Air Fryer Chicken Legs – a quick and easy recipe to get the most juicy and crisp chicken legs you have ever tasted! It just takes about 7 ingredients and less than 30 minutes in your air fryer. Everyone is going to love them!
These perfectly crispy Air Fryer Chicken Legs are going to be your new favorite way to enjoy your chicken drumsticks! This is our favorite way to enjoy juicy chicken legs as an easy dinner recipe, lunch option, or as a delicious game day snack!
The Best Air Fryer Chicken Legs
This quick and simple recipe that only requires about 7 simple ingredients and can be made in less than 30 minutes, great for busy weeknights! Our family loves enjoying these crispy chicken drumsticks on Sundays for game day or just as a quick dinner option. They go with just about any easy side dish, have a perfectly browned, crispy skin, and the most juicy meat on the inside! The whole family is going to love this easy recipe!
What You Will Need
- chicken legs – you should be able to find these at your local grocery store or butcher shop, they may also be called chicken drumsticks.
- extra virgin olive oil – drizzle a little bit on the outside of the chicken to get the skin nice and crispy.
- kosher salt, ground black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, & paprika – a simple seasoning combination that will bring lots of great flavor!
How To Make Air Fryer Chicken Legs
To get this simple air fryer recipe started, simply pat the chicken dry with clean paper towels to remove excess moisture.
Then rub each leg with some olive oil. In a separate bowl, mix together the seasonings and then sprinkle it all over the chicken legs.
Now spray the air fryer basket with a non-stick cooking spray and place the seasoned chicken legs in the basket in a single layer.
Pro tip: try to space the chicken legs out as much as you can to ensure even cooking and a crispy skin.
How Long Do I Cook Chicken Legs In An Air Fryer
Air fry the chicken legs for about 9-12 minutes per side, continue air frying for until the internal temp reaches 165 degrees F. We recommend checking the internal temperature of the chicken legs with a meat thermometer (in the thickest part of the leg) at around 15-16 total minutes cooking time because some air fryers run hotter than others and you don’t want to overcook them.
Carefully remove the crispy chicken legs from the basket with some tongs and set on a plate to rest for about 5 minutes before serving. This will help the juices to redistribute and give you perfectly juicy chicken.
Best Ways To Serve Chicken Legs
This air fryer chicken legs recipe is amazing all by itself, just serve with any of your favorite dips, like BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, or blue cheese dressing! Or it’s a great recipe to make into a meal on for weeknight dinners and add some side dishes. A few of our favorite sides are air fryer broccolini, grilled sweet potatoes, or an easy creamy coleslaw!
Recipe FAQ
- seasoning: this recipe card was kept very simple, but feel free to amp up the flavor with our chicken seasoning or chicken marinade! Or add a little lemon juice, or some chili powder for a little bit of a kick.
- preheat: we recommend preheating your air fryer, but you don’t have to do this step. We just feel that it evens out the cooking process and gives you nice, crispy drumsticks.
- storage: any leftover chicken drumsticks can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. This is also nice to meal prep on Sunday and enjoy for lunches all week.
Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!