Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken Drumsticks

These Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks with Cilantro Lime Seasoning are sooooo delicious–and the marinade can be used with any type of chicken you have in your fridge or freezer!

This easy dinner is one that you can make for dinner or meal prep for the week. It uses simple ingredients that are most likely in your pantry already, except for the cilantro. You’ll probably have to run to the store for that.

Where’s the recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life, we are creating and writing recipes that anyone can make. Whether you’re new to the kitchen or have been cooking for years, you’re going to be successful when making this chicken.

If you’re looking for detailed instructions with cooking tips and healthy eating plan information, read the post below before starting to cook.

If you are familiar with cooking and really just need the ingredient amounts and quick instructions scroll right down to the easy to print easy recipe for these Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks with Cilantro Lime Seasoning.

Ingredients in Cilantro Lime Drumsticks

• olive oil
• drumsticks
• fresh garlic (minced)
• crushed red peppers
• cayenne pepper (or chili powder if that’s what you have)
• lime
• chopped cilantro
• chicken broth

How to make Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Drumsticks

1. Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot and press the Saute button. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken drumsticks. Sprinkle the minced garlic, crushed red peppers, and cayenne pepper seasoning over the drumsticks. Use tongs to move the drumsticks around so they don’t stick to the pot, and brown for 2 minutes on each side.
2. Add the lime juice, cilantro, and chicken stock to the Instant Pot. Lock the lid into place and turn the pressure valve to Sealing.
3. Cook on high pressure for 9 minutes.
4. When the cook time is finished, let release the pressure naturally. This is called NPR, natural release, or natural pressure release, which just means that you’re not going to touch the Sealing/Venting Valve when the cook time is done. After about 10 minutes if your valve hasn’t dropped, go ahead and move the valve to Venting because you can consider the pressure released at that time.
5. Transfer the drumsticks to a baking sheet and broil until golden brown (about 3-5 minutes). Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve while warm.

How to make these in the oven

If making these chicken drumsticks in the oven, go ahead and skip the chicken broth. That is used to make the Instant Pot come to pressure and isn’t needed for this cooking method.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken in a zipper bag with garlic, crushed red peppers, cayenne pepper, lime juice, and cilantro. You might need to split the recipe between two bags.
2. Shake the bags to allow the Cilantro Lime marinade to coat all of the drumsticks.
3. Lightly oil a 9×13 pan. Place drumsticks in a single layer on your pan and add any extra seasonings that are left in the bag to the top of the chicken. You might need a larger pan, depending on how many drumsticks you’re cooking.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn drumsticks carefully with tongs. Bake for 30 minutes more until internal temperature is 165 when read with a meat thermometer.

Recipe Tips

1. If you don’t love spice, go ahead and leave out the cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes.
2. This easy chicken recipe is perfect for meal prep! I feel like the flavors are even better the 2nd day.
3. I love adding fresh lime zest with the cilantro after these come out of the oven.
4. You can use different chicken for this recipe. We have been loving boneless skinless chicken thighs (honestly, even the bone-in thighs are delicious!), boneless skinless chicken breasts, or even chicken wings.
5. Tp prep this recipe ahead of time, put the garlic, crushed red peppers, cayenne peppers, lime juice, and cilantro with the drumsticks in a zip-top bag and store in the fridge until needed.
6. When cooking chicken, you should always take the temperature before removing from the heat source. Cooked chicken should be 165º.

Serve this great recipe with black beans, brown rice or white rice, or raw snacking vegetables.

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix / Ultimate Portion Fix

Each serving of 2 drumsticks counts as 1 red container and 1 teaspoon.

Trim Healthy Mama

Use MCT oil or Coconut Oil in place of the olive oil in this recipe, and you could use a drop of Lime Essential Oil in place of the lime juice. After making those changes, these cilantro lime drumsticks would be an S recipe.

Weight Watchers

Two drumsticks is 7 Points on the 2023 Plan| 6 Blue Points | 6 Green Points | 6 Purple Points.

These points were calculated using the WW website using exact ingredients, not nutritional information. Weight Watchers has said that this is the most accurate way to calculate points for their diet.

More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes

• Chicken Gyro Bowl with Homemade Tzatziki
• Healthy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
• Healthy Crack Chicken Recipe | Instant Pot Crack Chicken
• Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Caprese Chicken Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
• Weight Watchers Orange Chicken

4.30 from 20 ratings

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Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken Drumsticks

Created by: Becca Ludlum

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Servings 3

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These Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken Drumsticks are the perfect Instant Pot Dinner recipe!

Equipment

• Instant Pot 6 qt
• Olive Oil Spray
• Sealing Rings

Ingredients 

• ▢ 1 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 6 drumsticks
• ▢ 4 cloves minced garlic
• ▢ 1 tsp crushed red peppers
• ▢ 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• ▢ juice from 1 lime
• ▢ 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• ▢ 1/2 cup chicken broth Low Sodium

Instructions

Instant Pot Instructions

• Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot and press Saute. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken drumsticks. Sprinkle the minced garlic, crushed red peppers, and cayenne pepper seasoning over the drumsticks. Brown for 2 minutes on each side.
• Add the lime juice, cilantro, and chicken stock to the Instant Pot. Lock the lid into place and turn the pressure valve to Sealing.
• Cook on high pressure for 9 minutes.
• When the cook time is finished, let release the pressure naturally.
• Transfer the drumsticks to a baking sheet and broil until golden brown (about 3-5 minutes). Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve while warm.

Oven Instructions

• If making these chicken drumsticks in the oven, skip the chicken broth.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken in a zipper bag with garlic, crushed red peppers, cayenne pepper, lime juice, and cilantro. You might need to split the recipe between two bags.
• Shake the bags to allow the Cilantro Lime marinade to coat all of the drumsticks.
• Lightly oil a 9×13 pan. Place drumsticks in a single layer on your pan and add any extra seasonings that are left in the bag to the top of the chicken. You might need a larger pan, depending on how many drumsticks you're cooking.
• Bake for 30 minutes, then turn drumsticks carefully with tongs. Bake for 30 minutes more until internal temperature is 165 when read with a meat thermometer.

Video

Notes

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix/Ultimate Portion Fix

Each serving of 2 drumsticks counts as 1 red container and 1 teaspoon.

Trim Healthy Mama

Use MCT oil or Coconut Oil in place of the olive oil in this recipe, and you could use a drop of Lime Essential Oil in place of the lime juice. After making those changes, these cilantro lime drumsticks would be an S recipe.

Weight Watchers

Two drumsticks is 7 Points on the 2023 Plan| 6 Blue Points | 6 Green Points | 6 Purple Points.

These points were calculated using the WW website using exact ingredients, not nutritional information. Weight Watchers has said that this is the most accurate way to calculate points for their diet.

Nutrition

Serving: 2drumsticks | Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 167mg | Potassium: 469mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1418IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg

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Make sure to follow on Pinterest @bludlum and on Instagram @beccaludlum