BBQ Turkey Legs In the Air Fryer
BBQ turkey drumsticks in an air fryer a juicy, crispy, and easy! Coat the turkey legs with a simple turkey rub sesoning before air frying them to perfection. Brush on honey or BBQ sauce for the perfect sweet and tangy finish.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 turkey drumsticks about 1 ⅓ lb total
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon rub seasoning mix use our recipe below or your favorite rub
Turkey Rub Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon ground onion powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon minced dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
Instructions
- If you're using a store-bought poultry rub you can skip this step. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, kosher salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, rosemary, thyme, and sage in a small bowl. Mix the dry rub until the ingredients are well combined. This will make more rub than the recipe needs but you can store it for 6+ months and use it for other turkey recipes, chicken, or pork.
- Blot the turkey drumsticks dry with paper towels. Place them in a low bowl or plate.
- Brush the turkey legs with the olive oil and then generously sprinkle the turkey drumsticks with the rub on both sides of the turkey.
- Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 400 F.
- Place the turkey legs in the air fryer and cook them at 400 F for a total of 40 minutes, or until the internal meat thermometer registers at least 165 F (up to 180 F) when tested in the thickest part of the drumstick. Flip the drumsticks halfway through cooking.
Notes
You can use your favorite store-bought rub or make our homemade version. Our rub will make way more than the recipe will need but you can use it for other recipes and it's especially good with chicken or pork.
To add a sweet touch to the turkey drumsticks, brush on a bit of honey in the last 1-2 minutes of cooking. Don't add it earlier than that since sugars burn quickly in an air fryer.
The turkey cooking time can vary based on how many watts your model has, the size of the drumsticks you're cooking, and whether or not you preheated your air fryer. Just use the cooking time as a guide and we strongly encourage you to use a digital meat thermometer to make sure you don't overcook (or undercook!) the turkey.
Nutrition
Serving: 1drumstickCalories: 547kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 67gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 240mgSodium: 3776mgPotassium: 1070mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1536IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 91mgIron: 7mg
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