Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks

Name: Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 12 chicken drumsticks; 2 Tbsps olive oil; 1 ½ tsps smoked paprika; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp dried mustard; 1 tsp dried parsley; 1/2 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp kosher salt (or half tsp table salt)

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Air fried chicken drumsticks are lightly seasoned and cooked until crispy and delicious. These chicken drumsticks are full of flavour and are ready in less than 30 minutes.

Chicken drumsticks on a white platter garnished with chopped parsley.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Serving Suggestions
FAQS
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I love using my air fryer to cook chicken. It cooks quicker than using the oven and the chicken stays tender, juicy and delicious.

This recipe for air fried chicken drumsticks is super easy. It uses simple pantry ingredients and there is no breading involved so preparation is quick.

The seasoning blend is full of flavour, but not spicy. The smoked paprika gives the chicken a bit of a BBQ flavour and the other spices and herbs work well together.

If you want to spice things up you can add a bit of cayenne pepper or chilli powder to the seasoning blend.

Ingredients

The best thing about this recipe is how simple the ingredients are. You will need:

Chicken drumsticks – 12 chicken drumsticks, but you can use thighs if you prefer or 6 chicken quarters.
Olive oil – This helps get the skin crispy and the seasonings to stick.
Smoked paprika – The light smokiness will give the chicken a slight BBQ flavour.
Kosher salt – I prefer using kosher salt because it has a larger grain and doesn’t make the food quite as salty tasting. If you don’t have kosher salt you can use half the amount of table salt.
Dried mustard
Dried parsley
Garlic powder
Onion powder

If you prefer to use fresh garlic, you can substitute two cloves of minced or crushed garlic for the garlic powder. Just mix it with the olive oil before drizzling the oil over the chicken.

Instructions

Season the Chicken

Place the chicken drumsticks in a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to coat.

Add the seasoning and toss the chicken until well coated.

Raw chicken drumsticks in a bowl tossed with olive oil and seasonings.

Air Fry the Chicken

Place the chicken in the air fryer basket, or on the tray, in a single layer. A little bit of overlap is ok, but do not stack it full.

Cook the chicken at 380°F for 22-25 minutes until crispy and golden, turning half way through. If you are using a meat thermometer you will know it is done when it reaches 165°F.

Chicken drumsticks in an air fryer basket before and after cooking.

Serving Suggestions

This simply seasoned chicken will go well with almost any side dish.

We often will serve it with a nice garden or Caesar salad, but it also goes great with rice or pasta, such as Mac & cheese or tomato feta pasta.

If you like to have a dip with your chicken drumsticks then things like ranch, blue cheese or dill dip work very well.

Platter of cooked chicken legs garnished with chopped parsley.

FAQS

Can I use skinless chicken drumsticks?

Yes, you can if you like. The cook time will remain exactly the same.

Can I use chicken leg quarters instead of drumsticks?

Sure you can. You can leave them intact or separate them. Cook time for chicken drumsticks and bone-in chicken thighs will be the same.

How do I know my chicken is cooked?

The chicken will be cooked when the exterior is lightly browned and the meat is no longer pink. Using an oven thermometer in the thickest part of the meat you will be looking for a temperature of 165°F.

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