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These Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks are golden, juicy, and bursting with flavor. They’re the kind of easy weeknight dinner everyone in my family gets excited about. With perfectly crisp skin and tender meat, these crispy drumsticks are ready to serve in under 30 minutes.
If you’re looking for a quick and easy chicken recipe, these juicy air fryer chicken bites will hit the spot.
Quick Look At This Recipe
- ✨ Flavor: Crispy on the outside, juicy and flavorful on the inside.
- ⏱️ Prep time: 5
- 🔥 Cook time: 20
- ⏲️ Total time: 25
- 👥 Servings: 4
- 🥄 Tools: Air fryer
- ❄️ Freezer-friendly: Yes! They reheat great.
- 👩🏻🍳 Tip: Cook in batches if using a smaller air fryer or making a double batch. For crispy chicken drumsticks, the air needs to be able to circulate around the pieces.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Cooked perfectly. PERFECTLY. Flavorful, crispy, quick, little cleanup.“
-Tay
I love making air fryer chicken drumsticks because they are full of flavor and easy to make, in either a basket-style or oven-style air fryer. The skin crisps up beautifully while the meat stays juicy and tender inside. They’re perfect for busy weeknights, game days, or anytime you need a fast, delicious protein.
For more air fryer chicken recipes, try this BBQ chicken in the air fryer and air fryer bacon wrapped chicken for dinner next!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Crispy Perfection Every Time: The air fryer gives you that golden, crunchy skin without the mess (or oil) of deep frying.
- Quick Weeknight Hero: Get dinner on the table in under 30 minutes. There’s no marinating and no complicated prep.
- Budget-Friendly: Chicken drumsticks are inexpensive and easy to find, making this recipe perfect for any night of the week.
- Works With Any Air Fryer: Whether you have a basket or oven-style model, this recipe easily adjusts to crispy results every time.
Table of Contents
Ingredients You Will Need
- Chicken drumsticks: Use bone-in, skin-on drumsticks. The skin helps lock in the moisture to give the chicken a crispy texture.
- Olive oil: Helps the seasoning stick during air frying.
- All-purpose flour: Helps the skin crisp up even more.
- Baking powder: My secret ingredient that helps crisp the skin by drawing out moisture.
- Seasonings: Paprika adds a subtle smoky flavor while onion powder, salt, and pepper enhance the natural flavor of the drumsticks.
A full list of ingredients is included in the recipe card below.
Variations
- Spicy version: Swap onion powder for chili powder and add a pinch of cayenne to give the air-fried chicken drumsticks a spicy kick.
- Herb Blend: Add a teaspoon of Italian seasoning to the flour mixture for a unique seasoning flavor.
- Lemon pepper: Swap the paprika for the same amount of lemon pepper seasoning for a citrusy twist.
- Gluten-free: For crispy air fryer chicken drumsticks swap the regular flour for a cup-to-cup measure gluten-free flour or cornstarch instead to make it allergy-friendly.
Enjoy these drumsticks as a simple, savory air fryer meal, with our easy air fryer roasted potatoes, air fryer mushrooms, air fryer baked potato, or buttery air fryer corn on the cob.
How to Cook Crispy Chicken Drumsticks in the Air Fryer
While prepping, fire up your air fryer so it has time to preheat. Let’s get started making air fryer chicken drusmticks.
- Pat the drumsticks dry with a paper towel and then brush each one with a light coating of olive oil.
- Place the drumsticks in a large Ziploc bag. Stir together the flour, baking powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and onion powder in a small bowl. Add it to the bag and then shake it until the drumsticks are coated.
- Lightly spray the basket with cooking spray or brush a light coating of olive oil. Place the seasoned drumsticks in the air fryer basket. Be sure to keep them in a single layer, without overlapping or stacking.
- Air fry at 400°F for 20 minutes, flipping them halfway through the cooking time. Chicken is done when it is golden brown and crispy, and an instant meat thermometer reaches an internal temperature of 175°F for tender, juicy chicken.
Expert Tips
- Don’t skip this step! Patting dry the chicken drumsticks before adding the seasoning is the key to a crispy exterior.
- Give them space and flip halfway through. Space out the chicken drumsticks so that air can easily flow around the individual pieces. Also, turn the chicken halfway through the cooking time to help both sides of the chicken cook evenly and crisp up.
- Using drumettes: These will need less cooking time to cook through. Just keep an eye on them and use the meat thermometer to check for doneness. If you have other small pieces, you can also try this air fryer chicken wings recipe.
- Cooking time: You may need to adjust the cooking time depending on the size of your chicken drumettes and the type of air fryer you are using. I used a Cosori 5.8L air fryer, and they cooked perfectly in 20 minutes. Oven air fryers tend to cook a bit cooler, so you will need to add 2-4 minutes to the cooking time.
- Cook to 175°F. While you don’t want to overcook, which means tough and dried out chicken drumsticks. Cooking dark meat to a slightly higher temperature ensures it’s juicy and tender, and not rubbery. This gives the collagen and connective tissue in the chicken a bit more time to breakdown.
If you’re in the mood for a complete chicken dinner, serve your crispy drumsticks with air fryer green beans or our air fryer smashed potatoes.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Storing: Place the cooked drumsticks in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days.
- Reheating: The best method is to reheat crispy chicken drumsticks in the air fryer. This brings back the crispy texture without drying them out. Avoid reheating in the microwave as the chicken may not be as crispy.
Air Fryer Drumsticks Recipe FAQs
Baking powder is the secret to getting crispy chicken. It draws moisture out of the skin, helping it crisp up while the inside stays juicy. Just make sure you’re using baking powder and not baking soda.
Yes, frozen chicken can be cooked straight from the freezer. Just add 5–10 extra minutes to the total cook time, and be sure to check that the internal temperature reaches 165° F before safely consuming the chickne. For the best texture and even seasoning, thawing the chicken drumsticks before cooking is highly recommended.
The USDA states that chicken should always be cooked to a temperature of 165°F; however, cooking dark meat to 175°F yields more tender results.
You need to check the temperature with an internal thermometer. The drumsticks are safe to eat at 165°F, but the texture is better when cooked to 175°F. Visually, the skin should be golden brown, crisp, and lightly blistered, with clear juices (no pink or cloudy liquid) when you pierce the chicken near the bone. Also, the meat should no longer look glossy or translucent, and it should feel firm but still springy when pressed with tongs. If the outside looks perfectly crisp but the inside isn’t quite there yet, continue to air fry for another 3–5 minutes until the thermometer confirms it’s ready.
Absolutely! Using them yields healthier results but a slightly less crispy texture.
More Air Fryer Chicken Dinner Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a STAR ⭐️ RATING in the COMMENTS 📝 SECTION below.
Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 4 chicken drumsticks
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder, or corn starch
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Pat the drumsticks dry with a paper towel, then brush with a light coating of olive oil. Place the drumsticks in a large Ziploc bag
- In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Shake the bag until the drumsticks are covered with the spice mixture.
- Lightly spray the basket with cooking spray, or brush a light coating of olive oil over basket to prevent drumsticks from sticking.
- Transfer the drumsticks from the bag to the air fryer basket, placing them in a single layer, without overlapping or stacking.
- Air fry at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. Flip chicken drumsticks halfway through the cooking time.
- Chicken will be done when it is golden brown and crispy, and when an instant read meat thermometer reaches an internal temperature of 175° F. The chicken drumsticks are safe to eat at 165°F, but cooking them a bit longer is recommended to fully tenderize dark meat.
Notes
- Leaving chicken drumsticks skin on helps the chicken to become crispy. Skinless chicken will be delicious too, just not as crispy.
- Use an instant read meat thermometer to check for doneness when cooking meat in the air fryer. A thermometer can quickly and easily confirm doneness and prevent overcooking. Note that it is recommended to cook dark meat to 175°F to break down the collagen and connective tissue fully for juicy and tender chicken drumsticks.
- I make air fryer chicken drumsticks in my Cosori air fryer and 20 minutes cook time was perfect. Because all air fryers are different, you may need to adjust cooking time by 2-5 minutes.
- If making more than 4-6 drumsticks, prepare the chicken in batches. To get the crunchy skin, avoid overlapping or having drumsticks touch in the basket.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Good air fryer ‘fried’ chicken. I added a 1/2 tsp of garlic powder to the above coating blend because… garlic LOL! Not quite the same as oil-and-pan-fried chicken, of course, but for an easy, no fuss preparation, this works well. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it!
This turned out perfect!!! Its now my go-to! Perfect for the Mr. and me! Thanx!
These were good and crunchy, but not fatty
Made these and they were super will make again
So glad you liked them! 🙂
Just to clarify as I’m a bit confused. The recipe says baking powder or cornstarch. How do they do the same thing for the recipe? One’s a thickener, the other a raising agent.
Thanks 🙂
Hi Sandy,
You can totally use either one—it just depends on the kind of crunch you’re going for! Adding a little baking powder to your flour mix helps make the coating puff up and get extra light and crispy in the air fryer. Cornstarch works too. It soaks up moisture from the chicken and keeps the coating from getting soggy, which also gives a crispy coating. Plus, it stops the flour from getting too soggy. Hope that helps!
Just tried this recipe tonight and the results were great! Good seasoning in the coating. 20 minutes cook time was right on. Thank you!
This was very first time using a Air Fryer. This receipt turned out great I highly recommend it to all.
as an executive Chef at a Michelin 2 Starred Restaurant, I peruse the net looking for new simple ideas. I think that after trying this particular recipe, that the spice profile is right on for a “rustic” dish. Obviously I couldn’t serve it professionally but for myself it was a very good supper….. I would serve to my friends. I brought the temp up slightly to get a little more crisp for the first few minutes and turned twice and backed it down to 205c. great job !!!!
I am new to air frying – like haven’t even used it yet new, lol – I was just wondering, do you spray the chicken lightly with oil after it’s coated in the seasoning?
Yes! If you give the chicken a light spray of olive oil, it will help prevent sticking and give it a little crisp. Let us know how it goes!