Air Fryer Chicken Legs - The Best Crispy Drumsticks!

Name: Air Fryer Chicken Legs
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 8 chicken drumsticks (skin attached); 1 1/2 TBSP olive oil; 1 to 2 TBSP BBQ or chicken seasoning (see notes)

First Published: October 16, 2020 . Last Modified: October 31, 2022 lisa48 Comments This post may contain affiliate links

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These Air Fryer Chicken Legs have crispy skin on the outside and are juicy on the inside. Chicken drumsticks are one of my favorite air fryer recipes to make because they are easy to cook but super delicious and require only 3 ingredients!

chicken legs with crispy skin are one of my favorite air fryer recipes

I love a good easy dinner recipe and air frying some crispy drumsticks never fail me. All you need to do is coat some chicken legs in seasoning and light olive oil to get the most juicy chicken drumsticks.

Serve them with French fries, potato salad or a green salad and you have yourself a great meal. Cooking chicken parts in the air fryer is a much easier method than cooking a whole chicken and saves lots of time too.

Since my family loves the dark meat of chicken, I also make these panko air fryer chicken thighs. They are crispy, crunchy and I really can't decide which air fryer chicken recipe is my favorite.

If you would rather make chicken in the oven try my Oven Baked Chicken Leg recipe.

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 Montreal Chicken seasoning or this rotisserie chicken seasoning by McCormick. These include salt so there is no extra salt needed. If you wanted to, you could just season the chicken legs with salt, pepper and a sprinkle of garlic powder or onion powder.. More great options would be smoked paprika or chili powder to add flavor.

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

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 large bowl. Coat them well with a little bit of oil and seasoning. Arrange them in a single layer on your air fryer basket or rack.

uncooked chicken with seasoning and olive oil in a bowl

Cook: Cook the legs at 400 degrees f for 30 minutes cooking time. Make sure to turn them once in between cooking as this will create a nice crispy chicken skin.

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

air fryer chicken legs on the air fryer basket rack

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

meat seasoning that can be used for this recipe

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 air fryer chicken legs recipe is 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 and my whole family agrees! 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 so the hot air will be distributed evenly. They won't get as crispy if they are too crowded. I like to use my Power Air Fryer Oven for this recipe as it fits a lot of food and I can spread the chicken out.
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.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Chicken Drumstick Side Dish Suggestions

Creamy Garlic Infused Mashed Potatoes via Swirls Of Flavor
Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Butternut Squash and Bacon
Air Fryer Baby Carrots with Honey Butter
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
Boiled Chicken Legs

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