Cooking Chicken Drumsticks In Air Fryer

These Air Fryer Chicken Legs are crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. This is one of my favorite chicken drumstick recipes to make because they are so easy to cook but super delicious and require only 3 ingredients!

Steps to cooking Air Fryer Chicken Legs

This is a really easy recipe and there is only 3 steps.

Prep: Open your package of chicken legs and put them in a bowl. Coat them well with a little bit of oil and seasoning. Arrange them in a single layer on your rack or basket in the air fryer.

uncooked chicken legs being seasoned in a bowl

Cook: Cook the legs at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Make sure to turn them once in between cooking.

Test: Make sure the chicken drumsticks are fully cooked. Juices should run clear and they should register 165 degrees when using an instant read thermometer. If the drumsticks are on the larger side and you want them extra crispy, they might need to cook for an extra five minutes or so.

You are ready to serve these super crispy air fryer chicken drumsticks!

Ingredients Needed to make Air Fryer Drumsticks?

This chicken recipe requires only 3 ingredients. You might even already have them in your kitchen!

Chicken Legs - Buy fresh looking chicken drumsticks with no smell. I prefer to buy large family packages as this saves on cost and my family can never get enough of these. I always keep an extra package in the freezer.

Olive Oil- You need just a little bit to lightly coat the chicken so that the seasoning will stick.

Seasoning- Use your favorite seasoning. I love an all purpose chicken seasoning and typically use this rotisserie chicken seasoning or Montreal chicken seasoning. These include salt so there is no extra salt needed. If you wanted to, you could just season the chicken legs with salt and pepper too. I use one to two tablespoons of seasoning depending on how large my drumsticks are.

If you are really ambitious you can also make your ownHomemade Meat Seasoning. (I call it beef seasoning but use it on all kinds of meat, poultry and veggies too.)

meat seasoning that can be used on this chicken

How many chicken drumsticks should I serve per person?

I cook 2 drumsticks per per person if they are smaller or medium sized. Sometimes I get extra large chicken legs and one might be enough for me but I also have a teenage boy that can eat a lot. He always eats at least three and proclaimed this chicken drumstick recipe as better than any fried chicken he's ever had. I'm telling you again that these are the best crispy chicken drumsticks out there! It can't hurt to cook a few extra because the leftovers are always good served either hot or cold.

Cooking Tips

Preheat your air fryer for a few minutes if necessary. Mine gets hot very quickly but some need to be preheated.
Spread the drumsticks out in a single layer on the racks in your air fryer. They won't get as crispy if they are too crowded.
Use a pair of tongs to turn the chicken. This is the easiest tool to use so that you don't burn yourself and the chicken gets flipped on the other side.
This chicken drumstick recipe is keto friendly and low carb. After cooking you can remove the skin to make them lower in fat. You may be missing out on the crispy skin but will still have juicy chicken with less calories.

Chicken Drumstick Side Dish Suggestions

Creamy Garlic Infused Mashed Potatoes via Swirls Of Flavor
Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Butternut Squash and Bacon
Asparagus
Mexican Corn Salad via It's A Keeper
Warm Brussels Sprouts Slaw
Cheesy Bacon Garlic Biscuits via My Incredible Recipes
Air Fryer Baked Potatoes with Seasoned Sour Cream
Oven Roasted Baby Potatoes

More Chicken Recipes:

Mushroom Chicken Thighs with Rosemary
Spicy Oven Fried Chicken
Baked Sweet Hawaiian Chicken via $5 Dinners
Rainbow Greek Chicken Salad
Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken via Moore or Less Cooking
Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings

the best air fryer chicken leg and drumstick recipe

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Air Fryer Chicken Legs

These Air Fryer Chicken Legs are crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. This chicken drumstick recipe is so easy to cook but super delicious and requires only 3 ingredients!

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Course: Dinner Entree

Cuisine: American, Southern

Keyword: air fryer, keto friendly, low carb recipe, quick recipe

Servings: 4

Calories: 299 kcal

Cost: $5

air fryer

8 chicken drumsticks (skin attached)
1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoon BBQ or chicken seasoning (see notes)

Put the drumsticks in a large bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over them until they are evenly coated. Sprinkle the seasoning over them and mix well so that the chicken legs are well seasoned.
Preheat air fryer if necessary. Set temperature to 400 degrees. Place the chicken on the racks or in the baskets and make sure they are in a single layer and spread out. Cook for 30 minutes, flipping them one time in the middle of cooking.
The chicken will be done when they are crispy on the outside and reach an internal temperature of 165 with an instant read thermometer. Juices will also run clear. Cook for additional minutes if necessary.

**Use your favorite type of seasoning which could be BBQ, chicken seasoning or another favorite. If you prefer more plain chicken, you can season with just salt and pepper too.

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