Frozen Chicken Legs Instant Pot recipe instructions are here! How to make frozen drumsticks tender in your pressure cooker or Ninja Foodi is really easy!

instant pot frozen chicken drumsticks
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Ever wonder how to cook frozen chicken legs in Instant Pot? Well sometimes we all have forgetful moments and forget to defrost our meat. We are here to help y’all! Just one of many quick Instant Pot recipes on our site.

Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Legs

I have been busy figuring out how to cook frozen food in Instant Pot lately. Why?? Because I have my moments, days, where I’m a bit overwhelmed and I personally need the info. SO I do and share it with y’all too.

One that has been really popular is our frozen roast in Instant Pot instructions. Wow is that amazing and so tender. No need to defrost ahead of time, you can now throw meat from your freezer into your pot and cook perfectly.

If you are new to pressure cooking we have a lot of easy one pot meal recipes for you here. To begin with let’s start with a few basic tips:

For reference, this is the model I have (a 6 quart) and use for all recipe creations.

A white Instant Pot with a Star Wars theme sits on the kitchen counter, ready to tackle your favorite beef arm roast recipe. The digital display glows "On." Next to it lie a patterned cloth and some green onions, all against the backdrop of blue kitchen cabinets and a stovetop.

How long do you cook frozen chicken drumsticks?

That depends on what cooking method you are using. It takes a whopping hour and 20 minutes in the oven at 375 F, but in a pressure cooker you only need 13 minutes!! A few minutes on natural release is best when done but wow is that a huge difference!

If you HAVE defrosted them, you can follow our Instant Pot chicken legs time. Now it was time to figure out chicken drumsticks, because my kids love them. You can buy them so cheap too and take them right out of the bag and throw them in for dinner.

Ninja Foodi Frozen Drumsticks

Whether you need a Crockpot Express or Ninja Foodi recipe it doesn’t matter. The timing and instructions will work with any brand you have except for the latter machine. For that all you need to remember is that the lid that is not attached will be used to pressure cook, the lid that is attached will crisp if desired.

Frozen Chicken Legs

Is it ok to put frozen chicken in Instant Pot?

Of course, we have been cooking frozen meat several different ways with different parts of the bird for years. Here are a few resources if you want to cook breasts, thighs, and now legs down below:

So long as you allow the pot to naturally release some of it’s steam at the end, it will come out tender. Of course follow the cook time listed on the recipe you’d like to use but I wouldn’t share anything that didn’t work great.

ninja foodi frozen chicken legs

How long to cook frozen chicken legs in Instant Pot

You will need about 13 minutes to get these thawed, and cooked to the point where the meat is pulling away from the bone. Remember that it takes about 15 minutes to come to pressure so you’d need to account for that. If crisping at the end you would need another few.

I personally like to add some during the cook time but re-season when they are done. I’d rather under-season and adjust at the end vs. regret adding too much because you can’t remove the salt. Plus my husband has high blood pressure so I like to err on the side of less that in our home….

How do you cook drumsticks in Instant Pot?

We will show you how below. Keep in mind that pressure cooking will not get crispy chicken skin. You’d need to use our air fryer fried chicken recipe for that. OR use this and then throw them in there for just a few minutes. If you don’t have both devices shame on you…just kidding, kinda’….you can just brush on bbq sauce and under the broiler too to crisp.

pressure cooker Chicken Legs

You can see how we did just that here. The oven is just fine for this step if you aren’t a huge small kitchen gadget lover like I am. I love our oven baked teriyaki chicken drumsticks made this way. Use whatever sauce you like for this.

Ingredients

  1. Frozen chicken drumsticks
  2. Water to create steam in the pot, broth works too
  3. Seasonings are up to you but this is what we used
    1. If they aren’t sticking you can splash water on them or spray with some olive oil and then sprinkle this on.
      1. Paprika
      2. Onion powder
      3. Salt and pepper

As for the seasonings (I say this on all my recipes) use what you normally would. I mean I give you suggestions below as to what was used on this round but if you are a huge garlic salt lover, then add that too.

Always check meat internal temperature before consuming. Then once they’re done, line a baking sheet with some parchment or foil (less messy), brush with your favorite sauce and broil until crispy.

instant pot frozen Chicken Legs

You’d have to add more time for chicken leg quarters Instant Pot. I’m not sure exactly but I’d guess it would take another 5 minutes or so depending on how many you added.

How to Cook Frozen Chicken Legs in Pressure Cooker

Time needed: 13 minutes

Frozen Chicken Legs Instant Pot

  1. Prepare

    Spray lightly the outside of the legs with olive oil, sprinkle on some seasonings like paprika, onion powder and a bit of salt and pepper. Place a trivet inside the pressure cooker, add 1 cup of water. Place legs on top. Close the lid and steam valve.

  2. Cook

    Set to high pressure for 13 minutes, naturally release steam for 5 minutes. Then quick release rest of steam after that.

  3. Crisp

    If you want crispy skin you can put cooked chicken on a baking sheet. Pour some bbq sauce or thick teriyaki on the top of each one. Cook under your broiler for 3-4 minutes to crisp.

    Or you can put into a single layer in your air fryer at 400 degrees F with a light spray of olive oil. Or brush bbq sauce on top and cook for about 3 minutes until as crispy as you’d like.

    You can follow our Nina Foodi chicken legs recipe too if you have that style. Just dump the water out, put legs inside metal basket, brush with bbq sauce and close air crisp lid. Set to 400 degrees F for about 4 minutes.

Keep in mind that the time it will take to come to pressure, cook, naturally release a bit and crisp will take 25 minutes to 30 minutes total. It is a great quick and easy chicken recipe you can make really quickly.

ninja foodi chicken legs recipe

Other drumstick recipes you’ll love

You can find a lot of other cheap Instant Pot recipes to make next. I mean who doesn’t love to find a new one pot meal that feeds all of you for under 20 bucks??!!

Can you reheat cooked chicken legs?

Of course. I suggest you throw them into your air fryer for a few minutes at 380 degrees F. If you don’t have that you can microwave for about 45 seconds – 1 minute. You can also just remove the meat right out of the fridge and throw it into something like our Instant Pot chicken and rice dish.

Feel free to print out the instructions below or just come back when you need them again. We love “seeing you” over and over again for sure.

A close-up of a hand holding a grilled chicken drumstick garnished with parsley reveals juicy goodness, reminiscent of flavors unlocked from frozen chicken legs when seamlessly cooked in an instant pot. More drumsticks grace a plate in the background, surrounded by fresh parsley on the wooden surface.
5 from 5 votes

Frozen Chicken Legs Instant Pot

By The Typical Mom
Frozen Chicken Legs Instant Pot recipe instructions are here! How to make frozen drumsticks tender in your pressure cooker Ninja Foodi is really easy!
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 13 minutes
Servings: 8
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Equipment

  • 1 pressure cooker
  • 1 trivet

Ingredients 

  • 8-10 chicken legs, frozen
  • 1 c water
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • bbq sauce, optional

Instructions 

  • Spray lightly the outside of the legs, then sprinkle paprika, onion powder and a bit of salt and pepper all over chicken legs.
  • Place a trivet inside the pressure cooker with 1 cup of water too. Place legs on top.
  • Close the lid and steam valve. Set to high pressure for 13 minutes, then naturally release steam for 5 minutes. Let rest of steam out quickly after that.
  • If you want crispy skin you can put them on a baking sheet, pour some bbq sauce on the top of each one and cook under your broiler for 3-4 minutes to crisp.
  • Or you can put into your air fryer at 400 degrees F with a light spray of olive oil, or a brush of bbq sauce on top for about 3 minutes.
  • If you have a Foodi you can just dump the water out, put legs inside metal basket, brush with bbq sauce and close air crisp lid. Set to 400 degrees F for about 4 minutes.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 2oz, Calories: 277kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 120mg, Sodium: 110mg, Potassium: 270mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 242IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 14mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!

About The Typical Mom

Justine is the creative mind behind The Typical Mom and The Typical Family on YouTube. She began blogging about easy recipes, budget friendly activities for kids, and fun family travel destinations in September 2012.

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5 from 5 votes

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17 Comments

  1. sauteed the five drumsticks in olive oil with salt and pepper along with garlic powder. added a cup of water and changed the setting to meat/poultry for thirteen minutes in my crockpot express (like an instapot). released the valve and then drained the liquid after it sat for five minutes. added bbq sauce to the drunsticks and steamed them for four minutes in the pressure cooker and released the valve. let it sit for an additional five minutes and they were so good. from frozen to some of the best drumsticks i have ever had. thanks!

  2. I made this for some friends and it was great. After everyone was done drinking, they attacked the chicken legs like it was the thing to do. They were actually fighting over the last piece. The police said it smelled very good but didn’t have any left to give them

  3. Your recipe page has SO many ads my phone is heating up, and i lost almost 10% battery in MINUTES. The amount of padding you have in here is obscene.

    1. @Terry,
      Please donโ€™t be rude.
      She’s sharing wisdom from her cooking experience. Go buy an instant pot cookbook.

    1. @Deanna,
      Thatโ€™s why thereโ€™s an option to jump to the recipe.
      I donโ€™t understand when sheโ€™s sharing her wisdom and experience for free how anyone feels the right to be rude.
      Buy a cookbook!
      Iโ€™m grateful to be able to jump online to find a recipe by someone who has figured out how to cook something that I donโ€™t know.

  4. I’ve been looking for this recipe for a while. As a matter of fact, I’m making it now! Smells so good!

  5. How do you prevent the bone marrow blood to seep out when cooking from frozen? Seems like every time I cook drumsticks from frozen it happens

  6. This is the perfect recipe for the mom who always forgets to defrost dinner! Thanks for having my back.

  7. I love finding new ways to use my Instant Pot! My husband loved this one. Thanks for the recipe!

  8. So tender and juicy! It was delicious and perfect for a busy unplanned family meal.