DadCooksDinner

  • Home
  • Rotisserie
  • Recipes
  • Tools
  • Books
  • Merch
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Books
  • Tools
  • Merch
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Books
    • Tools
    • Merch
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Pressure cooker

    Instant Pot Chicken Legs (with Herb Rub)

    Published: May 21, 2024 by Mike Vrobel · This post may contain affiliate links · 70 Comments

    Jump to Recipe
    Cooked chicken leg on a plate with cherry tomatoes with a pinch mitt in the background

    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.

    Cooked chicken leg on a plate with cherry tomatoes

    Would you like to save this recipe?

    We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

    Jump to:
    • INGREDIENTS
    • How to make Instant Pot Chicken Leg Quarters
    • Substitutions
    • Tips and Tricks
    • Instant Pot Chicken Legs Recipe
    • What do you think?
    • Related Posts
    • 💬 Comments

    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 Cooker Chicken Legs with Herb Rub | DadCooksDinner.com
    Ready to lock the lid

    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
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    Cooked chicken leg on a plate with cherry tomatoes with a pinch mitt in the background

    Instant Pot Chicken Legs Recipe


    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    5 from 26 reviews

    • Author: Mike Vrobel
    • Total Time: 1 hour
    • Yield: 6 chicken legs 1x
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    Pressure Cooker Chicken Legs with Herb Rub recipe - hands off chicken legs with pan sauce from the pressure cooker.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 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

    1. 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.
    2. 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

    6-Quart Pressure Cooker

    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

    Would you like to save this recipe?

    We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @DadCooksDinner on Instagram and hashtag it #DadCooksDinner

    What do you think?

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

    Related Posts

    Pressure Cooker Chicken Broth and Shredded Chicken
    Pressure Cooker Chicken Stew
    Pressure Cooker Chicken Tacos - Tinga de Pollo
    Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks with Potatoes
    Instant Pot Chicken Legs and Rice
    My other Pressure Cooker Recipes

    Enjoyed this post? Want to help out DadCooksDinner? Subscribe to DadCooksDinner via eMail or RSS reader, recommend DadCooksDinner to your friends, and buy something from Amazon.com through the links on this site. Thank you.

    Subscribe
    BirdSend Email Marketing Tool

    More Pressure cooker

    • A plate of Instant Pot Jerk Ribs with green onions sprinkled on top
      Instant Pot Jerk Ribs
    • Frito pie in a Fritos bag topped with onions
      Instant Pot Frito Pie
    • A plate of Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore
      Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore
    • Pressure Cooker Beef Stew

    Sharing is caring!

    Comments

    1. Cindy says

      October 30, 2017 at 6:14 pm

      Forgot to add I'm a very new IP user with rubs and veg beef soup under by belt so far!

      Reply
    2. Valerie says

      October 17, 2017 at 5:49 pm

      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?

      Reply
      • Mike Vrobel says

        October 18, 2017 at 6:22 pm

        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.

        Reply
    3. Jessica says

      October 09, 2017 at 9:19 pm

      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.

      Reply
    4. Jane says

      April 10, 2017 at 8:20 pm

      Delicious and very easy! I made 6 and they great! Very tasty!

      Reply
    5. Roberta says

      April 04, 2017 at 1:26 pm

      SO flavorful and tender! Thanks for another great recipe

      Reply
    6. Larry Main says

      March 07, 2017 at 11:00 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Mike Vrobel says

        March 07, 2017 at 12:12 pm

        No, I have not. If you try it, let me know how it goes!

        Reply
    7. Kath says

      March 01, 2017 at 5:14 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Mike Vrobel says

        March 01, 2017 at 5:37 am

        Thanks for the follow up!

        Reply
    8. KathrH says

      February 28, 2017 at 5:51 pm

      How long would you keep pressure up if using drumsticks rather than whole legs?

      Reply
      • Mike Vrobel says

        February 28, 2017 at 9:39 pm

        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!

        Reply
    9. Hannah says

      February 06, 2017 at 9:02 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        February 06, 2017 at 6:30 pm

        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. )

        Reply
      • Steve Turton says

        February 26, 2019 at 11:32 am

        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.

        Reply
      • Tcemt says

        June 16, 2019 at 8:55 pm

        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!

        Reply
    10. Mike Brady says

      December 06, 2016 at 11:18 am

      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?

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        December 06, 2016 at 11:25 am

        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.)

        Reply
    11. Will says

      October 11, 2016 at 3:26 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        October 11, 2016 at 8:29 pm

        Wilted spinach is a great idea - thanks for sharing!

        Reply
    12. Jorge says

      October 06, 2016 at 6:12 pm

      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.

      Reply
    13. Mark J says

      September 22, 2016 at 5:51 pm

      Instantpot instructions say to never use less than one cup of liquid. Yet you only use 1/2 cup. I'm confused.

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        October 07, 2016 at 7:27 am

        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.

        Reply
    14. Chris L says

      September 20, 2016 at 8:35 am

      Looks good! How would you adjust this recipe if you only wanted to cook two leg quarters?

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        September 20, 2016 at 10:47 am

        Just use two leg quarters - everything else is the same.

        Reply
    15. Carol Pavlik says

      September 20, 2016 at 8:27 am

      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.

      Reply
    Newer Comments »

    Questions? Made the Recipe? Leave a Comment Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    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.

    More About Me →

    Popular

    • Three bowls of cooked Pinto Beans on a wood table
      Instant Pot Pinto Beans (No Soaking)
    • Pressure Cooker Beef Shank (Osso Bucco)
    • Pressure Cooker 7 Hour Leg of Lamb (in 90 minutes)
      Pressure Cooker 7 Hour Leg of Lamb (in 90 minutes)
    • Pressure Cooker Brown Jasmine Rice
    • Grilled Tomahawk Steak (Long Bone Ribeye, Reverse Seared)
      Grilled Tomahawk Steak (Long Bone Ribeye, Reverse Seared)
    • A green bowl full of chicken noodle soup
      Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup

    Seasonal

    • A bowl of asparagus risotto
      Instant Pot Asparagus Risotto (Pressure Cooker Recipe)
    • Grilled Butterflied Chicken with Garlic Butter
    • Sous Vide Rack of Lamb with Dijon Bread Crumb Crust
    • A bowl of beef stew with asparagus, carrots, and radishes.
      Instant Pot Spring Vegetable Beef Stew
    • A Rotisserie Chicken (Pollo Asado)on a platter of shredded cabbage
      Rotisserie Chicken Pollo Asado
    • Rotisserie Pork Shoulder Roast with Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce
      Rotisserie Pork Shoulder with South Carolina Mustard Barbecue Sauce

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2025 Dad Cooks Dinner

    4.6K shares
    • 506