Instant Pot Creamy Lemon Chicken Legs are simple, flavorful, and perfect for any occasion. Tender chicken legs infused with zesty lemon flavor and cooked in a creamy sauce—deliciousness guaranteed! Let's get cooking!
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Why This Recipe Works
- Tangy and Creamy: The lemon-infused creamy sauce makes these chicken legs irresistibly flavorful.
- Easy Preparation: This recipe is straightforward, making it perfect for weeknight dinners.
- Versatile Pairing: These chicken legs pair well with a variety of side dishes.
📋 Ingredients
To make the lemon garlic chicken, here's a quick list of ingredients you'll need.
- Chicken Drumsticks: The star of the dish, they provide a juicy, meaty base that holds up well to the creamy sauce.
- Chicken Broth: Adds depth and savory flavors, keeping the drumsticks moist during cooking.
- Heavy Cream: Gives the dish its signature creaminess, making for a rich and indulgent sauce.
- Lemon: Brings a bright, tangy element that cuts through the richness of the cream and complements the chicken beautifully.
- Lemon Pepper Seasoning: Adds a zesty kick and a touch of heat, enhancing the lemon flavor and giving the chicken a lovely spice.
- Salt & Pepper: Essential seasonings that bring out the natural flavors of the chicken and balance the tanginess of the lemon.
- Flour: Helps to thicken the sauce, giving it a luxurious texture that coats the drumsticks perfectly.
- Butter: Adds a touch of richness and helps in browning the drumsticks, creating a beautiful color and a delicious crust.
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
- Protein & Cut Alternatives: While chicken legs provide great flavor and moisture, try using bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks for an equally juicy result. For a leaner option, you could even use boneless, skinless chicken breasts with adjusted cooking times.
- Creamy Sauce Modifications: Experiment with different creamy bases by substituting heavy cream with Greek yogurt or a dairy-free alternative like cashew cream. You can also add a splash of white wine to the sauce for extra depth while maintaining the bright lemon flavor.
- Flavor Enhancements: Boost the dish by incorporating additional aromatics such as garlic, shallots, or fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, or basil. For a tangy twist, try stirring in capers or a pinch of red pepper flakes to balance the richness of the cream with a little heat.
🔪How To Make Creamy Lemon Chicken Legs
Once you have all your ingredients ready, here's what you'll need to do to put the dish together.
Step One: Turn the instant pot to sauté. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place into the instant pot.
Step Two: Add half of the butter to the instant pot. Lightly brown the chicken.
Step Three: Remove the chicken. Stir in the flour & left over melted butter with the chicken juices.
Step Four: Pour in the chicken broth & heavy cream.
Step Five: Sprinkle in the lemon pepper seasoning. Squeeze in fresh lemon juice.
Step Six: Place the chicken back into the instant pot. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the steam release handle to the 'sealing' position.
Step Seven: Pressure cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
Step Eight: When the Instant Pot completes its cycle, perform a quick pressure release. Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot.
Step Nine: Select the 'sauté' function of the Instant Pot, and allow cooking liquids to simmer.
Step Ten: When liquids have thickened, smother the chicken with the liquid when serving.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
While this recipe is extremely easy to put together, you might want to keep these little tips and tricks handy.
- Keeping the chicken skin on will let you enjoy that nice crispy texture on the outside. I usually don't keep the skin on and just use a mix of chicken thighs and drumsticks for the recipe.
- To lend some extra flavor to the dish, you can also add some minced garlic and turn it into an Instant Pot lemon garlic chicken dish. If you don't have fresh garlic, you can also make do with a bit of garlic powder instead, and you've got yourself a lemon garlic chicken dish!
- If you don't have the lemon pepper seasoning the recipe calls for, just add some dried oregano, dried or fresh thyme, some black pepper, lemon juice, salt and a bit of chopped garlic instead.
- I love a bit of spice in my meals, and if you do too, you can add some smoked paprika or red chili flakes into the chicken marinade.
💭 FAQs
When you decide to marinate the chicken drumsticks, try to keep it as simple as you can, and let the juicy flavor of the chicken shine through. Stick to the basics like olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper and dried oregano or any other herbs and seasonings of your choice.
While chicken legs are an absolute classic and have the best flavor, you can also replicate the same recipe and use any other cut of chicken of your choice. I personally love using boneless skinless chicken thighs, because the meat turns out incredibly soft and juicy and has a lot more of that delicious flavor too!
You can also use chicken breasts or any bone-in chicken pieces of your choice. Remember that depending on the cut of chicken you use, the cooking time will be different. Make sure you check if the chicken is cooked well before you serve it! You can do this using a meat thermometer.
You can! You can marinate the chicken pieces, transfer them to a baking dish, leave them in the fridge overnight, and then put them together the next day. Doing this will actually help the flavors develop even more, and will also cut down the cooking time for the chicken. If you want to store the chicken for a longer time, you can transfer it to an airtight container and freeze it for months.
You sure can! I personally love using my Instant Pot, but if you don’t have one, you can always use your oven to make the baked chicken drumsticks and prepare the sauce separately in a pan. Just preheat the oven, and bake the marinated chicken drumsticks until it reach safe internal temperature or until you get that perfect golden brown color on the outside.
To store chicken legs, first let them cool to room temperature. Then, place them in an airtight container or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. For longer storage, you can freeze the chicken legs in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Creamy Lemon Chicken Legs:
These delicious lemon chicken drumsticks are sure to be a total hit with the whole family. They're super versatile, and you can enjoy them in a lot of different ways.
- I love pairing them with some Roasted Potatoes and/or pan fried veggies on the side, and of course, garnished with some lemon slices and a bit of lemon zest sprinkled on top.
- You can also serve this lemon chicken with a Simple Pasta Dish or a Crunchy Salad on the side if you want to make it a complete meal.
- Another great idea is to arrange chicken drumsticks in a large casserole dish, top it a generous sprinkle of grated cheese, chopped herbs and some lemon slices if you love lemon, and bake uncovered for a few minutes until you get that golden brown crust. Serve with a side of Mashed Potatoes.
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Creamy Lemon Chicken Legs
Ingredients
- 5-6 Chicken Drumsticks
- ½ Cup Chicken Broth
- ½ Cup Heavy Cream
- ½ Lemon
- 1 Tbs Lemon Pepper Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- 1 Tbs Flour
- 1 teaspoon Butter
Instructions
- Turn the instant pot to sauté. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place into the instant pot.
- Add half of the butter to the instant pot. Lightly brown the chicken.
- Remove the chicken. Stir in the flour & left over melted butter with the chicken juices.
- Pour in the chicken broth & heavy cream.
- Sprinkle in the lemon pepper seasoning. Squeeze in fresh lemon juice.
- Place the chicken back into the instant pot. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the steam release handle to the 'sealing' position.
- Pressure cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
- When the Instant Pot completes its cycle, perform a quick pressure release. Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot.
- Select the 'sauté' function of the Instant Pot, and allow cooking liquids to simmer.
- When liquids have thickened, smother the chicken with the liquid when serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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