This Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks recipe is the perfect easy main dish – crispy skin, tender & juicy meat, with 3 different flavour options. Make them from fresh or frozen chicken drumsticks!
We don’t know about you, but we’re always looking for quick and easy ways to get dinner on the table on busy weeknights. This Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks recipe is one of our latest favourite main dishes to make because it’s quick and easy, it calls for basic ingredients, and it can be made with fresh or frozen chicken drumsticks.
Trust us, this chicken drumsticks recipe is so good it’ll become one of your favourites too!
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- Preheat your air fryer to 180 degrees Celsius (360 degrees Fahrenheit) until you get all the ingredients ready.
- Take the raw chicken drumsticks out of the freezer. If there’s a lot of ice on them, rinse them under the tap to get the excess ice off. Dry with a paper towel. Separate them from one another, place them in a bowl.
- Add the olive oil and spice mix and rub them in.
- Arrange the drumsticks in your air fryer basket without overlapping them (you might have to cook them in batches).
- Air fry at 180 degrees Celsius (360 degrees Fahrenheit) for 13 minutes and flip. If the recipe calls for a liquid coating (honey mustard mixture / BBQ sauce) brush it on and air fry for another 8-12 minutes or until the internal temperature of your chicken drumsticks registers 74 Celsius (165 Fahrenheit).
- Take the chicken out and rest it on a plate covered well with tin foil. Air fry the remaining drumsticks, if you’re cooking them in batches.
If you’ve been gifted an air fryer for the holidays and it’s been sitting on your shelf collecting dust, or if you’ve been thinking about picking up an air fryer for awhile but haven’t yet, we’d HIGHLY recommend getting started. An air fryer is a fantastic kitchen appliance for achieving that oven-crisp or fried texture in a fraction of the time with next to no added fat, and to be honest it’s a kitchen appliance we’d have a hard time living without!
Here are the air fryers we’d recommend (affiliate links):
- A great Air Fryer for space-saving (2 quart capacity)
- The perfect Air Fryer for large families with a dual basket feature
- A standard Air Fryer for everyday use (works well for a family of 2 to 4 people)
- A large Air Fryer for everyday use (works well for a family of 2 to 4 people)
To make this chicken drumsticks recipe you’ll also need (affiliate links):
- a pair of tongs
- silicone spatula
- mixing bowls
- measuring spoons
- an instant read thermometer for measuring the internal temperature of the chicken
For the basic recipe you’ll need:
- chicken drumsticks
- cooking spray
- salt
- pepper
- garlic powder
Choose one of these 3 flavours for your chicken drumsticks:
| For the BBQ Chicken Drumsticks you’ll need: | For the Honey Mustard Drumsticks you’ll need: | For the Italian Herb Drumsticks you’ll need: |
| chili powder smoked paprika barbecue sauce | dijon mustard liquid honey | onion powder smoked paprika chili powder Italian seasoning |
Time needed: 25 minutes
Follow these steps for the perfect Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks every time!
- Preheat your air fryer.
This cuts down on cooking time and helps the chicken skin become crispy.
- Pat the chicken dry before seasoning.
This will help the seasoning stick to the chicken skin and add flavour.
- Choose your flavour.
Make these Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks with barbecue, honey garlic, or Italian flavours.
- Don’t over crowd the air fryer.
Cook the chicken drumsticks in a single layer and don’t over crowd them. Overcrowding causes steam to build in the air fryer and the chicken drumsticks will develop a soggy skin.
- Check the internal temperature.
Measure the internal temperature of the chicken with an instant read thermometer (affiliate link) to make sure they’re done (they should reach 74 degrees Celsius or 165 degrees Fahrenheit).
How long do you cook drumsticks in an air fryer?
Chicken drumsticks take about 19-22 minutes to cook in the air fryer.
Is it healthy to air fry chicken?
Yes! Cooking chicken in the air fryer allows you to enjoy crispy chicken without any added fat.
Should you put raw chicken in the air fryer?
Yes! You can cook chicken from raw or even frozen in the air fryer.
How to reheat Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
Place your drumsticks in your air fryer and run it at 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 5-6 minutes shaking the basket/tray halfway through cooking.
How to store Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
These Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
We hope you love this recipe as much as we do! Let us know in the comments below, what’s your favourite air fryer recipe? We’d love to know!
Looking for more delicious recipes like this? You’ll LOVE these:
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Watch the video below to see exactly how we make this recipe. You can find many more deliciously simple recipe videos on our YouTube channel!
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Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
Recipe: Equipment
Recipe: Ingredients
- 8 chicken drumsticks bone-in and skin-on
- Spray oil
For the Basic Spice Mix
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
For the BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
- ½- 1 tsp chili powder optional
- 2 tsp smoked paprika add these spices to the basic spice mix if making the BBQ drumsticks
- 1/3 cup barbecue sauce or Homemade Honey Garlic Barbecue Sauce
For the Honey Mustard Drumsticks
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp honey
For the Italian Herbs Drumsticks
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½- 1 tsp chili powder optional
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
Recipe: Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit) until you get all the ingredients ready.
- Dry the drumsticks with a paper towel and remove any loose skin or excess bits.
- Mix the basic spice mix ingredients in a small bowl, adding the dry spices from whichever flavour variation you want to make. Spray about 1-2 tbsp of oil on all your drumsticks until evenly coated and rub the spice mix on them.
- Arrange the drumsticks in your air fryer basket without overlapping them. (you might have to cook them in batches)
- Air fry at 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit) for 10 minutes and flip. If the recipe calls for a liquid coating (honey mustard mixture / BBQ sauce), brush it on and air fry for another 9-12 minutes or until the internal temperature of your chicken drumsticks reaches 74 degrees Celsius (165 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Take your chicken out and rest it on a plate covered with tin foil while you air fry the remaining drumsticks (if cooking in batches).
- Garnish with some fresh parsley and enjoy!
Recipe: Notes
How to make this recipe with frozen drumsticks
- Preheat your air fryer to 180 degrees Celsius (360 degrees Fahrenheit) until you get all the ingredients ready.
- Take the raw chicken drumsticks out of the freezer. If there’s a lot of ice on them, rinse them under the tap for a little while. Dry with a paper towel. Separate them from one another, place them in a bowl.
- Add the olive oil and spice mix and rub them in.
- Arrange the drumsticks in your air fryer basket without overlapping them (you might have to cook them in batches).
- Air fry at 180 degrees Celsius (360 degrees Fahrenheit) for 13 minutes and flip. If the recipe calls for a liquid coating (honey mustard mixture / BBQ sauce), brush it on and air fry for another 8-12 minutes or until the internal temperature of your chicken drumsticks registers 74 C.
- Take the chicken out and rest it on a plate covered well with tin foil. Air fry the remaining drumsticks.
Storage Instructions
These drumsticks will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.Reheating Instructions
Place your drumsticks in your air fryer and run it at 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 5-6 minutes, shaking the basket/tray halfway through cooking.Recipe: Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.