Instant Pot Chicken Leg Quarters recipe. Chicken legs are quick and easy in an Instant Pot. I sprinkle them with salt, herbs, and spices, then brown the skin, 2 legs at a time, before pressure cooking them for 30 minutes with a Natural Release.
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One of my favorite French recipes is Poulet au Pot - chicken in a pot, simmered in broth until it falls off the bone. Pressure cooker chicken leg quarters are my weeknight version when I need dinner on the table with as little work as possible. A pack of whole chicken legs, some dried herbs, and a half cup of water, and I have dinner on the table in about an hour, with most of the time spent staring at the pressure cooker.
INGREDIENTS
- 6 chicken legs (aka "chicken leg quarters" or "chicken quarters")
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt (⅓ teaspoon per leg)
- 1½ teaspoons dried Italian Seasoning (¼ teaspoon per leg)
- ¾ teaspoons garlic powder (⅛ teaspoon per leg)
- ¾ teaspoons fresh ground black pepper (⅛ teaspoon per leg)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil
- ½ cup water (or chicken broth)
How to make Instant Pot Chicken Leg Quarters
Season and brown the chicken legs
Sprinkle the chicken legs evenly with the salt, Italian Seasoning, garlic powder, and fresh ground black pepper. Heat the tablespoon of oil in an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode - high (medium-high heat in a stovetop pressure cooker). When the oil is shimmering, about 3 minutes, brown the chicken skin in batches. Put two chicken legs in the pot, skin side down - each leg should lay flat. Cook without moving until the skin is browned, about 4 minutes. Move the browned legs to a bowl, then repeat with the remaining legs. Pour any chicken fat out of the pot.
Pressure cook the chicken legs for 30 minutes with a Natural Pressure Release
Pour ½ cup of water into the pot. Leaving the pot in Sauté mode, bring the water to a simmer, scraping any browned bits of chicken from the bottom of the pan with a flat-edged wooden spoon. Once all the browned bits are scraped up, add the chicken legs and any chicken juices in the bowl. Lock the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 30 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker or for 25 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally, for about 15 more minutes. Serve, passing the liquid in the pot on the side as a sauce. Enjoy!
Substitutions
Other Herb or Spice Mixes
You can substitute any herb or spice mix for the Italian seasoning. Just make sure they don't have salt in them, or if they do, skip the fine sea salt. (If there is more than just a blend of herbs, like if you're using an all-purpose spice blend, replace the garlic powder and black pepper with the spice blend too.)
My favorite spice blends for chicken are:
- Herbes de Provence for a taste of the South of France
- Adobo Seasoning (skip the salt) for a Latin American flavor
- Cajun Seasoning (skip the salt) for a taste of New Orleans
- Montreal Steak Seasoning (skip the salt) for some French Canadian flair
- BBQ Rub (and then I brush them with BBQ sauce after cooking)
- Dried Thyme when I want to keep it simple
You get the idea - almost any spice blend will work in this recipe.
Chicken thighs or drumsticks only
You can do this recipe with chicken thighs or chicken drumsticks
Tips and Tricks
Browning the chicken skin
Now, when I said "the least amount of work possible," there is one part of this recipe that requires a little work—browning the legs. You can skip this step, but I don't recommend it. Browning makes the skin taste much better because pressure cooking is a wet cooking environment and does not lead to crispy skin; golden brown skin adds flavor and keeps the skin from being flabby. Also, the browned bits on the bottom of the pot make a rich sauce, and browning renders some of the fat in chicken legs. It's worth the extra 15 minutes.
De-fat the sauce
If you have the time, de-fat the sauce. Pour the liquid from the pot into a [fat separator] and let it rest for a few minutes so the fat floats to the top. Then, pour the de-fatted sauce into a serving bowl.
Can I substitute chicken breasts
For those of you asking, "Can I substitute chicken breast?" If you insist, you can, but chicken legs are perfect for this recipe. I've said before that I'm a fan of the dark side of the chicken, especially in the pressure cooker. Dark meat is more forgiving in the high heat of pressure cooking; overcook it, and you still get tender meat and juicy chicken. (Chicken legs are best when they are fall off the bone tender.) White meat is best when it is perfectly cooked at 160°F; overcook it just a little and it turns stringy and dry. (Also, chicken legs are shockingly cheap when I can get them on sale at my grocery store.)
Can I cook frozen chicken leg quarters in an Instant Pot?
Yes, but they won't be as good because you can't brown or season them before cooking. Skip the browning step. After cooking, sprinkle the salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and black pepper on the chicken. Add an extra five minutes to the pressure cooking time (35 minutes in an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker).
Print
Instant Pot Chicken Legs Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 chicken legs 1x
Description
Pressure Cooker Chicken Legs with Herb Rub recipe - hands off chicken legs with pan sauce from the pressure cooker.
Ingredients
- 6 chicken legs (aka "chicken leg quarters" or "chicken quarters")
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt (⅓ teaspoon per leg)
- 1½ teaspoons dried Italian Seasoning (¼ teaspoon per leg)
- ¾ teaspoons garlic powder (⅛ teaspoon per leg)
- ¾ teaspoons fresh ground black pepper (⅛ teaspoon per leg)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil
- ½ cup water (or chicken broth)
Instructions
- Season and brown the chicken legs: Sprinkle the chicken legs evenly with the salt, Italian Seasoning, garlic powder, and fresh ground black pepper. Heat the tablespoon of oil in an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode - high (medium-high heat in a stovetop pressure cooker). When the oil is shimmering, about 3 minutes, brown the chicken skin in batches. Put two chicken legs in the pot, skin side down - each leg should lay flat. Cook without moving until the skin is browned, about 4 minutes. Move the browned legs to a bowl, then repeat with the remaining legs. Pour any chicken fat out of the pot.
- Pressure cook the chicken legs for 30 minutes with a Natural Pressure Release: Pour ½ cup of water into the pot. Leaving the pot in Sauté mode, bring the water to a simmer, scraping any browned bits of chicken from the bottom of the pan with a flat-edged wooden spoon. Once all the browned bits are scraped up, add the chicken legs and any chicken juices in the bowl. Lock the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 30 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker or for 25 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally, for about 15 more minutes. Serve, passing the liquid in the pot on the side as a sauce. Enjoy!
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
If you have the time, de-fat the sauce. Pour the liquid from the pot into a fat separator and let it rest for a few minutes, so the fat floats to the top. Then, pour the de-fatted sauce into a serving bowl.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
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Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
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My other Pressure Cooker Recipes
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Cindy says
Forgot to add I'm a very new IP user with rubs and veg beef soup under by belt so far!
Valerie says
I am new to using a pressure cooker, just bought an Instant Pot. I am going to try this recipe tonight but only with 2 legs. Do I still cook it for 30 mins?
Mike Vrobel says
Yes. The cooking time is based on the individual pieces of meat - how long it takes to cook a chicken leg through - not how many legs there are.
Jessica says
Thanks so much for this recipe! It was literally fall off the bone good! And super easy. I’m new to cooking with pressure cookers so I really appreciate your easy to understand instructions.
Jane says
Delicious and very easy! I made 6 and they great! Very tasty!
Roberta says
SO flavorful and tender! Thanks for another great recipe
Larry Main says
Hey Mike, have you ever put a layer of potatoes in the bottom of the pan? The recipe is great! But I'm wondering if I'd need more liquid with the taters! Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Mike Vrobel says
No, I have not. If you try it, let me know how it goes!
Kath says
Thanks Mike. I tried 20 and it was perfect for about 800 g drumsticks. I have a 40 year old French Stainless Steel 8 litre SEB stovetop pressure cooker and I have been observing it seems to lose a bit of water in steam. So I added another quarter of a cup of water and it was just on the point of starting to catch when I stopped it. Perfect really as was able to add a little bit more water. If I ever add a bit much can reduce it.
Having a lot of fun with your recipes. Today made the New York cheesecake and was absolutely amazed at how well it turned out!! First time I have ever cooked a New York cheesecake and I could get a knife through the crust. Bought ones often have rock hard crusts too.
Mike Vrobel says
Thanks for the follow up!
KathrH says
How long would you keep pressure up if using drumsticks rather than whole legs?
Mike Vrobel says
I'm not sure. It's on my list to try out. I'd guess 15 to 20 minutes; if you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Hannah says
Do chicken legs in a pressure cooker taste boiled?
How many legs do you think I can fit in a 14 qt pressure cooker? Can they be stacked till the top and still have the flavor permeate the top layers?
I'm considering buying a cooker but only want the largest size and wondering if it will do the job for my family of 7.
Mike V says
You'll be able to fit a lot of legs in a 14 quart pressure cooker. Stack them as loose as you can and they will cook up fine. (The flavor is from the rub - the amount of legs doesn't matter as much. )
Steve Turton says
To also add flavour...once cooked as per these cooking instructions, take them out of the PC....put them on a lined cookie sheet, paint them with BBQ sauce, put under the oven broiler for 3 or 4 minutes on each side...turn out great for me.
Tcemt says
Wow! Made this tonight, with quartered potatoes on the bottom, and it was a hit with the family (I did use 3/4 cups of water instead of the 1/2 cup). My husband normally doesn't eat dark meat and he was impressed. The potatoes had enough flavor in them that I added only a tablespoon of butter, a bit less than a quarter cup of heavy cream and then used the chicken juice to thin them out a bit, delicious!
Mike Brady says
I made this last weekend in my Instant Pot. It tasted great, but the leg quarters did not come out in one piece as shown in the picture. The meat was falling off the bone, which was kind of a mess. Was that your experience?
Mike V says
They are fall-off-the-bone tender, yes. That is what I aim for with chicken legs. If you lift them out carefully with tongs, they hold together. (Or, cut 5 minutes off the cooking time - but the legs will not be as tender.)
Will says
I made this last night and it turns out great- I just used two leg quarters and still used half a cup of liquid to have it come up to pressure.
After removing the chicken, I threw a tub of baby spinach into the remaining liquid, and tossed with some lemon and breadcrumbs to wilt the spinach. It made a great healthyish side and was super flavorful.
It was about the easiest dinner I've ever made on a weeknight and I will totally do it again.
Mike V says
Wilted spinach is a great idea - thanks for sharing!
Jorge says
Mike did warn you he loves the darkside. Part of that is the half a cup or less of water. I agree with him, the food produces plenty of extra liquid usually.
Mark J says
Instantpot instructions say to never use less than one cup of liquid. Yet you only use 1/2 cup. I'm confused.
Mike V says
1/2 cup is enough water to come up to pressure. You can use 1 cup if you want - the recipe will still work - but the pan sauce that comes out will be a little thin.
Chris L says
Looks good! How would you adjust this recipe if you only wanted to cook two leg quarters?
Mike V says
Just use two leg quarters - everything else is the same.
Carol Pavlik says
Mike you were right. I do love my instant pot. My favorite chicken part is boneless skinless chicken thighs. So flavorful and just as versatile as breasts.