Air Fryer Chicken Legs
This easy air fryer chicken legs recipe is a healthy way to get chicken drumsticks crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside in 30 minutes.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 324kcal
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Chicken Drumsticks about 5-6 pieces
- 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- ¼ tsp Paprika
- 1.5 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 2 tbsp Avocado Oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together avocado oil, Italian seasoning, paprika, black pepper, salt and garlic powder.
- Remove raw chicken legs from package and pat dry with paper towels. Place chicken legs in a plastic bag and add whisked garlic herb marinade. Close bag and distribute marinade evenly on the chicken legs. Leave to marinate in fridge for a minimum of 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
- When you're ready to cook the chicken drumsticks, take out of fridge and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to take the chill off. During this time, preheat air fryer to 400 degrees and grease air fryer basket.
- Add marinated chicken legs to air fryer basket in a single layer being sure to not overcrowd the basket.
- Cook for 15 minutes, flip halfway through and cook an additional 15 minutes until drumsticks are cooked all the way through reaching an internal temperature of 165 F.
Notes
What's the best air fryer? I have been in love with my ninja foodi for over a year. It is a pressure cooker, slow cooker, air fryer, dehydrator all in one. I am able to make foods multiple ways using the same pot like I did in this air fryer turkey breast recipe.
Before cooking air fryer chicken legs, let them sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. This will make sure that the meat has had time to rest and wont get tough going from very cold to very hot.
Don't overcrowd your air fryer basket. Make sure there is enough room for everything to cook evenly. Place chicken drumsticks in an even single layer. This makes sure there is enough air flow to cook everything at the same time.
Every Air Fryer is different. I recommend making sure you have a thermometer to check if your chicken is cooked thoroughly because every air fryer is different as every oven is different.
The size of your chicken legs matters. If you are using bigger drumsticks, you may need to air fry them a little longer. If they are smaller they need to cook in less time. Again, this is why a kitchen thermometer is very helpful.
Grease air fryer before cooking. I like to spray some avocado oil in the air fryer basket because chicken skin can get stuck to the basket. Greasing it before hand helps to keep the chicken skin crispy and helps it stay on the chicken!
Can I cook frozen chicken in the air fryer? It is recommended that you defrost chicken before cooking in the air fryer. However, you can make frozen chicken in the instant pot very easily!
What if my chicken doesn't brown in the air fryer? If your chicken skin doesn't brown or get crispy in the air fryer, it could be because the air fryer basket is too crowded, there is not enough oil on the skin or because it's not being cooked at a temperature that is hot enough.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 324kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 192mg | Sodium: 537mg