Air Fryer Chicken Legs or Drumsticks

Name: Air Fryer Chicken Legs
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 8 chicken drumsticks; 1 tablespoon olive oil; ½ teaspoon garlic powder (Note); ½ teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; ½ teaspoon sweet paprika powder; ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika powder; a pinch of pure chili powder (optional and to taste); ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt; ¼ teaspoon black pepper

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Air fryer chicken legs – tender meat and crispy skin, flavorful and ready to be served in no time at all. Rub the legs with some spices, turn on the air fryer, and 20 minutes later dinner is served.

air fried drumsticks on a silver platter with a fork

These air fryer chicken legs are so easy to make that you will start making them all the time.

We love chicken legs, either honey soy drumsticks, basic baked chicken thighs, drumsticks on the stove, or roasted whole chicken quarters. Roasting them in the oven is easy, and the results are always delicious.

So why use the air-fryer, you might ask?

Because it is fast—faster than the oven—and the results are just as juicy, crispy, and delicious. I have only had the air fryer for a couple of months now, but I love it and use it at least every other day, sometimes every day for 3-4 days in a row.

I find it particularly enjoyable now, in summer, when I really don't like having the oven turned on when the kitchen is already too hot as it is. Check out these Air-Fryer Zucchini as well; they are so amazingly crispy.

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What do you need?
How to make air fryer chicken legs?
Tips
Glazed chicken legs?
Recipe FAQs
More chicken legs
Recipe
Air Fryer Chicken Legs

air fried drumsticks on a silver platter seen from above

What do you need?

The main ingredient is chicken legs or drumsticks.
My Kessner XXL Air Fryer's basket can hold 8 chicken legs, which is enough for our family.
Spices: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, sweet and smoked paprika.

Alternative spices:

If you want a really basic recipe, salt and pepper will be enough, and the chicken legs will still taste great. Otherwise, use any spice combination you like (and add salt and pepper when not included in the spice mixture):

poultry seasoning of choice
lemon pepper
ground cumin + ground coriander + a touch of cinnamon
add chili powder or flakes for really spicy drumsticks

How to make air fryer chicken legs?

Preheat the air fryer. Mine definitely needs preheating, but there are some that don't. Make sure you know your gadget before using it.
Prepare the chicken legs while the air fryer is preheating. Place them in a bowl, drizzle with oil, and rub well. Sprinkle the spice mixture on top and rub well to coat the drumsticks all over.
Cook. Place the chicken parts in the fryer in one layer. Cook for 10 minutes, flip using tongs, and cook for a further 10 minutes.

chicken legs in the basket of an air fryer before and after cooking

Tips

You never have to wash the chicken, but you should still pat it dry with kitchen paper before you add the oil and the spices. That makes the skin even crispier.
Place the chicken parts in a single layer in the basket, this way they will cook evenly.
Check the internal temperature. The safe temperature is 74 degrees Celsius/ 165 degrees Fahrenheit. I usually cook the legs to about 80-82 degrees Celsius/ 175-180 degrees Fahrenheit. Stick the thermometer into the thickest part of a drumstick.
If you don't have a thermometer, stick a toothpick into the thickest part of the leg; the juices should run clear.

Glazed chicken legs?

This recipe is a very simple one, just the drumsticks and the spices.
You could bring it a bit further by glazing the drumsticks towards the end of the cooking time.
Either brush them with your favorite barbecue sauce or try my mixture:

1 tablespoon soy sauce + 1 tablespoon Worcester sauce + 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard + 1 tablespoon ketchup + 1 tablespoon honey + ½ teaspoon garlic powder + ½ teaspoon smoked paprika + some salt (smoked salt, if you happen to have it) + some black pepper.

I just love this mixture, I use all the time with slight changes here and there. Great for air fryer ribs or eggplants, for instance.
If you decide to glaze the drumsticks, only season them lightly with salt and pepper at the beginning.
Five minutes before the cooking time is up, brush the chicken with the glaze and continue cooking.
In this case, the drumsticks will not be as crispy anymore, but the flavor and stickiness are just amazing.

Recipe FAQs

How to serve?

For the crispiest version of the drumsticks, serve them immediately.
Serve with oven potato wedges, fries, or garlic smashed potatoes, for instance.
Or just some crusty bread if you don't feel like cooking anything else.
And with a green salad with yogurt dressing or white cabbage salad or Shopska salad, which is a delicious Croatian chopped vegetable salad topped with feta.
You can also enjoy them cooled, so they are perfect for the lunch box or for a picnic.
Leftover meat can be used to add to salads or soups, for instance.

Can you reheat them?

Leftovers can definitely be reheated; I do it all the time.
Place them in the air fryer again and heat for about 5 minutes or until heated through.
The skin might not be that crispy anymore, but the chicken legs will still be delicious.

More chicken legs

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Air Fryer Chicken Legs