Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks (Tandoori-Style)
Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks Recipe: This authentic pressure cooker tandoori chicken is easy to make, ultra tender, and coated in an exotically spiced crust!
Traditional Tandoori Chicken
When was the last time you made tandoori chicken?
I’m not talking about grilled chicken with a quick Indian spice rub, but the kind that needs to marinade for hours so the exotic spices can work their way deep into the chicken, while the yogurt tenderizes the meat.
Who has time to make something like that… We’re all so busy, right?
YOU DO!
With just 10 minutes of prep in the morning (to allow the chicken to marinade while you are at work) you can make amazing Tandoori Chicken Drumsticks in the Instant Pot when you get home.
In less than 15 minutes!
Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks
How to Make Traditional Tandoori Chicken:
- Remove the skin from the chicken.
- Soak the chicken pieces in a yogurt and spice marinade to create intense flavor and tender meat.
- Grill over an open flame.
In today’s pressure cooker recipe, I’ve included grill and oven cooking instructions. However, I’m focusing on How to Make Tandoori Chicken in the Instant Pot, for those of you without grills.
Also, pressure cooking the chicken, not only makes it fall-off-the-bone tender, it helps to further infuse the spices into the meat.
Tandoori Chicken Ingredients
The key(s) to making the Tandoori Chicken taste just right is to create the perfect blend of spices. Then to give them enough time to mix and mingle with the chicken before cooking.
- Chicken drumsticks (or chicken wings)
- Plain yogurt
- Lemon juice
- Smoked paprika
- Garam masala
- Turmeric
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Ginger
- Cayenne pepper
- Garlic powder
- Salt
Pro Tips: The yogurt acts as the base of the marinade. It helps to tenderize the chicken meat, while creating a crust. For extra heat, add crushed red pepper flakes to taste!
How To Make Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks
- Remove the skin from the chicken. If you hate handling raw chicken you can ask your butcher to do this for you.
- Mix the yogurt and spice marinade.
- Coat the chicken pieces with the marinade, and wait.
- Pressure cook the chicken pieces on high pressure and perform a natural pressure release.
See how easy that was?
Get the Full (Printable) Instant Pot Chicken Recipe Below
Pressure Cooker Tandoori Chicken Recipe Tips & Tricks
- You can enjoy the Tandoori Chicken straight out of the Instant Pot. However, the crust feels more traditional if you pop it under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp-up the coating.
- 4 hours is the minimum marination time to create a lovely spiced flavor. However, the longer you soak the chicken the better. Instant Pot Chicken Legs is a great recipe to prep one night while cooking another dinner, then save to cook the next night.
- If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can most definitely cook this on the grill or in the oven. See the instructions in the recipe below.
- No, you don’t have to remove the chicken skin. But YES, you really should! If you leave the skin on, the flavor stays primarily on the skin, instead of working its way through the chicken.
What to Serve with Instant Pot Cooked Chicken Drumsticks
You can serve these chicken legs with traditional Indian side dishes like a bowl of basmati rice, homemade naan, raita sauce, saag paneer, and kachumber salad.
Or serve them with non-traditional sides like roasted potatoes, Jamaican stewed greens, and Caribbean coleslaw.
More Instant Pot Sensations
- Instant Pot Italian Beef
- Shrimp with Pasta and Vodka Sauce
- Keto Crustless Quiche
- Sweet Soy Chicken Thighs
More Indian Recipe Favorites
- Creamy Saag Paneer
- Instant Pot Butter Chicken Curry
- Yakhni Pulao
- Malabar Chicken Curry
- Easy Naan Recipe
- Green Mano Chaat
- Slow Cooker Chickpea Curry
- Authentic Indian Chai
Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks (Tandoori-Style)
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken drumsticks
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 whole lemon, juiced
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garam masala
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Traditional tandoori chicken is skinless. To remove the skin, start at the top of each drumstick and pull the skin down toward the narrow end. Use a small paring knife to cut slashes in the chicken meat so the marinade can work its way deep into the chicken.
- Open a large gallon zip bag. Measure and dump the yogurt, lemon juice, and all spices and seasoning into the bag. Carefully squish the bag with your hands to mix the ingredients.
- Then place the chicken pieces into the bag and close it tightly. Shake the bag to coat the chicken in the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
- When ready to cook, place the rack in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Pour about half an inch of water into the pot. Make sure the water isn't touching the rack.
- Pull the chicken out of the bag and stack it on the rack. Throw the extra marinade away. Lock the lid into place and set the Instant Pot on Pressure Cook High for 13 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, turn off the Instant Pot. Then perform a Quick Release. Once the valve button drops it's safe to open the top.
- You can serve the tandoori chicken as-is, but I like to crisp the exterior in the oven. Set the oven on broil. Grease a baking sheet, then lay the chicken pieces on it in a single layer. Set the chicken on the middle rack and broil for about 5 minutes, until the crust starts to blister.
Somer – Can you let me know how long I cook chicken thighs?
Hi Diane,
Good question! Pressure cook bone-in thighs for 13 minutes or boneless thighs for 10 minutes.
Sounds delicious! I’m making this today and serving with basmati and roasted cauliflower.
Help – I only have chick thighs. Have you ever made it with chicken thighs and if so how do I adj the time.
Hi Somer I’d like to make this for friends but a couple are dairy free. Could this work with coconut milk yogurt?
High Greg,
I haven’t tried it this way, so I can’t say for sure. But I have used coconut milk yogurt in other cooked recipes, so I do think it would work. If you give it a try, please report back! :)
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Made this tonight and love it! Putting it under the broiler at the end is a great suggestion. Made exactly as written except used lemon concentrate. Love, love, love this!
This is a fantastic recipe! I am making it for the second time today (in a week). I serve it with a garlic yogurt sauce! Delicious!
This is delicious. I’ve made it several times and serve it with coconut jasmine rice and pre made Palak Paneer which is in the international foods aisle. This is so easy with very little effort. I made it for the extended family and everyone loved it. The only change I made the second time was I threw in a splash of key lime juice since I didn’t have a lemon. I couldn’t decipher a difference.
Trying the recipe this weekend
Wow. This recipe makes me really want a instant pot because that sure looks like some good tandoori chicken!
I would love to try this dish. I am a foodie. But I have a major allergic reaction to anything citrus. Do you believe that I can omit the lemon or substitute by making my own buttermilk with vinegar?
Hi Danna,
Yes, I would just omit the lemon altogether. It should still taste delicious!
Ten minutes of prep? Count me in!
I love how tender the yogurt makes this!
That flavorful crust looks amazing! I can’t wait to try this!
I’m the only one in my house who likes drumsticks, any suggestions on adjusting cooking times if I were to use boneless breasts?Â
Hi Amy,
Usually boneless chicken takes about 6 minutes in the Instant Pot. :)
This looks fabulous! I just bought an instant pot so I think this is going to be my first recipe in it!