Bathed in tasty garlic and thyme tomato sauce and with meat falling off the bone, these Italian-style Instant Pot chicken drumsticks make for a fabulous family meal. Making this dish in the pressure cooker means you can have it done and dusted in no time. It's healthy and budget friendly, too.
Course Main
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Budget-Friendly, Chicken Drumsticks, Instant Pot Chicken Recipes, Italian Chicken Drumsticks, Italian Chicken Recipes
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Coming To Pressure 5 minutesminutes
Total Time 35 minutesminutes
Servings 4
Calories 322kcal
Author Instant Pot Eats
Ingredients
1tablespoonolive oil
1.5red onionspeeled, halved and cut into wedges
1.5teaspoonssalt
8chicken drumsticksskin on or off
½teaspoonpepper
¼teaspoonchili powder or flakesoptional
A handful of thyme sprigs or dried thyme leavesabout 1.5-2 tablespoons of leaves
1teaspoonlemon zest½ lemon
10clovesgarlicpeeled but left whole
⅔cupdiced tinned tomatoes
2tablespoonsbalsamic vinegarcaramelized, 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 ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring a few times, until lightly golden.
Add ¼ 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.