With this air fryer chicken drumsticks recipe, you will learn how to cook chicken drumsticks in air fryer without panko. These air fryer chicken legs come out tender, and juicy inside, with crispy skin and is ready in under 30 minutes.
They are so versatile and you can serve with potatoes, veggies, pasta, rice, and other foods.
Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
This air fryer chicken drumsticks recipe is easy, quick, and ready in 25 minutes. I will say it is the best air fryer chicken legs recipe because not only is it quick, it is packed full of flavor, and super tasty.
Cooking chicken drumsticks in air fryer is simple and I will show you the step by step instructions on how to do it and get amazing results.
Chicken drumsticks are budget-friendly, simple to cook and almost everyone loves them. It's family dinner friendly and it's one chicken part I like to cook not only for family dinner, but for parties, and social gatherings.
You will love this air fryer fried chicken drumsticks recipe because it uses a few cheap ingredients to make tasty, moist, and tender inside but crispy skin chicken that will have everyone asking for more. That's how good these air fryer chicken drummies are.
They are high in protein, low in carb, and healthy. Unlike deep-fried chicken legs, they contain fewer calories as they don't use a lot of oil to air fry.
Air fryer makes cooking easier and faster and that is why I like using it for my cooking. You can cook chicken in it from fresh or frozen, with great results. They also cook faster than the oven.
This air fryer drumsticks recipe is simple but packed full of flavors. Let me show you how to cook chicken drumsticks in the air fryer, how long to cook, tips, and answer some of the FAQs.
Related: If using frozen chicken and you don't want to thaw it first, use this air fryer frozen chicken drumsticks recipe and if using leg quarters, use this crispy air fryer chicken leg quarters recipe.
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Is It Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks or Air Fryer Chicken Legs
The chicken drumsticks are sometimes also called chicken legs. In some countries like the UK, it is simply called drumsticks while they refer to the chicken quarters (thigh, and drumsticks in one piece) as chicken legs. However, in some other countries like the US, it is popularly referred to as chicken legs or used interchangeably with drumsticks while they call the 2 parts in one piece (drumstick, and thighs) chicken quarters.
Chicken legs are dark meat and the drumsticks are cheaper than most parts of the chicken.
In this post, I have used chicken drumsticks and chicken legs interchangeably referring to the drumstick (lower leg) part.
Chicken Drumsticks Seasoning
I used simple herbs and spices for the seasoning and added a bit of baking soda and flour for extra crispy skin. The flour is optional. The herbs and spices used for the seasoning include parsley, garlic powder, and paprika. You can also use any other of your favorite spice rub. Some other seasonings I like to use on chicken legs are:
Piri Piri seasoning
Cajun seasoning
Ingredients
Chicken drumsticks
Smoked Paprika
Black pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Salt
Olive oil
Flour (optional)
Baking soda
How To Cook Chicken Drumsticks In Air Fryer
Air frying chicken drumsticks is easy and quick. Here's how to make chicken drumsticks in air fryer:
Use a paper towel to pat the drumsticks dry.
In a small bowl, mix the paprika, flour, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, baking soda, parsley, and salt.
Add the seasoning to the drumsticks and mix till they are well coated in the seasoning.
Arrange them in the air fryer basket. Don't overlap them.
Lightly spray with olive oil spray.
Air fry chicken drumsticks at a temperature of 190C for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, flip the chicken legs with a tong and continue to air fry them for another 13 minutes.
Bring out the drumsticks, let them rest for 5 minutes before serving.
How Long To Cook Chicken Legs in Air Fryer
It takes 20-25 minutes to cook chicken drumsticks in the air fryer. This time varies and depends on some factors such as the size of the chicken, if cooking it from frozen or using fresh chicken, bone-in or boneless, the type and brand of the air fryer, and the temperature the chicken legs are cooked.
How long to cook chicken legs in air fryer is 25 minutes at a temperature of 190C/380F. If cooking it at a higher temperature of 400F/200C, check for doneness after 22 minutes.
To cook it from frozen, add extra 5-10 minutes to the cooking time recommended above.
What To Serve With
They go well with the foods listed below:
Pasta
Vegetables
Salads
Rice
Potatoes
Dips
Sauces, Gravy
How To Store & Reheat
When the drumsticks are completely cooled, pack them in a Ziploc bag or sealable container and store them in the fridge where they'll be preserved for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Chicken legs can be reheated in the air fryer, microwave, or oven.
How to reheat in the air fryer: Remove the drumsticks from any packaging, then arrange them on the air fryer basket in a single layer. Set air fryer to 180C/ 360F and air fry chicken for 5 minutes or till it's heated through. If not warmed through after this time, add an additional time of 1-2 minutes.
How to reheat in the microwave: Put the chicken legs on a microwave-safe plate, cover it, and microwave on high settings for at 30 seconds intervals until the chicken drumsticks are heated through.
Once reheated, don't refreeze the chicken.
Tips For Making the Best Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
- Pat the drumsticks dry with paper towel before applying seasoning. This reduces moisture and makes the chicken crispy.
- You can take off the chicken drumsticks skin if you prefer to reduce the fat content of the chicken.
- Reduce or increase the quantity of the black pepper and salt recommended to suit your palate.
- Don't overfill or pile the chicken on top of each other in the air fryer basket. Arrange in a single layer don't stack them.
- If making more than can fit in the air fryer at a go, you should make them in batches.
- To be sure chicken is cooked through, you can use a instant read food thermometer to check for doneness. If it reads at least 165F, then it's done.
- If using sauces like bbq sauce, honey soy sauce, etc, add it towards the last 5 minutes of cooking as if added earlier, the outer part will quickly darken or might burn.
- I made this in a 5.5l Cosori air fryer and this time works well. It is also the time it cooks in my Pro breeze 5.5 litre air fryer. Cooking time might vary with other air fryer brands and types so you might need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
FAQs
Can you put raw drumsticks in an air fryer?
Yes. Air frying raw chicken drumsticks is easy, and quick. Raw drumsticks cook faster in the air fryer than using the oven. Always ensure chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of at least 75C/165F.
Can you make chicken drumsticks in air fryer?
Yes, and you get great results using this recipe.
Do you have to flip chicken in the air fryer?
It's best to flip chicken with a tong halfway into cooking so that the sides are both crispy and cooked evenly.
What dipping sauces go well with chicken drumsticks?
Dipping sauces that go well with chicken legs include buffalo sauce, honey soy sauce, bbq sauce, peri peri sauce, and bang bang sauce.
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Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
Equipment
- Air fryer
- Tong
Ingredients
- 8 pieces Chicken drumsticks
- 1 tablespoon Smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Parsley
- ¼ teaspoon Onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper or to taste
- ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ tablespoon Flour Optional
- Salt to taste
- olive oil or olive oil spray
Instructions
- Air frying chicken drumsticks is easy, and quick. Here's how to make chicken drumsticks in air fryer:Use a paper towel to pat the drumsticks dry.
- In a small bowl, mix the paprika, flour, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, baking powder, parsley, and salt. Add the seasoning to the drumsticks and mix till they are well coated in the seasoning.
- Arrange them in the air fryer basket. Don't overlap them.Lightly spray with olive oil spray.
- Air fry chicken drumsticks at a temperature of 190C for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, flip the chicken legs with a tong and continue to air fry them for another 13 minutes.
- Bring out the drumsticks, let them rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Pat the drumsticks dry with a paper towel before applying seasoning. This reduces moisture and makes the chicken crispy.
- You can take off the chicken drumsticks skin if you prefer to reduce the fat content of the chicken.
- Reduce or increase the quantity of the black pepper and salt recommended to suit your palate.
- Don't overfill or pile the chicken on top of each other in the air fryer basket. Arrange in a single layer don't stack them.
- If making more than can fit in the air fryer at a go, you should make them in batches.
- To be sure chicken is cooked through, you can use a instant read food thermometer to check for doneness. If it reads at least 165F, then it's done.
- If using sauces like bbq sauce, honey soy sauce, etc, add it towards the last 5 minutes of cooking as if added earlier, the outer part will quickly darken or might burn.
- I made this in a 5.5l Cosori air fryer and this time works well. It is also the time it cooks in my Pro breeze 5.5 litre air fryer. Cooking time might vary with other air fryer brands and types so you might need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Nutrition
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I also read your recipe for frozen drum sticks and was wondering if I could mix the ingredients together, as in That recipe, but still make them thawed?
Looks great and excited to try it!
Hi Melanie, Yes you can use that recipe but use the cooking time recommended here for thawed.