Instant Pot Chicken Leg Quarters. There is nothing better than juicy and crispy chicken quarters. Unleash the power of your appliances to make the perfect air fryer chicken legs without all the oil!
Why Instant Pot Chicken Leg Quarters?
Air frying is an amazing choice for chicken. The air fryer chicken legs can get a nice crispy skin while staying nice and moist! Air frying cuts the oil needed to cook chicken legs drastically so that you can make a crunchy chicken without excess fatty oil.
What Makes These Air Fryer Chicken Leg Quarters so Great!?
Crispy Chicken without the Oil!
The process of air frying chicken leg quarters for this recipe cuts down on oily fat and makes this chicken a breeze to prepare! I love using my air fryer to prepare food that tastes great without the stress!
Fresh Flavor!
These are not your average air fryer chicken leg quarters, they’re way better! These chicken leg quarters use a delicious Asian-inspired marinade to make them irresistible! The flavors of soy sauce, ginger, and lemongrass make these air fryer leg quarters mouth-wateringly good!
Wonderful for Weeknights!
These chicken legs are delicious any day, but they make the perfect weeknight meal. Start the marinade on Sunday night and all you have to do on Monday is place them in the air fryer. It’s easy and delicious without all the work!
Ingredients for Air Fryer Chicken Leg Quarters
Chicken Leg Quarters
This ingredient tends to be the cheapest cut from the chicken, so it is perfect for an economical meal! Chicken leg quarters have the whole chicken leg, thigh, and drums.
Soy Sauce
Soy sauce makes everything taste good! This classic condiment brings a salty and slightly fermented flavor to the marinade. If you are watching your salt intake, swap the original soy sauce for low-sodium soy sauce.
Lemons
Lemons add brightness and a bit of acid to balance the salty soy sauce. Fresh lemon juice is best, but bottled lemon juice will work in a pinch.
Brown Sugar
Brown sugar adds sweetness and a touch of molasses flavor to the marinade. Light or dark brown sugar will work well for these chicken leg quarters.
Fresh Ginger
Beautiful fresh ginger ties all the flavors in the marinade together with its nice earthy spice. One neat trick for ginger is to use the edge of a spoon to remove the soft peel.
Onion Powder
This pantry staple is used in the marinade to season the chicken.
Garlic Powder
This awesome ingredient adds flavor and aroma to the marinade for the chicken leg quarters.
Ground Pepper
A little pepper balances the big flavors in this rich marinade!
Lemongrass
Lemongrass is the perfect herb to bring brightness and acidity to the marinade. Fresh lemongrass must be broken to get the fullest flavor out of the herb.
Annatto Oil
This bright red oil is extracted from annatto seeds and is beloved for its earthy, peppery flavor. It brings a little extra flavor and crispness to the chicken.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Marinate the Chicken Leg Quarters:
- Place leg quarters on a flat surface and make some slits on it.
- Mix all of the marinade ingredients and pour them into the chicken.
- Marinate overnight.
How to Cook in the Instant Pot Chicken Leg Quarters :
- Place the inner pot in the base and put the air fryer tray on. Spray the air fryer tray with nonstick oil and arrange two chicken leg quarters.
- Cover with the air fryer lid and push the air fryer button setting. Set the temperature to 390°F and set the timer to 35 minutes.
- Halfway through the cooking time, brush the chicken leg quarters with annatto oil before turning.
How to Cook Leg Quarters on the Grill:
- Place the chicken leg quarters in a large pan and add the marinade.
- Cook the leg quarter in a big pan until the marinade reduces its amount to half.
- Remove the chicken quarters and grill at 350°F for thirty minutes. Brush with Annato oil.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Before you marinate, slice a few slits into the fatty side of the chicken legs.
- Be sure to brush the chicken! This adds a nice flavor and crispness to the leg quarters.
- Do not stack chicken leg quarters in the air fryer! They will not cook evenly, so work in batches if needed.
What to Serve with Air Fryer Chicken Leg Quarters?
These chicken legs are so rich and savory that they need a veggie! Fresh salad is a beautiful match for these chicken legs. If you want to serve the perfect salad with these chicken leg quarters, try my Sesame Vegetable Asian Salad!
Potatoes, beans, and rice are all great side dishes to serve with this tasty chicken. Anything that you pair with this dish will shine thanks to this delicious chicken!
How to Store and Reheat Air Fryer Chicken Leg Quarters
One of the best things about this chicken is that leftovers can be saved and reheated! To store the chicken, allow it to cool completely then put it in an airtight container. These chicken leg quarters can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days.
For a fast way to reheat the chicken, microwave in short bursts until warm. If you have the time though, it’s best to reheat in the oven or air fryer. Set either appliance to 350°F and heat the chicken in an even layer for about ten minutes.
Are Air Fried Chicken Legs Healthy?
Air frying your chicken legs drastically cuts the fat and oil versus traditional deep-fat-frying. The air fryer uses convection heating to circulate the heat. This allows the chicken legs to get as crispy as the in the fryer, but without all that oil.
Chicken is a lean protein that satisfies. Combining that with the oil-cutting technology of the air fryer makes for lean and flavorful meat. Balancing the chicken with fruits, veggies, grains, and good lifestyle choices is the key!
Can You Air Fry Chicken Legs From Frozen?
Yes, but for this recipe, it’s best to have fully thawed chicken leg quarters. This recipe calls for overnight marination and frozen chicken will let off too much liquid throughout the marinade. For this recipe, opt for fully thawed chicken legs.
More Recipes You’ll Love
If you loved this simple weeknight meal try some of my other delicious 30-minute meals!
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese with Velveeta
- Quick and Easy Instant Pot Beef Curry
- Instant Pot Bacon and Cheese Scones
- Shrimp with Crispy Ginger
- Homemade Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce
Instant Pot Chicken Leg Quarters.
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot Duo Crisps Plus Air Fryer
- grill
- Conventional Oven
- baking sheet
Ingredients
- 5 pieces Chicken Leg Quarters
Marinade
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 2 lemons juice of two lemons
- 1/8 cup brown sugar
- 2 inch-length ginger, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- tbsp garlic powder
- 1 ground pepper
- 2 stalks lemon grass, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Annato oil, to add color (optional)
Annatto Oil
- 2 tbsp Annatto seeds
- 1 cup Canola oil
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken Leg Quarters
- Place the leg quarters on a flat surface and make slits on the chicken. Put the chicken quarters into a large bowl.
- Mix all of the marinade ingredients and pour the marinade into the bowl. Marinate the chicken overnight.
Cook in the Instant Pot Duo Crisps plus Air Fryer
- Put the Instant pot inner pot into the base and place the air fryer tray inside.
- Spray the air fryer tray with nonstick oil and arrange two pieces of chicken leg quarters. Spray the chicken with nonstick oil.
- Cover the Instant Pot with the air fryer lid and push the air fryer button setting.
- Set the timer to 390 F and set the timer to thirty-five minutes.
- Brush the chicken with Annato oil before turning. Please see the notes for the Annato oil recipe.
Cook Chicken Leg Quarters on the Grill
- Follow steps one and three.
- Place the leg quarters in a large cooking pan and add the marinade.
- Cook the leg quarters until the marinade reduces to half.
- Remove the chicken and grill at 350 F temperature for thirty minutes.
Make Annato Oil
- Heat one cup of cooking oil.
- Add in the annatto seed and cook until the seeds change their color.
- Let the oil cool and transfer it to a container.
Nutrition
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