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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Pressure cooker

    Pressure Cooker Chicken Drumsticks With Peppers and Paprika

    Published: Apr 17, 2018 ยท Modified: Jul 14, 2023 by Mike Vrobel ยท This post may contain affiliate links ยท 9 Comments

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    Chicken drumsticks with peppers and paprika on a white platter with recipe name in text below
    Pressure Cooker Chicken Drumsticks With Peppers and Paprika

    When this post goes live, I will be sitting in an airport in Europe, waiting for my connecting flight to Venice. Iโ€™m on my way to a food writing workshop in Verona, home of Romeo and Juliet. This is my first trip to Italy, and youโ€™ll hear all about it in my upcoming posts. (Probably until you're sick of it.) Until then, enjoy these Italian style drumsticks in honor of my trip.

    I am testing frozen drumsticks in the pressure cooker, so I Googled for drumstick ideas. I typed in โ€œChicken drumsticks withโ€ and Googleโ€™s first auto-suggestion is โ€œwith Peppers and Paprika.โ€ That sounds greatโ€ฆbut why that combination? Whatโ€™s so popular about drumsticks with peppers and paprika?

    Lidia, that's what.

    Lidia Bastianichโ€™s Cosce Di Pollo Con Peperoni E Paprika recipe is in Lidia's Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Great Italian Cook, and sheโ€™s demonstrated it on her TV show a couple of times. That's why everyone is looking for it.

    Good food doesnโ€™t have to be complicated, and this simple recipe is a great example. Sprinkle chicken legs with salt and paprika, and brown. Sautรฉ some peppers and onions, and bake them all together with a little white wine.

    Of course, I replaced โ€œbakeโ€ with โ€œpressure cook.โ€ You all know me by now. If you donโ€™t feel like pressure cooking, follow these instructions, then pour everything into a baking dish and bake at 350ยฐF until the drumsticks are cooked through, about an hour. Me? Iโ€™d rather use the pressure cooker - the whole thing is done, including time to brown the legs and sautรฉ the peppers, in less time.

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    Pressure Cooker Chicken Drumsticks With Peppers and Paprika

    Chicken drumsticks with peppers and paprika on a white platter
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    5 from 3 reviews

    Simple chicken drumsticks cooked Italian style.

    Inspired by: Cosce Di Pollo Con Peperoni E Paprika - Lidia Bastianich

    • Author: Mike Vrobel
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 45 minutes
    • Total Time: 55 minutes
    • Yield: 10 drumsticks 1x
    • Category: Weeknight Dinner
    • Method: Pressure cooker
    • Cuisine: Italian

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 8-10 chicken drumsticks (about 3 pounds)
    • ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon paprika (preferably smoked paprika)
    • 1 medium onion, sliced ยฝ inch thick
    • 3 bell peppers, trimmed, seeded, and sliced ยฝ-inch thick
    • ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
    • ยฝ cup white wine (pinot grigio)
    • ยฝ cup water (or chicken broth)

    Instructions

    1. Brown the chicken legs on one side, in 2 batches: Heat the tablespoon of oil over medium heat (Sautรฉ mode in an Instant Pot) until the oil is shimmering and starting to smoke. Sprinkle the drumsticks evenly with ยฝ teaspoon salt and the paprika. Brown the drumsticks in 2 batches: Add half the drumsticks in a single layer, skin side down, and cook until browned on that side, about 3 minutes. Remove the browned drumsticks to a bowl, add the rest of the drumsticks, and brown on one side, about 3 more minutes. Remove to the bowl.
    2. Sautรฉ the onions and peppers: Add the sliced onions and peppers to the pot and sprinkle with ยฝ teaspoon salt. Sautรฉ until the onions soften, about 5 minutes, occasionally stirring and scraping any stuck bits from the bottom of the pot.
    3. Simmer the wine, everything in the pot: Add the ยฝ cup of wine to the pot and bring to a simmer. Simmer the wine for 1 minute, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits into the liquid. Add ยฝ cup of water, the browned drumsticks, and any chicken juices in the bowl.
    4. Pressure Cook for 15 minutes with a Natural Pressure Release: Lock the lid. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes in an electric PC or 13 minutes in a stovetop PC. (โ€œManualโ€ or โ€œPressure Cookโ€ mode in an Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally, about 15 minutes. (If you get impatient you can quick release the remaining pressure after 15 minutes of natural release.)
    5. Serve with the pot sauce: Unlock the pressure cooker (carefully - tilt the lid away from you to avoid any hot steam.) Move the drumsticks to a platter with a slotted spoon, then ladle the sauce with onions and peppers over the drumsticks. Serve and enjoy.

    Notes

    • Can I skip browning the drumsticks? Can I skip sautรฉing the vegetables? Can I just dump everything in the pot and pressure cook? Of course you can. Iโ€™m not the boss of you, and you can do whatever you want. The ingredients will all be cooked when you're done. But I donโ€™t recommend it. This is a simple recipe. It is important to brown and saute to add depth and complexity to the dish. Without browning, itโ€™s edible - but itโ€™s a pile of ingredients cooked together.
    • Can I cook from frozen? Not really. I know, I know, I said in the opening that I found this recipe while testing frozen drumsticks. Again, Iโ€™m not the boss of you, do whatever you want. But frozen drumsticks donโ€™t brown well, and the salt and paprika donโ€™t stick to them. (Especially ice glazed drumsticks - that layer of frozen water โ€œprotectsโ€ the drumsticks from the seasonings.) If you have to cook from frozen, rinse off any ice glaze, pat the drumsticks dry, and make sure the โ€œbrown the drumsticksโ€ step is long enough to actually brown the drumsticksโ€ฆabout ten minutes per batch. Then add 5 minutes to the pressure cooking time.
    • Can I halve this recipe? Can I double it? Yes to both; the cooking time is the same either way. (Cooking time is determined by how long it takes to pressure cook each drumstick, not how many there are in the cooker.)

    Tools

    • 6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker)
    • Flat edged wooden spoon
    • Tongs

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    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 2 drumsticks with peppers, onions, and sauce
    • Calories: 377
    • Sugar: 4 g
    • Sodium: 765.5 mg
    • Fat: 12.7 g
    • Carbohydrates: 7.1 g
    • Protein: 51.5 g
    • Cholesterol: 231.4 mg

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    What do you think?

    Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

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    Comments

    1. Diana Solymossy says

      November 21, 2020 at 12:18 pm

      Hi, Mike -- I appreciate you & your recipes! I used this recipe and adapted it for traditional Hungarian Chicken Paprika (Paprikash Chirke). My Budapest-born husband declared it very good! Thanks for all you share with us ... your New York Cheesecake is one of my go-to's!

      Reply
    2. Kelly says

      February 27, 2020 at 10:28 am

      Made this last night and it was easy to prepare and tasty. Quick, easy and tasty dinner

      Reply
    3. Christi says

      November 06, 2018 at 5:00 pm

      Made this for the first time last night with a side of rice and the everyone loved it. Another crowd pleaser!

      Reply
      • Mike Vrobel says

        November 07, 2018 at 2:56 pm

        Thanks!

        Reply
    4. Donna says

      May 02, 2018 at 9:06 pm

      This recipe sounds delicious and simple. My family prefer chicken thighs and or a combination of both thighs and legs. Any suggestions on how to adapt the recipe for all thighs or a combination of both?

      Reply
      • Mike Vrobel says

        May 03, 2018 at 1:52 pm

        For thighs, use the cooking times in this recipe: https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/pressure-cooker-chicken-with-40-cloves-of-garlic/
        For legs, use the cooking times in this recipe: https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/pressure-cooker-chicken-legs-with-herb-rub/

        Reply
    5. Jim says

      April 29, 2018 at 9:35 pm

      Suggestion for frozen meats...use your Sous Vide!!! Put it on a low temp (I usually use around 60-70) and put your meats in a sealed ziplock (I use gallon size) and check every 5-10 minutes...works like a charm!

      Reply
    6. Mike Vrobel says

      April 26, 2018 at 9:12 am

      It doesn't need to broil at the end - this is traditionally a stewed dish - but it wouldn't be a bad idea either. If you want to, pour it in a large, broiler safe baking dish and broil it for a few minutes.

      I think it goes well with Polenta or Mashed Potatoes as a starchy side to soak up the liquid, but use whatever you think is appropriate.

      Reply
    7. David A LOITZ says

      April 18, 2018 at 1:39 pm

      Any need to broil at the end?

      Does it need a side dish? Medley of colorful potatoes? Cook in the pot?

      Reply

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    Welcome to Dad Cooks Dinner!

    I'm Mike Vrobel, a dad who cooks dinner every night. I'm an enthusiastic home cook, and I write about pressure cooking, rotisserie grilling, and other food topics that grab my attention.

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