons of honey or sugar added on top.
- Chicken drumsticks can be with or without the skin. If you want to reduce the calories, remove the skin.
- If cooking chicken drumsticks with the skin on, they will release some fat into the sauce, which adds extra flavor and richness. However, once cooled, the sauce might get a little jelly-like consistency due to the collagen and fat released from the chicken during cooking. Once the sauce is reheated, it will be back to normal consistency.
- You can make this recipe with chicken thighs or breasts as well.
- This Italian garlic and thyme sauce is really versatile and would work superbly well as a base for a beef or lamb stew as well. And for a vegetarian version, you can use the sauce with beans or lentils and mushrooms.
What To Serve With Italian Chicken Drumsticks
Once cooked, you can serve the drumsticks over rice, pasta noodles or spaghetti, mashed potatoes, creamy polenta or vegetables together with the gorgeous, rich sauce poured over the top.
We like to shred the meat off the bones and mix it through the sauce.
Full Recipe
Find the full list of ingredients, instructions, and a nutritional breakdown below. If you have questions or cook this recipe, please let us know in the comments, and make sure to rate this recipe so it’s easy for others to find.
Rate This Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks In Italian Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1.5 red onions peeled, halved and cut into wedges
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 8 chicken drumsticks skin on or off
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder or flakes optional
- A handful of thyme sprigs or dried thyme leaves about 1.5-2 tablespoons of leaves
- 1 tsp lemon zest 1/2 lemon
- 10 cloves garlic peeled but left whole
- 2/3 cup diced tinned tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons sweet or caramelized balsamic vinegar or regular balsamic + 1-2 teaspoons of honey
Instructions
- Press the Sauté key on the Instant Pot (it should say Normal, 30 mins). Add the oil and once hot, add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring a few times, until lightly golden.
- Add 1/4 cup of water or chicken stock and stir through the onions.
- Add the chicken drumsticks and sprinkle with the rest of the salt, pepper and chilli, then add the thyme, lemon zest and whole garlic cloves.
- Follow with tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Spread ingredients evenly between the chicken drumsticks but don't stir through completely. Cancel the Sauté function by pressing the Cancel button.
- Place and lock the lid, make sure the steam releasing handle is pointing to Sealing. Press the Poultry button or set to Pressure/Manual on HIGH for 15 minutes. After 3 beeps the pressure cooker will start going. The Instant Pot will take about 5-10 minutes to come to pressure.
- Once the cooking is done, allow the pressure to release for 5 minutes and then use the quick release method before opening the lid.
- Stir through the chicken. If you like a thicker sauce, remove the chicken pieces but leave the sauce in the pot. Press the Sauté button again and let the sauce cook off and reduce slightly for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Then return the chicken to the sauce.
- Serve the chicken and the sauce over rice, pasta or potatoes or with a side of vegetables. I like to peel the meat off the bone and mix it in with the broth it cooked in.
Notes
- If you don’t have aged or caramelized Balsamic vinegar, use regular Balsamic with 1-2 teaspoons of honey or sugar added on top.
- Chicken drumsticks can be with or without the skin. If you want to reduce the calories, remove the skin.
- If cooking chicken drumsticks with the skin on, they will release some fat into the sauce, which adds extra flavor and richness. However, once cooled, the sauce might get a little jelly-like consistency due to the collagen and fat released from the chicken during cooking. Once the sauce is reheated, it will be back to normal consistency.
- You can make this recipe with chicken thighs or breasts as well.
Nutrition
More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
More Italian Instant Pot Recipes
Can these recipes be cooked in a different kind of appliance?
Yes, you could use a slow cooker (on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours) or on a stovetop in a deep, heavy pot with a lid (once you add everything, braise covered with a lid for 45-60 minutes, you may need to add a bit more liquid).
Can this be done in a Crock -Pot? If so, please give me instructions.
Yes, you could use a slow cooker on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
Can’t wait to try this! Unfortunately I don’t have an instant pot yet. Until I get one can his recipe be used in a crockpot?
Yes, you could use a slow cooker (on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours) or on a stovetop in a deep, heavy pot with a lid (once you add everything, braise covered with a lid for 45-60 minutes, you may need to add a bit more liquid).
It was good but kind of bland. I recommend putting some chicken bouillon in it before cooking. Also use as little fluid as possible to get a more flavor or reduce the sauce after cooking. Maybe using diced fresh tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes?
I enjoyed this! Made a double batch because it was so easy and gave it to some friends for their meal train. Even my toddler seemed to really enjoy her drumstick. 🙂 My husband wasn’t a fan, though. : / And we were a little weirded out by how the leftovers solidified into jelly in the fridge. No idea how that happened! Was there really that much fat in the drumsticks?! I even took off the skin before cooking!
Hey Melinda, that jelly is all the nutritious, good stuff!!! Drumsticks have a lot of cartilage/connective tissue and when they are cooked, you get a lot of gelatine in the sauce, which solidifies into a jelly once cooled. It’s basically collagen, very good for gut health, joint health, hair and skin etc. The fat would separate from the jelly and look much lighter, you can almost scrape it off. The jelly will melt back into the sauce once reheated.
Absolutely amazing, this will be a regular, so cheap and the most amazing flavours. Thank you Irena.
So glad to hear!
Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it. We usually get good feedback on this recipe. Did you add all the seasoning, salt etc? We had quite a bit of stew in ours, perhaps differently measured?
I don’t see the notes for sweet balsamic. I’ve made this recipe twice before, but can’t remember what to use to make sweet balsamic if you don’t have that. Also, are there cooking modifications for frozen drumsticks?
PS. I’ve made this with a creamy Parmesan polenta and it’s divine.
I’m looking for those notes too
Absolutely love this dish!
Thanks, Holly. It’s definitely a popular one 🙂
Very good and Very tasty! I will do this recipe again for sure. Thanks much!
So so good and beautifully tender. Definitely one of my favorite recipes.
I posted three comments in regard to this recipe which I love. None are posted, perhaps because I suggested the Instant Pot directions and manual (and most recipes) don’t take the size of the pot into account when telling people how much liquid is minimal. Although I wrote that I discovered it by “trial and error.” The error was burning a unit out after two years of use. It was actually someone I messaged at Instant Pot that suggested using more water. I am disappointed that you don’t see fit to post my replies, as I spent some time composing them and thought i was doing the questioners/cooks a favor! I hope you will reply to this; I don’t expect you to post it.
Hey Barbara, just saw your comments which we posted a couple of days ago. Our team has to moderate all the comments before they get posted as we often get Spam and it was the weekend so it can take a couple of days before they appear. Thanks for your feedback and suggestions about the pot size and water quantity and I am glad you managed to figure out what the issue was. I am sure this will be super helpful for our readers and we will specify the size of the pot in the recipe. The largest percentage of IP users have the 6q unit, so we make all of our recipes and instructions for that size.
This was delicious and I will make it often. It’s also a good template, and it’s forgiving about quantities. I didn’t have lemon zest. I used two whole red onions, and used a 14 oz can of crushed tomatoes and half a 14 oz can of whole tomatoes, snipped with scissors. When cooking was finished, I put it back on saute for a little to thicken the sauce, and I added a tablespoon of tomato paste. Beware- the amount of liquid this recipe, and most online recipes, calls for is for a 6 quart instant pot! If you have an 8 quart pot, you need to use a minimum of 2 1/4- 2 1/2 cups of liquid. I found this out through trial and error. Neither online recipes or the Instant Pot manuals make this clear.
so how much liquid for a 6 quart then? when you used the Whole tomatoes did you use the juice too? thanks
Yes, we use the tomatoes and the juice, which provided all the liquid you need. The chicken will give out quite a lot of juice while cooking as well.
Hi, I tried the recipe and all tasted well except that I boiled pasta on a side and when they were almost done I cooked them on the broth/sauce left from this recipe and the end result ended up having a bitter hint when I was eating the pasta. Chicken did not have the bitter taste. Could that be because of too much thyme?
Hi Angela. I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe! I can’t pinpoint exactly where that bitter taste was coming from in the broth and sauce, but thyme could be the answer. If you try the recipe again, I might suggest reducing the amount to taste.
If I doubled this recipe, would I increase the cooking time?
By 5 minutes should be sufficient, the pressure might take a little longer to build up anyway.
do you brown the chicken before cooking, or just throw it in the pot with the rest of the ingredients?
You can choose to if you like a crispier skin. You can also just choose to brown the drumsticks after cooking which can help to seal in flavour.
HI. i JUST ATTEMPTED TO MAKE THIS BUT GOT A BURN MESSAGE NOT LONG AFTER IT CAME TO PRESSURE. HOW CAN i AVOID THIS. I JUST POURED IT ALL INTO A SKILLET TO FINISH COOKING. SMELLS GOOD BUT THERE WAS STUFF BURNT ON THE BOTTOM?
Did you have enough liquid?
I thought so. I used a little over a couple of crushed tomatoes instead of 2/3 cup of diced tomatoes. Do you think that may a difference? I’m new to the Instant Pot. Thanks.
Yes, it could have made a difference. While some substitutes work well on the stove top or with another cooking method, IP recipes can be tricky and the substitutions may not always work as you plan.
It’s likely that this recipe, like most online recipes, is written for a 6 quart instant pot! If you have an 8 quart pot, you need to use a minimum of 2 1/4- 2 1/2 cups of liquid. I found this out through trial and error. Neither online recipes or the Instant Pot manuals make this clear. It’s good of course to stir from the bottom with a wooden spoon as your sauce is sauteing, giving one last stir before you switch from saute to pressure. Especially with a recipe like this, you can’t go wrong with erring on the side of too much liquid. This lessens the probability of burning, and you can always finish the sauce adding a little tomato paste and putting it back on saute for a minute if it needs thickening at the end.
Those are ‘tinned’ tomatoes in the photo?
Must move to you very soon.
Can you make this from frozen chicken? Or does it have to be thawed first?
I would say you can, but you would need to increase the cooking time slightly. Also, I would add less liquid as the thawing during cooking will produce extra liquid.
Any idea by how much longer? This is my first time using an Instant Pot! 🙂
I made it with frozen- or almost frozen, drumsticks. I did take them out of the freezer an hour before I cooked then, pulling them gently apart to drop them into the sauce. I used the regular pressure setting for what I thought was a generous 13 minutes. (I thought the recipe said 10 minutes!) Being busy with other things, I let them stay on warm for 13 minutes after they were cooked. They turned out perfect.
Tried my IP for the first time last night with this recipe. I’m pretty terrible at following to the T in general… I used a fresh tomato and broth since I didn’t want to open up a can of diced tomatoes. Once the chicken was done, I took it out and separated it from the bone like you’ve suggested. While I was doing that, I had the lid off of the IP and had it on sauté to thicken up the broth. By the time I was done deboning the chicken, the broth was a good consistency… added it all back and put it over rice. When I was preparing the chicken, I went ahead and had some fresh veggies in the oven roasting… timing was perfect! Husband was satisfied, I was satisfied, and had some left overs for lunch the next day. While I was heating up, someone said “that smells so good!!” And it is. It’s delicious. Thank you for this recipe!
Hey Joy, sounds like you had a delicious meal. Yes, sautéing the sauce at the end is a great idea and thickens it (plus intensifies the flavor too). Great idea to roast some veggies or make a salad while the chicken is cooking. Glad you enjoyed it!
Made this for company. This was absolutely delicious! I did drumsticks as well as thighs seperately. Once cooked, I removed the chicken and boiled down the sauce to make it thicker. Everyone enjoyed it.
The IP can create a really liquid-y base, but it tends to thicken up if I leave it on warm for 20-30 minutes or I’ll do a reduction. Hope the company loved every last bite!
I don’t see a note about the sweet balsamic vinegar. Is this just regular balsamic vinegar with sugar added? Thanks!
Hi Tiffany, we’ll check the recipe and make sure the note is added. You can often buy aged balsamic vinegar, it’s thicker in consistency and sweeter. Regular balsamic vinegar is also fine, in which case you can add a little bit of honey or sugar (like a teaspoon or so).