Air Fryer Chicken Legs are simple to make and really tasty. This Chicken Legs Drumsticks recipe is easy and flavorful. This air fried chicken is very similar to Jerk Chicken but without the spicy heat. This is one of the more simple air fryer recipes. It can be made with drumsticks or thighs. It takes under 30 minutes to prepare. It can be prepared in air fryer basket or oven style air fryers and the cook time should be the same. Air Fryer Chicken Legs are healthy because they are not fried they are Air Fried. You can use legs, thighs, or even the whole drumstick leg and thigh. If you use chicken breast decrease the time by a few minutes. Truth is in the air fryer legs and thighs are the best to use because they are a bit more juicy and forgiving.
Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
If you’ve ever tried Jerk Chicken and you like it but its a bit too spicy for you then you will love this recipe. It has flavors very similar to Jerk Chicken like Allspice, Cinnamon and Coriander with just a touch of heat. I absolutely LOVE Jerk Chicken. Here in South Florida where I am located, it is served all over. I loved the Caribbean Island flavors of this dish.
How many chicken legs can I cook in the Air Fryer?
Size does matter when you are cooking in an Air Fryer. You do not want to overcrowd the chicken pieces. In a 5.8 Qt Air Fryer you can fit about 7-10 chicken legs or thigh pieces. In a 3 Qt. Air Fryer its it about 4-5 chicken pieces.
What temperature to Air Fry the Chicken Legs?
When cooking these air fried chicken legs I tend to keep the cooking tempurature at 380 degrees. Different people will give you different answers. A few minutes before the chicken is done cooking I usually take a peek and see how it is looking. Most of the time I will crank up the chicken frying temp for the last 5 minutes to around 400 degrees just to give the chicken that crispy skin that is crunchy and delicious.
How long to cook chicken legs in the Air Fryer?
Generally I tell everyone about 25 to 30 minutes of cook time to cook the chicken pieces and get them nice and crispy and golden in color.
Ingredients in these Air fryer Chicken Drumsticks?
- Chicken Pieces (Legs, Drumsticks, Thighs)
- Allspice
- Cinnamon
- Coriander
- Cayenne Pepper
- Salt
- Ground Ginger
- Smoked Paprika
- Old Bay
- Olive Oil
Preparing these Easy Airfryer Chicken Legs is EASY. Simply mix together all the dry spices. Then add a couple tablespoons of Olive Oil and mix with the spices to form somewhat of a paste. Once that is completed add your chicken. You can use drumsticks, thighs or both. Coat the chicken well with the oil and spice mixture. Let the chicken marinate for at least 20 minutes or overnight. You want the flavor of all those spices in the chicken.
Once the chicken has marinated a bit we are ready to put it in the Airfryer. I paired these Air Fryer Chicken Legs with Steamed Cabbage and Sweet Potato fries that I made in the Airfryer to make it more Paleo. Truth is this goes really well with my Instant Pot Vegetarian Pasta Salad.
How to cook chicken drumsticks in Airfryer
Full Instructions and Ingredient Amounts in Recipe Card Below
Step 1– Mix together all of the spices in a bowl large enough for the chicken pieces. Stir to combine all of the spices into a rub. Add the olive oil to the spice mixture and stir together to form a paste.
Step 2 – Add the chicken to the spice mixture. Toss chicken to coat well in the spice mixture paste. Let chicken marinate for at least 15 minutes. The longer that the chicken marinates the better. It can be marinated for up to 24 hours.
Step 3 – Preheat air fryer to 380 degrees. This takes about 5 minutes. Once the air fryer is preheated add the chicken to the air fryer. Cook the chicken for 25 to 30 minutes. Flip chicken halfway through cooking time. If you want it a bit more crispy turn temperature to 400 degrees last 5 minutes of cook time. Watch chicken closely for the amount of doneness that you prefer.
These air fryer chicken drumsticks are not only easy they are also keto-friendly. If you are a fan of Air Fryer fried chicken then give this a try because it is a really tasty alternative. This can be done with bone-in chicken thighs as well.
What to Serve with Air Fryer Drumsticks?
Jamaican Steamed Cabbage
Instant Pot Vegetarian Pasta Salad
If you have any questions about this recipe feel free to leave a comment. If you have made this recipe please leave a rating and a comment it really helps us out. Thanks so much for stopping by my spot on the internet.
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Kitchen Essentials and Items Used in Recipe
Instant Vortex 4-in-1 Air Fryer, 6 Quart, 4 One-Touch Programs, Air Fry, Roast, Bake, Reheat
Misto Frosted Glass Bottle Oil Sprayer – 5090770,Frosted, Glass
Pompeian Smooth Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 16 fl oz
Air Fryer Chicken Legs Recipe
Air Fryer Chicken Legs
Ingredients
- 2 Pounds Chicken Parts
- 1 Tbsp. Allspice
- 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp. Coriander
- 1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger
- 1/2 tsp. Smoked Paprika
- 1/2 tsp. Old Bay
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Instructions
- Mix all the Spices together and stir till they are well combined. Add olive oil and stir till it is kind of a paste. Add the chicken and coat well. Let marinate 15 minutes or Overnite.
- Turn Airfryer to 380 degrees and PREHEAT. Spray preheated basket with Pam or Olive Oil Spray. Add Chicken and cook 12 Minutes. Then Flip Chicken and Cook 10 to 12 Minutes More. Remove Chicken season with salt and pepper to taste and let cool a few minutes.
- Enjoy.
Nutrition
Matt Freund
Very tasty chicken.
Anita
This recipe is very easy, especially since it only uses dry spices, and chicken! Perfect for busy days.
Aimee Mars
Okay, you’ve convinced me to get an air fryer. This chicken looks so good I can’t resist the purchase any longer!
Matt
Thanks. You will not regret your purchase.
Laurie
Soon after I got my air fryer this recipe showed up in a Facebook group. I put it on my weekly menu. Delicious!!
I make it about 3 times a month. I have a Stuff Matty Cooks folder on Pinterest so I can easily find a recipe
Matt
I am glad that this is in your rotation. Thanks for the nice comment.
Matty
Alison
I love how the air fryer makes cooking easier and healthier. The spices are really fantastic too!
Romina
I keep going back and forth on getting an air fryer but this is definitely pushing me to get one!
Sara
Loved this! I’ve been obsessed with my air fryer and this was a great alternative to the breaded chicken I’ve used in before.
Tristan Sebourn
Big fan of the dry rub usage and easy air frying method. Will give this a try real soon.
Norine
Wondering how this would pan out re time and temp for whole chicken cut up. We just don’t like chicken legs. Please give me your ideas on this. Thanks.
Matt
If the chicken pieces have bones then the time and temp would be pretty much the same.
Sue Marie
I always wanted to try jerk chicken but don’t like spicy food. When a post on the IP Air Fryer Community site said without the heat, that intrigued. me. I made it tonight and it was very good. I omitted the cayenne you called for because your page says there’s a little heat. The smell while cooking was wonderful and is still lingering hours later. The only problem I had was that the oil didn’t seem to be enough to make the paste spreadable, so I added another 1/2 TBSP. Thanks for sharing!
Matt
So glad that you enjoyed it. Jerk Chicken in my area of South Florida is a big thing because of the Caribbean influence here. Really authentic Jerk Chicken is supposed to be grilled but the Air Fryer makes things so good. Keep visiting I am always posting new recipes.
Matty
Joe
Matty,
So you don’t have to cook the chicken in a pressure cooker before air frying? Air fry raw (marinated)chicken Legs (bone-in) @380 for about 25 mins ?
-Joe C
Matt
Yes exactly. Just follow the recipe and it will be perfect.
Matty
Kaye M.
I found a great Jamaican Mild Jerk seasoning when I wanted to do Jerk Chicken thighs in my Mini IP. Still used less than recipe called for so only had slight heat but still had the great flavoring. Thinking I could use it here instead of ___, ____? I don’t have the coriander or cayenne pepper.
Matt
Sure you can. Use what you have.
Matty.