Air fryer drumsticks are really juicy and super easy to make thanks to the air fryer! The skin gets nice and crisp and the chicken is juicy and flavorful.
If you love chicken legs (and who doesn’t?!), cooking them in the air fryer is a super easy way to feed your craving. With this recipe, we will only be cooking the drumsticks as it is our favorite part, but we have a recipe for whole chicken in the air fryer too if you are interested in that!
We love chicken that is juicy, not dry. And everyone knows the skin is the best part of any chicken. The seasoning blend in this recipe makes a fantastic tasting skin and the air fryer crisps it up beautifully while keeping the inside juicy and tender.
This is what chicken drumstick dreams are made of! 😉
The other great thing about cooking drumsticks in an air fryer is they make a perfect lunch! With hardly any mess to clean up when you’re done and the speed of the preparation, this is a breeze.
Ingredient Notes:
Chicken- We are looking for 8 chicken legs for this recipe. Adjust the recipe accordingly if you use more or fewer drumsticks.
Seasonings– Keep it easy with garlic and onion powder, paprika, parsley, salt, pepper, and a little avocado oil.
You can modify the seasonings any way you wish! For easy recipes such as this one, and specifically recipes that aren’t being baked, you can be fairly free with any additions or substitutions to the seasonings you want.
Garlic and salt are the most important flavors in here, if you think other seasonings pair better with the garlic than we chose, try them out and let us know how it went!
How to make air fryer chicken legs:
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Season – Get a large Ziploc baggie and fill it with the seasonings. Add the drumsticks to the bag and mix them all up until each drumstick is coated in seasoning.
Air Fry – Cook them for 20 minutes in your air fryer flipping them after 10 minutes. Once the chicken hits 165, they’re ready to devour!
Chicken Drumsticks FAQ:
We recommend thawing the chicken first to ensure that the chicken cooks through without the outside getting too overdone. Cooking meat from frozen often results in an uneven cook.
They are fine to reheat in the microwave, but the skin won’t be crisp anymore. Pop them back into the air fryer until they’re warmed through if you prefer crispy skin.
You can use any sort of oil you want. We like avocado oil because of it’s high smoke point.
Shop our Favorite Air Fryers!
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More Easy Air Fried Recipes:
- We loved these buffalo chicken flautas!
- I am eager to try out these potato skins in my air fryer!
- If you want a low carb air-fried dinner you can go with this pork chop and broccoli recipe.
- These air fryer zucchini go great with our drumsticks too!
- This Snickers egg roll recipe will make a wonderful dessert with this dinner too!
Air Fryer Drumsticks
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 chicken drumsticks
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees.
- Add all of the ingredients to a large zip top bag and seal. Smush the chicken around in the bag to coat in the seasoning.
- Arrange chicken in the air fryer basket. Do not overcrowd. You may have to work in batches, depending on the size of your air fryer.
- Cook for 20 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through, or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Let us know your thoughts!
Please tell us what you thought of this recipe! We love to hear substitutions people made, or something creative they did with their leftovers!
Comments & Reviews
Margaret Elcich says
I am making these tonight. Chicken in the air fryer is so good. Always turns out perfect.
Stephen Foree says
I liked the chicken, although the flavor is not strong enough for me. The cook time was perfect. I went 1-1/2x on the recipe for 12 drumsticks. I did use the avocado oil too, but it still smoked up my house.
Thank you for the recipe.
Steve
Alice Coupe says
Looks delicious
Karly says
Thanks, Alice!
JOE BOWEN WHEELER says
tonight’s menu is your cauliflower florets & the chicken (I only have thighs).
Karly says
Awesome! Hope you enjoy your dinner, Joe!
Joe Wheeler says
Both the air fryer cheesy cauliflower and chicken looked so good I took a photo before enjoying the resulting meal.
Karly says
Aw, I love to hear that! Hope they tasted as good as they looked! 🙂
Iris says
Am trying drumsticks tonight
Karly says
Hope you love them!
Lurlene Reil says
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Kandice says
This recipe is amazing! My air fryer is small so I only made 4 drumsticks. Used the full seasonings and they were so flavorful and juicy. Perfect!!
Karly says
Awesome! Thanks, Kandice!
Teresa Falkenstein says
Made these last night in my air fryer and they turned out perfect! Crispy and juicy and done in less than a half hour. Perfect for supper after a day at work. Thanks.
Karly says
Love to hear that. Thanks, Teresa!
Charlie says
I have filled out the form here with name and email, am I now suscribed?
Karly says
Hi Charlie! Check your email to confirm your subscription and you should be good to go. 🙂