Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks

At a glance

What stands out: Air fryer chicken drumsticks are crispy on the outside, so juicy on the inside, and they’re ready to eat in 25 minutes! You’ll love this straightforward chicken dinner idea, which is reliable for busy weeknights.

How long it takes: 25 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: air fryer, tongs, food thermometer
Servings: 3

Chicken drumsticks are one of our favorite things to cook in the air fryer. They are straightforward to prepare and come out reliable every time! Plus, they come with a built-in handle, ready to dip into your favorite sauce.

Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks

• Straightforward. It takes mere minutes to throw everything together, then your air fryer does all the work. Air fryer chicken drumsticks take around 20 minutes to cook, depending on the size of the chicken leg, and how crowded the rack is.
• Flavorful. Every bite of these tender chicken legs has the ideal balance of crispy, yet juicy flavor.
• Affordable. Chicken drumsticks are economical, often selling for ninety-nine cents a pound.
• Lighter. Drumsticks are a good source of protein and are a reliable choice for those of you following low-carb, keto, or Whole30 plans.

We love to cook chicken thighs, chicken wings, and chicken breasts in the air fryer too. Basically, we're a big fan of letting our air fryer to all the heavy lifting for us in the kitchen!

Gloria Said:

“So straightforward and taste good. Our first time using an air fryer. We will always cook our chicken this way.”

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Cooking Tips

Don’t overcrowd. For best results, allow a little space between the drumsticks. We find that they do shrink a little bit as they cook so if they’re a little crowded at first, that’s okay. You may have to cook them in batches, depending on the size of your air fryer.

Check the internal temperature. We use an instant read thermometer to check. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165°F, and juices should run clear when pierced with a fork. Be sure you aren’t touching the bone with the tip of the thermometer because that will give you a false reading.

Cooking chicken leg quarters. If you’re cooking leg quarters (thigh attached to drumstick), the cooking time will increase slightly.

Seasoning Chicken Legs

This recipe uses a mixture of paprika (sweet or smoked), garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. It’s a basic seasoning that goes well on almost any type of chicken. If you’ve made a batch of our all purpose seasoning, you can substitute that.

More seasoning ideas:

• Barbecue rub: A from-scratch blend of dark brown sugar, salt, pepper, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ground mustard, celery seed, and cayenne pepper.
• Taco seasoning: Try making your own with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, oregano, and paprika. Southwest spice blend is another good choice.
• Cajun seasoning: We love this Cajun blend (and it’s not too spicy!).
• Buffalo: Turn these into buffalo drumsticks by tossing the drumsticks with your favorite hot sauce and serving them with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.

Ways to serve it

Potatoes: We personally love serving air fryer chicken with crockpot mashed potatoes or a loaded mashed potato casserole. We also love this Instant Pot mashed potatoes recipe, which is so creamy and totally effortless to make. You also can’t go wrong with some simple frozen french fries cooked in the oven while your air fryer does its thing.

Veggies/Salads: This roasted broccoli recipe comes out evenly every time. Sautéed Brussels sprouts are rich, too. Fattoush salad is also memorable with air fryer chicken drumsticks. Keep it simple with our restaurant-style house salad.

Dipping sauces: Serve a sauce to dip your drumsticks into. BBQ sauce, hot sauce, fry sauce, or ranch dressing are popular choices.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate/Freeze: Let your chicken cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze cooked drumsticks in a freezer-safe, airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Reheat: You can eat cooked chicken drumsticks cold, picnic-style, or you can reheat them first. We recommend placing single servings in the microwave for about 1 minute or until the chicken reaches the desired temperature. You can also reheat them briefly in an air fryer heated to 350F, until they’re hot.

Free Meal Plan

Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at our Meal Plan #41. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let us do the planning for you this week!

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• Yield: 3
• Prep: 5 minutes
• Cook: 20 minutes
• Total: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 5 to 6 chicken drumsticks ( 1 ¾ to 2 pounds total)
• 1 tablespoon oil (avocado, olive, or canola)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat air fryer to 400ºF. Toss drumsticks with oil and then sprinkle and rub with spices.
2. Place in air fryer in a single layer. Cook for 10 minutes, turn drumsticks over, and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.
3. Serve immediately.

Notes

Storage: Store leftover air fryer chicken legs in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. If frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge for best results. Reheat in the microwave, or briefly in the air fryer. Cooked drumsticks are good cold, too (a straightforward lunchbox option!).

Try different seasonings: barbecue rub, taco seasoning, Buffalo drumsticks (toss the drumsticks with your favorite hot sauce and serve with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks).

Dipping sauces: BBQ sauce, honey mustard dressing. hot sauce, fry sauce, or ranch dressing are popular choices. Chick-Fil-A sauc e or bang bang sauce are great, too!