Air Fryer Chicken Legs
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Air Fryer Chicken Legs are a quick and easy dinner recipe! These Chicken Drumsticks are tossed in olive oil and then a blend of seasonings before they are cooked. This gives them a delicious flavor and crispy skin!

Today it’s all about crispy chicken legs in your Air Fryer with a super simple spice rub. Air Fryer Chicken Legs are juicy, full of flavor and so easy to cook in an air fryer. Serve them with some Creamy Corn Macaroni and Cheese Casserole for a dinner your whole family will love!
These Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks have “go-to weeknight dinner” written all over them! In 30 minutes you can prep and cook the chicken legs and dinner is ready to go.
We love Baked Chicken Legs and Barbecue Baked Chicken Drumsticks that are cooked in the oven, but these Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks are one of our new favorites. The skin gets so nice and crispy and the flavor from the seasoning is so delicious!
Don’t have an air fryer? Try my Crock Pot Chicken Legs!
Why You’ll Love Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks!
- Ready in 30 minutes for an easy meal!
- Crispy skin, juicy chicken meat with tons of flavor from the homemade rub.
What do I need to make Air Fryer Chicken Legs?
- Chicken drumsticks – We like to grab the biggest ones we can find so there’s more meat, just remember bigger ones take longer to air fry.
- Olive oil – You can use any type of cooking oil.
- Rub Ingredients – Sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, onion powder.
Skip the homemade rub and purchase your favorite Chicken Rub like our BBQ Chicken Rub to always have on hand for chicken.

How to Make Chicken Legs in the Air Fryer
- Preheat – Set the air fryer to 400 degrees F and preheat it for 10 minutes
- Season – Place the chicken in a bowl (or resealable bag) and coat it with the olive oil. In a small bowl, combine the spices. Sprinkle the spices over the top of the chicken and toss until the chicken is evenly coated.
- Cook – Place the chicken in the air fryer and cook it for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken drumsticks over and cook them for another 10 minutes. Chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Helpful Tools
How do I know when chicken legs are done?
Chicken is done when the internal temperate reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest part of the chicken. I prefer to cook my chicken drumsticks to 180-190 degrees F so the meat is falling off of the bone. Also, cooking it to a higher temperature gets rid of the bloody spots around the bone.
Make sure you have an instant read meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. This is the only safe way to know your chicken is cooked through.
Pro Tips!
- Be sure to preheat your air fryer. Just l like your oven, you want to make sure your air fryer is hot and at temperature, which is 400 degrees F for the chicken legs.
- Don’t overfill the air fryer otherwise your chicken legs won’t cook evenly since the air won’t be able to circulate fully. Check your air fryer manual for information about how much you should fill your particular model.
- Don’t stack your chicken legs in the air fryer. Place them in a single layer so the skin is exposed. This will ensure your chicken drumsticks cook evenly and get that delicious crispy skin!
How Long to Cook Chicken Legs in the Air Fryer
It will take about 20 minutes to cook chicken legs in the air fryer at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remember the size of chicken legs always changes the cook time so check the internal temperature to make sure they are cooked through.
Can I add Sauce to my chicken legs?
Yes! We actually have a Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Legs recipe to check out if you want. We recommend cooking the chicken legs and then tossing in sauce, returning to air fryer for a few minutes so the sauce gets sticky.
How to Store Leftover Chicken Legs
Refrigerator: Place chicken drumsticks in air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezer: To freezer chicken legs we recommend storing them in a freezer safe airtight container for up to three months.
How to Reheat Chicken Legs
Quickest and easiest way is to throw these back in the air fryer at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until they are reheated. This gives you that crisp skin again.
You could also warm them on a baking sheet in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
The microwave will also work, but it will make the chicken skin soggy so we try to avoid this.
Serving Suggestions
This is definitely a chicken recipe you want to keep around because it pretty much goes with anything. I love them with potato salad and pasta salad during the summer and roasted vegetables during the winter.

This easy chicken drumstick recipe is just another reason to love your air fryer! I hope you give this recipe a try!
More Air Fryer Recipes!
Love using your Air Fryer as much as we do for quick meals and treats? Here are a few of our most popular recipes using your Air Fryer!
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!

Air Fryer Chicken Legs Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 chicken drumsticks
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl combine all the spices and herbs, set mixture aside.
- Place chicken in a plastic resealable bag or bowl. Add olive oil and toss to coat.
- Add spice mixture to bag or bowl and toss to coat chicken legs.
- Place chicken drumsticks in air fryer basket and cook at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.
- Flip chicken drumsticks over and cook for an additional 10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, if it is not this temperature add a few more minutes of cooking time and check after that. I actually prefer my chicken legs about 180-190 degrees so they fall off the bone and there’s no bloody spots around the bone.
Tips
- Don’t overfill the air fryer otherwise your chicken legs won’t cook evenly since the air won’t be able to circulate fully.
- Don’t stack your chicken legs in the air fryer. Place them in a single layer so the skin is exposed. This will ensure your chicken drumsticks cook evenly and get that delicious crispy skin!
- Refrigerator: Place chicken drumsticks in air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freezer: To freezer chicken legs we recommend storing them in a freezer safe airtight container for up to three months.
Hipolita Diaz says
I love your recipe easy and simple delicious thanks for sharing.
Julie Evink says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting and rating the recipe!
Sharon says
Awesome !!!!!!! Absolutely Love it ! Thank you ! Gonna try it on a whole chicken & cook it in my rotisserie !!!
Julie Evink says
Wonderful to hear Sharon! Thanks for commenting and rating the recipe!
Cathy McDougall says
Simple blend of spices, yet so very tasty! Crisp on the outside, juicy inside, not dry. I can see why this gets so many great ratings. This will be my go to recipe in future.
Julie Evink says
So great to hear Cathy! Thanks for commenting and rating the recipe!
Tamara says
Thank you for the recipe, Julie! I used two entire chicken legs in the air fryer and turned them over 12 minutes in and cooked another 15 minutes in my Dash airfryer which resulted in a crispy tasty chicken skin atop tender dark meat.
Sheryl says
Turned out great, really easy to make. We will definitely make them again
Courtney says
Perfect and easy meal to add to the dinner rotations! So glad you enjoyed it!
Jim says
Made a 1/2 batch (1st. time), Turned out Perfect!! Got my first air fryer for Christmas. Usually I make my chicken legs in oven with Panko, Never again! Turned out awesome and much easier and quicker, seasoning ratios were perfect.
Cindy Sullivan says
I just got an air fryer, and this was one of the first recipes I have tried, and my husband absolutely loves them!! This will absolutely be one that I try again and again! Thank you!
Renee savaria says
I love this recipe soup and chicken leg recipe.
Roy Beach says
Love my air fryer and followed this recipe exactly. The result was crispy, juicy and tasty chicken legs! Will definitely save this recipe and might try with thighs or wings too!
Julie Evink says
We have recipes for both of those in the air fryer if you use the search function! They are amazing. So glad you enjoyed this one Roy!
Michelle M says
Nice and crispy and juicy! My legs were huge so I had to cook for 25 minutes.
Julie Evink says
Wonderful to hear Michelle!!! Thanks for commenting and rating the recipe!