Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks

Everyone who likes extra-easy chicken dinners is going to love this recipe for Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks! And this chicken is probably going to be popular with the kids, but it’s also perfect for carb-conscious grownups with only one carb per drumstick!

PIN Air Fryer Drumsticks to try the recipe later!

Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks are a delicious kid-friendly main dish that’s going to make you love the Air Fryer! These flavorful drumsticks cooked in the Air Fryer are crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside, and they’re also quick and easy to make and use ingredients you probably have on hand. And if you watch for chicken legs to go on sale, this can also be a very budget-friendly meal.

If you happen to be cooking for kids, they’re going to love this easy Air Fryer chicken that they can eat with their hands. And adults who enjoy drumsticks will love that they’re extra low in carbs!

This recipe is so easy that you might want to double it and make a few extra drumsticks to keep in the fridge for family members to munch on later or to have for a second meal later in the week.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• chicken drumsticks
• Spike Seasoning (affiliate link)
• Poultry Seasoning (affiliate link)
• Paprika, preferably Szeged Sweet Paprika (affiliate link)
• Garlic Powder (affiliate link)
• Onion Powder (affiliate link)
• salt
• black pepper
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)

Can you make the Air Fryer Drumsticks more spicy?

We used relatively mild seasonings for these Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks so they’d be suitable for kids. But if you prefer a bit more spicy flavor I’d add a small amount of something like Cayenne Pepper (affiliate link), Old Bay Seasoning (affiliate link), or Buffalo Chicken Seasoning (affiliate link) to the seasoning blend.

What is Sweet Paprika?

The name “sweet paprika” simply means paprika that isn’t spicy. (If you do want it spicy you can use Sharp Paprika or Hot Paprika for this recipe if you prefer.)

Do you need to trim the chicken drumsticks?

Trimming the skin when you make Air Fryer Drumsticks is probably somewhat optional, but most of the packages of drumsticks I found had some that had excess skin. We trimmed that with kitchen shrears to make them a bit more attractive.

What Air Fryer Did I Use?

I’m a huge fan of the Cuisinart Convection Air Fryer Toaster Oven (affiliate link) which is the one I use all the time. This air fryer has a large basket, which had room for 8 drumsticks for this recipe. And I find this model very easy to use. I also like the convenience of having an air fryer that stays out on the counter.

Want more Low-Carb Air Fryer Recipes?

If you’re an Air Fryer fan, check out my huge round-up of 100 Keto Air Fryer Recipes for lots of tasty ideas from bloggers around the web. You can also use Air Fryer Recipes to see all the Air Fryer recipes on this site.

How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks:

(Scroll down for complete printable recipe with nutritional information.)

1. I trimmed the loose pieces of skin with Kitchen Shears (affiliate link).
2. Put drumsticks in a Ziploc bag in a single layer. 
3. Mix dry seasonings in a small prep bowl. 
4. Preheat Air Fryer for 5 minutes at 400F/205C. (If your Air Fryer that doesn’t go that high, use the highest temperature.
5. Sprinkle seasoning mix into the Ziploc bag, putting some on both sides of chicken. Then squeeze the bag so all the drumsticks are coated with spices.
6. Then add olive oil and squeeze bag again until chicken pieces are somewhat coated with oil.
7. Arrange chicken pieces in Air Fryer basket in a single layer. 
8. Cook drumsticks 8 minutes without opening the Air Fryer.
9. Then remove basket and use tongs to carefully turn over each drumstick. 
10. Put basket back in the Air Fryer and cook about 8 minutes more, or until an Instant Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link) registers 165F or 75C.
11. Serve the Air Fryer Drumsticks hot and enjoy.
12. Extra drumsticks can be refrigerated and reheated.

Make it a low-carb meal:

Air Fryer Drumsticks would be amazing for a low-carb meal. You could serve this with Twice Baked Cauliflower, Lemony Green Beans, Loaded Cauliflower Mock Potato Salad, Easy Cheesy Baked Keto Cauliflower, or Roasted Broccoli with Lemon and Pecorino-Romano Cheese.

Want more ideas for Air Fryer Chicken?

• Herb-Marinated Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
• Air Fryer Marinated Chicken Breasts 
• Greek Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 8 drumsticks

Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 16 minutes

Total Time 26 minutes

Everyone who likes extra-easy chicken dinner ideas is going to love this new recipe for Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks! And most kids will gobble this up and ask for seconds.

Ingredients

• 8 chicken drumsticks with skin
• 1 tsp. Spike Seasoning
• 1 tsp. Poultry Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika (see notes)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 2 T olive oil

Instructions

1. Most chicken drumsticks will have some loose skin sticking up; I trimmed that with Kitchen Shears (affiliate link).
2. Put the drumsticks in a Ziploc bag, arranging in a single layer as much as possible. 
3. Mix the Spike Seasoning, Poultry Seasoning, Paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper in a small prep bowl. Stir together so all the seasonings are well-combined.

Preheat Air Fryer for about 5 minutes at 400F/205C. (If you have an Air Fryer that doesn't get that hot, just use the highest temperature.)

4. Sprinkle the seasoning mix into the Ziploc bag, putting some seasoning on both sides of the chicken. Then squeeze the bag so all the chicken drumsticks are well-coated with spices.
5. Then add the olive oil and squeeze bag again until chicken pieces are all somewhat coated with the oil.
6. Arrange chicken pieces in the Air Fryer basket in a single layer. (If your Air Fryer model won't hold this many chicken pieces cook in two batches.)
7. Cook the drumsticks for 8 minutes without opening the Air Fryer.
8. Then remove the basket and use tongs to carefully turn over each drumstick. (Notice the bottom side is also partly cooked at this point.)
9. Put basket back in the Air Fryer and cook about 8 minutes more, or until an Instant Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link) registers 165F or 75C.
10. Serve hot and enjoy.
11. Extra drumsticks can be refrigerated and reheated later for a few minutes in the Air Fryer.

Notes

Sweet Paprika simply means the paprika is not spicy, and it may just be called Paprika for some brands.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 200Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 116mgSodium: 425mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 22g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Air Fryer Drumsticks are a good main dish for any low-carb or Low-Glycemic diet, including Keto. Chicken Drumsticks aren’t recommended for the original South Beach Diet, due to the fat in the skin.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Air Fryer Recipes to see more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Danica's Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

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