How to Cook Chicken Drumsticks in Air Fryer ⏲️

Name: Best Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks Recipe [+Video]
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 dozen chicken drumsticks; 1¼ teaspoon black pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground); 1¼ tablespoon salt; 1¼ tablespoon garlic powder; 1¼ tablespoon onion powder; 1¼ tablespoon of sweet paprika; ¼ cup vegetable oil ((you can use avocado oil, or olive oil))

Portions: servings

Calories: 127kcal

Let me show you how to cook chicken drumsticks in air fryer that are incredibly tasty, have a beautiful color, and take very little time and effort to make. Drumsticks are my favorite part of the chicken, they are flavorful and easy to make. There's no coming back after you try these air fryer drumsticks, they'll be on your table often.

Why I ❤️ it • Recipe • Ingredients • Video • Preparation

Chicken drumsticks cooked in an airfryer.

Why I ❤️ it

There's a reason why most of my chicken breasts recipes are stuffed with something, and I avoid air frying them: I find chicken breast to be the most boring part of the chicken. Air fryer chicken breast – in my opinion – is not the best use for that cut.

In the air fryer, drumsticks are the best part of the chicken, if you ask me. We cook them often at home in many different ways. But for a quick dinner meal with simple ingredients and a simple recipe, this is the to-go recipe. I'll show you how long to cook chicken drumsticks in air fryer, and how simple it is to season them for juicy chicken drumsticks that are flavorful, colorful, and with crispy skin. Say hello to your new favorite of air fryer chicken recipes.

Chicken drumsticks in air fryer recipe

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Learn how to make delicious crispy chicken legs and drumsticks in the air fryer with this easy recipe that will be your new family favorite. Drumsticks are the perfect finger food and an air fryer is the perfect cooking method for this easy dinner recipe.

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Inspiration: Dominican, Latino

Category: chicken, crispy fried chicken, fried chicken

Author: Clara Gonzalez

Prep Time5

Cook Time35

Total Time20

Utensils and tools

Large bowl
Kitchen tongs
Air fryer
Aluminum foil or parchment paper (see notes)

Ingredients

Chicken drumsticks

1 dozen chicken drumsticks

Chicken dry rub

1¼ teaspoon black pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground)
1¼ tablespoon salt
1¼ tablespoon garlic powder
1¼ tablespoon onion powder
1¼ tablespoon of sweet paprika
¼ cup vegetable oil (you can use avocado oil, or olive oil)

Ingredients note:

I made the video with 8 drumsticks because I have a small-sized air fryer and had to split it into two batches.

Video

Preparation

Before starting, please make sure you have all the ingredients and utensils ready.

Step 1: Pat dry

Pat the raw drumsticks with a paper towel to remove excess moisture, this will result in crispier drumsticks (be mindful of cross-contamination!).

Step 2: Season the chicken

Season the chicken with pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Drizzle with the oil and coat the drumsticks with the seasoning using a pair of tongs.

Stir to coat the chicken all over. Place in a lidded airtight container and let it rest in the fridge for 1-2 hours for best results though you can cook them right away if you're in a hurry.

Step 3: Preheat and cook

Placing drumsticks in the air fryer basket.

Preheat the air fryer to 350°F [175°C] or the temperature in the chart further down for other cuts of chicken.

Place the chicken drumsticks in the air fryer basket in a single layer (see notes below).

Step 4: Turn and cook again

Cook for 15 minutes and rotate to cook evenly, and keep cooking for another 15-20 minutes until the chicken skin is golden brown AND the internal temperature of the chicken measured in the thickest part reaches 165 °F (73.9 °C).

Remove from the basket and serve.

Variations

If you want some spicy crispy drumsticks, add 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or chili powder to the spice mixture.

Other chicken parts that work for this recipe are wings and full chicken legs. For the latter, cut the chicken legs into drumsticks and thighs. They will cook faster, and result in crispy air fryer chicken drumsticks and legs that are also more flavorful.

Top tips

A good idea that will save you some time later is to line the bottom pan under the air fryer basked with aluminum foil or parchment paper to catch the drippings.
For best results, do not pile up the chicken pieces. Place drumsticks in a single layer in the air fryer basket so the hot air circulates evenly. This may be a problem if you only have a smaller air fryer, in which case you may need to do it in two batches.
Some people swear by this tip, and you may want to try it: substitute ¼ teaspoon of baking powder for ¼ teaspoon of the salt the recipe calls for extra crispy chicken drumsticks.

How long to cook chicken in air fryer

Different cuts of chicken require different cooking times, so to air fry chicken legs or drumsticks, you need to use higher temperatures than for breasts, for example. So if you make air fryer chicken wings, they will cook faster than drumsticks. Chicken thighs take longer than drumsticks to cook.
I have found that the cook time suggestions in my air fryer are pretty inaccurate. The best way to do it – for safer and better results – you should use a meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the chicken [source].

Chicken air fryer time and temperature

Chicken cut	Cook temp.	Cook time
Drumsticks	350°F [175°C]	35-40 mins / to 165 °F (73.9 °C)
Wings	350°F [175°C]	25-30 mins / to 165 °F (73.9 °C)
Thighs or legs	350°F [175°C]	40-50 mins / to 165 °F (73.9 °C)

Serving suggestions

You can serve this chicken with many of your favorite sides. My favorite choices are pasta salad, potato salad, air fryer or oven fried potato, or air fryer tostones.

The drumsticks come out very juicy, so I didn't find it required any sauce, but check this homemade BBQ sauce, if you want to try one.

Nutritional information

Serving: 3 drumsticks - Calories: 127kcal - Carbohydrates: 12g - Protein: 1g - Fat: 9g - Saturated Fat: 1g - Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g - Monounsaturated Fat: 7g - Cholesterol: 1mg - Sodium: 1781mg - Potassium: 291mg - Fiber: 1g - Sugar: 3g - Vitamin A: 240IU - Vitamin C: 16mg - Calcium: 56mg - Iron: 2mg

More chicken recipes

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FAQs

What is chicken drumsticks?

Chicken drumsticks are the lower part of the leg, the upper part of chicken legs are the thigh. They consist of dark meat, and tend to have more tender meat, and more fat content.

What temp to cook chicken drumsticks?

Chicken drumsticks and all chicken should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (73.9 °C) measured in the thickest part, per USDA guidelines.

How long to cook chicken drumsticks in air fryer?

How long you need to cook chicken drumsticks in an air fryer will depend on the air fryer you have, and how well it measures the temperature in it. At a minimum, cooking time will be 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the drumsticks reaches 165 °F (73.9 °C) measured in the thickest part.

How to cook frozen chicken drumsticks in air fryer?

To cook frozen drumsticks in the air fryer the first step is to thaw it. If you are in a hurry and can't thaw them in the fridge – as recommended – you can use the thawing function of your microwave. It is not safe or advisable to try to cook frozen drumsticks in the air fryer, so add a few more minutes of prep time to your cooking schedule if you thaw in the microwave.

What to serve with chicken drumsticks?

Air fried French fries are a great side dish with this delicious recipe, especially if your can accomodate everything at once. Another of my favorites to serve with air fryer chicken thighs and drumsticks is pasta salad or potato salad.

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