Air Fryer Chicken Legs
Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside air fryer chicken legs are an easy and delicious dish you’ll love! Kids and adults both love this easy recipe that is quick and tasty!
Easy air fryer chicken drumsticks are such a quick and easy recipe that is perfect for busy weeknights, delicious lunches, or even as part of a party spread! This air fryer chicken drumsticks recipe makes an easy dinner recipe that the whole family loves! Air frying creates juicy chicken drumsticks with crispy chicken skin. This is our favorite way to cook drumsticks, they cook quickly and pair with many side dishes so it is easy to throw together dinner in minutes!
We love this recipe for the best chicken legs in the air fryer because it is seasoned with a simple flavorful spice blend that everyone loves. With just a handful of ingredients you can enjoy the best air fryer chicken legs with crispy skin and juicy meat that everyone loves!
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Why we love bone in skin on chicken in the air fryer-
Whether it is chicken thighs, chicken breasts or drumsticks bone-in skin on chicken is perfect to cook in an air fryer. The skin and bone help keep the chicken to have juicy meat inside while having crispy skin on the outside. You can cook your chicken with extra crispy skin without worrying about drying the meat.
Using an air fryer is also a great way to cook bone-in chicken because it cooks evenly so the chicken is perfectly cooked. The air fryer is also great because it cooks quickly and doesn’t heat up the house resulting in the best chicken dinner!
Bone in chicken is also a great cost effective way to cook for the whole family and get an easy chicken dinner on the table in no time!
FAQ & Tips for Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
What to serve with air fryer chicken drumsticks?
These crispy chicken legs are delicious and pair well with pretty much any side dish! They are great with simple sides like air fryer French fries or tater tots, or a steamed or roasted vegetables like green beans or broccoli. They are also great paired with classics like macaroni and cheese, potato salad, or pasta salad. When you make chicken legs in an air fryer you can change up the seasoning to go with your favorite side dishes.
Variations-
This air fryer chicken leg recipe is simply seasoned and delicious but you can easily tweak the seasoning to create a blend that you love. Some of our favorite additions are Italian seasoning, chili powder and cumin for a spicy twist, or even marinade them for a ton of flavor. Use your favorite spices to season air fryer chicken drumsticks with the flavors that your family loves!
You can also toss the cooked chicken legs in sauce like chicken wings if you’d like. These are delicious covered in bbq sauce for tasty bbq chicken drumsticks or buffalo sauce for a little bit of spice! You can also cover them with parmesan and garlic like these air fryer chicken wings or toss them in dry ranch dressing mix for a tasty twist.
Pat your chicken dry-
Using paper towels to pat your chicken dry before cooking the chicken legs helps it to have nice crispy skin. Use the paper towels to remove any excess moisture before coating your drumsticks with oil and spices.
Leave space between your chicken legs-
Because air fryers use circulating hot air to cook for best results it is important that you leave room between the chicken legs so that you have nice crispy drumsticks. Arrange them in the air fryer in a single layer with a couple of inches between them so that they cook evenly and result in crispy and juicy chicken legs.
Your cooking time may vary-
Cooking time may be longer or shorter depending on the size and style of your air fryer and the size of your chicken drumsticks. The best way to check if they are done is with a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken leg. Make sure to cook them to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Since chicken drumsticks are dark meat they can cook a little longer and you’ll still have nice juicy chicken legs. So even after they reach a fully cooked temperature you can continue to cook them for a few more minutes if they need it to achieve crispy skin. Depending on the style of your air fryer you may have to work in batches. My air fryer basket can hold about 6 chicken legs but yours may hold more or less.
How to store and reheat-
Store any leftover chicken drumsticks refrigerated in an airtight container. You can reheat air fried chicken drumsticks in the air fryer at 400 for about 5 minutes so that they have crispy skin. You can reheat them in the microwave for 1-2 minutes but the skin will be soft.
Ingredients to make Air Fryer Chicken Legs
10-12 Chicken Drumsticks
1 Tbsp Olive Oil or Avocado Oil
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
Here’s how to cook Chicken Legs in the air fryer-
Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees f.
Pat the chicken legs dry with a paper towel and then place the chicken in a large bowl.
In a small bowl combine the spices.
Pour the olive oil over the drumsticks then sprinkle the spices over the top.
Toss the chicken legs until they are all evenly coated with the olive oil and spices.
Place the drumsticks in a single layer in the air fryer basket leaving space between them for the air to circulate
Air fry chicken legs for 10 minutes then open the air fryer and turn the drumsticks over and continue air frying for an additional 8-10 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken taken with a meat thermometer reaches 165. If they need to cook longer cook them in the air fryer for a few minutes at a time until they are cooked through.
Serve the chicken legs while they are still hot.
Air Fryer Chicken Legs
Ingredients
- 10-12 Chicken Drumsticks
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil or Avocado Oil
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees
- Pat the chicken legs dry with a paper towel and then place them in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl combine the spices.
- Pour the olive oil over the drumsticks then sprinkle the spices over the top.
- Toss the chicken legs until they are all evenly coated with the olive oil and spices.
- Place them in the air fryer basket in a single layer leaving space between them for the air to circulate
- Air fry chicken legs for 10 minutes then turn the drumsticks over and continue air frying for an additional 8-10 minutes or until the internal temperature taken with a meat thermometer reaches 165.
- Serve the chicken legs while they are still hot.
[…] Air Fryer Chicken Legs- Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside air fryer chicken legs are an easy and delicious dish you’ll love! Kids and adults both love this easy recipe that is quick and tasty! […]