These chicken drumsticks sold me on the air fryer. I am basically a fuddy duddy. Change is hard. I had a blackberry for a long time. Yeah - that hard. Talk to me about a new appliance and I will scoff at it or find excuses not to use it. My Air Fryer (linked here) lived in a box for a solid ten days. At this point you'd have to pry it from my cold dead fingers. Is that an exaggeration? Perhaps. What's not exaggerated is my overwhelming love these Air Fryer Drumsticks and the flavour punch they pack.
Five Things I LOVE About These Air Fryer Drumsticks
- they're SO EASY to make! marinate, air fry. the end.
- that SKIN. that glorious crispy flavorful skin
- The juicy interior - I love how the interior of the chicken is so juicy!
- NO DEEP FRYING!
- BOTH my girls like them. Now if you have kids you'll know that's no easy feat to accomplish.
Ingredients List
- A dozen drumsticks - yes, a dozen, but feel free to halve/adjust as needed!
- Marinade - Soy Sauce, Ginger Paste/ Crushed Ginger, Garlic Paste/Crushed Garlic, Chili Flakes, Chili Powder, Dried Oregano, Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Salt & Pepper
- Oil for spraying/brushing over the chickens
Some Other Fun Recipes to Try
Made these Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks? Rate them by clicking the number of stars you want to give it on the recipe below! Tag me in your recreations on Instagram @flourandspiceblog
Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
Servings: 6
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 12 drumsticks
Marinade
- 1.5 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1.5 tbsp Crushed Ginger
- 1.5 tbsp Crushed Garlic
- 1.5 tbsp Dried Oregano
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Chili Flakes
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Crushed/Minced Green Chilies (if you want it spicy)
- Oil for air frying
Instructions
- Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl
- Score the chicken pieces with a sharp knife and cover the chicken with the marinade making sure to rub it well
- Marinade overnight or at least 6 hours
- Preheat your air fryer to 390F
- Place your chicken inside and cook for ten minutes undisturbed. Do make sure to leave space between the drumsticks. You will likely need to cook the drumsticks in batches
- Flip them over after ten minutes, spray with a little oil if they are looking dry, then cook them for another 10-15 minutes until the skin outside is bronze and the chicken is cooked through.
Notes
Without the green chilies these chicken legs have a kick but aren't spicy. If you want them to be spicy I strongly recommend adding crushed green chilies.
Made these for ifftar today. It turned out amazing and so easy to make. I was worried it turn out dry in air fryer, but it was perfectly done.
I am SO glad to hear that Rubeena! Thank you!
I made them for our first iftar, loved the marinade. Perfect for ramazan, quick ,easy and delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Sarah, can I make these with skin on bone in chicken thighs instead?
Yes absolutely!!! They would cook faster so just watch the time!
Hi Sarah;
Awesome recipe. I tried with 350 F temp for 8 mins both sides in my 2.6lts Gotham air fryer. I did marinate Chic Drumsticks overnight and thawed 1 hr before air frying.
Turned out perfect and succulent. I must say 10/10.
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
THANK YOU for sharing this!!!! I get asked about baking temperature all the time and didn’t know!
Do you recommend using skin on or skinless drumsticks?
Hey Sana! Skin on is my preference for sure!
Hi Sarah. How do you suggest I make these without an air fryer as I don’t own one?
Hi Sara, can we bake these in oven? If yes then for how long and at what temp?
Hi Sana! So sorry about not replying sooner, but you can bake these at 375 for 35-40 minutes. If you stick something sharp in the meaty part it should go in easily and the juices should run clear and then you know you are done!
Hi if we use skinned chicken what should be the temp and time?
Hi Shiza! Time will more or less be the same, but the risk you run with skinned chicken is it drying out. That said if you eat it hot then you're still good!
excellent recipe.. stop and try it right now if you havnt already!! it is THAT good!!
wow thank you Sara!
This is my go to receipe for air fried drumsticks. Everyone loves it. Highly recommend to try it.
It makes me SO happy to hear that!
Hi!
Made these last night and omg so so good! Sent some to my parents and they were obsessed!
Thanks!
Woohooo!!! Loved reading this, thank you!
Hi there! I would like to try this tonight for iftar - could I use boneless thighs?
absolutely!
We love this marinade so much that we have also tried it with boneless chicken breasts as well and it tastes as good. Had to cook the drumsticks a little longer each side as the color seemed light and slightly raw (red/pink) inside but they were an absolute treat, gone in seconds!
thank you Farwah!!!!
can you remind me if you are baking or air frying so I can add notes to the recipe - this timing is perfect for my air fryer but I want to make sure everyone can adjust for theirs!
This is a very easy recipe! Love how flavorful the chicken comes out!
I am so glad you enjoyed it!
I don't have an air fryer. Yet, I still use the marination mix from this recipe to make my fried chicken. It has been a hit each time I tried it. So thank you for sharing your recipes with us Sarah❤
Thank you so so much!
Approximately would the 12 drumsticks be a kilo?
Hi Munawar! I think it's a little more depending on the size of the drumsticks