Name: Air Fryer Chicken Legs Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
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

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!

PIN IT FOR LATER!

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.

These Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks are perfect for busy weeknights! In 30 minutes you can prep and cook these crispy drumsticks in the air fryer 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!

Contents show

Why You’ll This Love Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks Recipe!

This easy recipe is ready in 30 minutes for an easy meal!
Crispy skin, juicy chicken meat from cooking chicken legs in the air fryer 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.

Four image collage of how to make air fryer chicken legs from mixing seasoning to coating chicken legs and cooking them

How to Make Chicken Legs in the Air Fryer

Preheat – Set the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit 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 seasoning mixture over the top of the chicken and toss until the chicken is evenly coated.
Cook – Place the chicken in the air fryer basket 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 temperature 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 Fahrenheit for the chicken legs.

- Don’t overfill the air fryer otherwise your chicken legs won’t cook evenly since the hot 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 and juicy meat!

How Long to Cook Chicken Legs in the Air Fryer

This cooking time is 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 that has BBQ sauce on it to check out if you want.

We recommend cooking the chicken legs and then tossing in barbecue 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 Air Fryer Drumsticks 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 an easy chicken recipe you want to keep around because it pretty much goes with anything.

The perfect side dishes to serve with this air fryer chicken legs recipe are potato salad and pasta salad during the summer and roasted vegetables during the winter. Keep it simple and serve them with a side of French fries!

This easy chicken drumstick recipe is just another reason to love your air fryer! I hope you give this recipe a try because the whole family will love it for weeknight dinners!

More Air Fryer Chicken 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!

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