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air fryer chicken drumsticks up close after cooking

Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks

Jenni Cole
Air fryer chicken drumsticks are the easiest way to create crispy, juicy, bone-in chicken drumsticks - EVER! Cooking chicken drumsticks in the air fryer locks in all of that amazing flavor and cook them up in under 30-minutes.
4.75 from 4 votes
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Healthy Air Fryer Recipes
Cuisine American
Servings 5 servings
Calories 61 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 chicken drumsticks - 5
  • ½ teaspoon garlic salt or plain sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
  • BBQ Sauce-optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the air fryer to 400F for 3-5 mins before you are ready to put your chicken in.
  • While you are waiting for your air fryer to heat up, pat your drumsticks dry with paper towels to get the skin crispy.
  • Once they are pat dried, combine the chicken legs with oil, garlic salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl.
  • Arrange your drumsticks on the air fryer tray or in the basket, leaving space in between each leg. Don't crowd! The drumsticks need to have the warm air moving around them for both even cooking and to achieve that crispy skin. 
  • Bake your chicken for 10 mins on one side and then flip the drumsticks. Continue cooking for about 10 more minutes until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165F since it's dark meat. Larger drumsticks may require an additional 3-5 minutes.
  • If you're adding BBQ sauce, brush it on after the first flip.

Notes

BBQ sauce- (our favorite is Sweet Baby Ray's or Primal Kitchen for a sugar free/low carb option)
Spread the chicken out and don't overlap it
You can cook drumsticks from frozen, just add 5-7 more minutes to the cooking time.
Pat the chicken dry before cooking it to get the skin crispy
Feel free to double or triple this recipe based on the number of people you are serving, but keep the size of your fryer in mind and you might need to cook them in batches.

Nutrition

Calories: 61kcalCarbohydrates: 0.1gProtein: 4gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 256mgPotassium: 52mgFiber: 0.03gVitamin A: 11IUCalcium: 3mgIron: 0.2mg
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