Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks are a quick budget dinner the family will love! Ditch the oil and make the crispiest fried chicken in the air fryer with a seasoned flour coating.
recipe overview
Fried chicken is my ultimate comfort food, and I prefer the legs. This Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks recipe is the best way to make hot fried chicken without oil. It’s still crispy and so flavorful!
Air fryer drumsticks are perfect next to some saucy bbq chicken wings for your next tailgate. I love them for a budget dinner, too, with a mound of fluffy mashed potatoes.
what you’ll need
- Chicken drumsticks: These are one of the cheapest and most flavorful cuts of chicken! I always keep a pack of chicken legs in the freezer for a rainy day.
- Buttermilk: The best fried chicken marinades have buttermilk. The extra acidity and the creamy base make the perfect juicy chicken every time.
- Hot sauce: I love hot chicken! You can skip this step if you want plain fried chicken, but any hot sauce you like will work.
- Pepper: I love the bite of black pepper. Use as little or as much as you’d like in this fried chicken recipe.
- Salt: Salt is important in “fried” foods to bring out the natural flavors beneath the crust.
- All-purpose flour: I use gluten-free flour for my fried hot chicken coating. You can use either and still get a super crispy crust!
- Garlic powder: Dehydrated garlic powder is slightly sweeter than raw garlic but brings all the flavor!
- Onion powder: Onions are the kind of flavor, and dehydrated onion powder brings all the savory flavor without the work — or the tears!
- Paprika: This bright red spice brings a great color and a subtle smokiness to the seasoned flour.
- Cayenne pepper: A little goes a long way with cayenne pepper! I love the extra kick, but you can skip it if you don’t like spicy food.
how to make them
- Whisk together the hot chicken marinade with buttermilk, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Marinate the chicken drumsticks in the buttermilk mixture for at least an hour, but it’s best overnight if you have time!
- When it’s time to air fry the chicken, mix the flour with the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and a little cayenne pepper.
- Dip the marinated chicken legs in the seasoned flour and coat them on all sides. Repeat with all the chicken!
- Put the chicken drumsticks in the air fryer basket leaving space between each leg.
- Air fry the chicken at 380 degrees F for 25 minutes, flipping the chicken pieces halfway through
- Let the chicken legs rest for a few minutes before serving.
what to serve with drumsticks
Corn on the cob is a great side to go with these drumsticks, and this smoked corn on the cob is one of my favorite ways to use fresh corn.
If you want a healthy side dish, Brussels sprouts are a great option! They’re so crispy in the air fryer without dirtying sheet pans.
If you’re out of fresh veggies, make the crunchiest frozen onion rings in the air fryer! No one will know they started as frozen.
is air fryer chicken healthier?
Yes! This air fryer chicken drumstick recipe is completely oil-free, reducing the calories from traditional fried chicken.
You can also use gluten-free all-purpose flour just as easily as regular flour. Both make a super crispy, lower-fat fried chicken.
Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8-12 pieces chicken drumsticks
For the marinade:
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1.5 cups buttermilk
- 1/2 cup hot sauce
For the coating:
- 1 cup all purpose flour or gluten-free AP flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
To marinade the chicken:
- Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add the chicken legs to the bowl and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.
To coat the chicken:
- Combine the coating ingredients in a large ziplock baggie. Place the marinated chicken pieces into the bag of coating mix one at a time and press the bag together to coat the chicken. Place the coated chicken piece into your air fryer basket. Repeat until the air fryer basket is full.
To cook your chicken:
- Air fry the chicken at 380 degrees F for 25 minutes, flipping the chicken pieces halfway through.
Video
Notes
- I like to lay down parchment paper or foil to help with clean up.
- I also like to use spray oil (avocado oil) on the drumsticks. Give them a spray before you flip them over to help prevent sticking, and give the tops a spritz of oil to help brown.
- You can always spritz any floury areas to make them brown.
- Remember to use your meat thermometer to determine if your chicken is cooked. The internal temperature should be 165 degrees F before consuming.
- Pro Tip: This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the “Air Fry” function.
Nutrition
Air Fryers can vary greatly. Please take the time to learn your specific air fryer. You may need to adjust times and temperatures based upon your air fryer. All though this website attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, the information should only be considered an estimate. Varying factors such as different product types, different brands, etc. can change nutritional information. It is your responsibility as a consumer to read all labels to make sure the ingredients fit your dietary needs as well as calculate your own nutritional information as a double check.
These are so good and oh so crispy! Thank you for showing me how to make drummies in the air fryer!
Gave this a try for dinner last night and it couldn’t have been easier! So crisp, yet juicy; easily, a new favorite dinner recipe!
Loved the crispy coating on these drumsticks. Such an easy recipe and so delicious!
You won’t believe it but chicken legs are my favorite part, too. Delicious recipe!
Thank you, so glad you liked it!
Wow would have never guessed this chicken was made in an air fryer. So perfectly crispy I would have thought it was all deep-fried!
Everything is so much better in the air fryer! I can’t remember the last time I turned my oven on, so I’m always on the hunt for new recipes. Once again another fantastic chicken recipe! Thank you.