Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
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These 5-ingredient Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks couldn’t be easier and turn out moist and delicious every time. Not only are they gluten-free and dairy-free, but they work great as a make-ahead freezer meal too. All ages love these.
Why You’ll Love Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
- Requires only 4 pantry ingredients to season the drumsticks.
- Using the air fryer results in crispy, moist, super flavorful chicken on the bone
- Can be doubled to freeze one batch for later to save time.
- Is gluten-free and dairy-free.
- Everyone in the family enjoys them! I love a kid-friendly freezer meal!.
Seasoning Ingredients for Drumsticks
You only need chicken drumsticks and these few pantry ingredients to make this recipe:
- Salt
- Celery salt
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Poultry seasoning
Polly’s Testing Tips
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- The seasoning works well on chicken thighs too!
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- Be sure to pat drumsticks dry with paper towels. This allows the oil to stick and give the crisp skin.
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- Be sure to spread out the drumsticks in the air fryer basket, allowing for air circulation around each one.
Make It a Freezer Meal
When you combine the ease of the air fryer AND freezer cooking, you practically set yourself up for hands-free cooking. That’s because after you safely thaw your chicken, you can arrange them in the air fryer, push a button, and you’re done!
Freeze For Later: Follow Step 1. Place the seasoned chicken in a gallon-sized freezer bag or container in a single layer. Seal and freeze flat. Once it’s fully frozen, you can move the meal elsewhere in the freezer.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw completely in the refrigerator. Follow Steps 2-4.
FAQs
Absolutely. This seasoning blend would be delicious on chicken thighs, chicken breast and wings.
Yes! We love a recipe that can be cooked multiple ways. We’ve written whole posts about these methods:
– Instant Pot Drumsticks
– Crockpot Drumsticks
We also have a great recipe for Crispy Baked Drumsticks in the oven.
Yes, this recipe is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.
What kind of air fryer do you use?
We both use the 6 quart Instant Pot Vortex Plus Air Fryer and highly recommend it.
Here’s what we love about it:
- America’s Test Kitchen said it’s #1 in their tests.
- Extra-large capacity. (I fit 12+ meatballs in it.)
- Wide drawer-style basket that is easy to remove and insert.
- The drawer and cooking rack are dish washer safe.
- Super easy to use digital controls.
- It cooks food to perfection!
Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 4 chicken drumsticks
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or olive oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together salt, celery salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and poultry season.
- Pat drumsticks dry with paper towels. Use a paring knife or metal skewer to poke 10 to 15 holes in skin of each drumstick. Rub with oil and sprinkle evenly with spice mixture evenly on all sides and rub it in.
- Preheat air fryer to 400°F. Spread out the drumsticks in the air fryer basket, allowing for air circulation around each one. Air fry for 22-26 minutes, flipping halfway through, until crispy on outside and internal temp is 195°F. (It’s hard to dry these out, so air fry a few extra minutes if you prefer a crispier texture.)
Freezer Instructions
Notes/Tips
- Tips for getting extra crispy drumsticks:
- Air fry a few minutes more if you’d like.
- Poke about 10 holes in the skin before cooking. Poking the holes helps the fat to render and the drumsticks to get crispier, per America’s Test Kitchen.
- Do not over pack the air fryer. (In my test, 3 drumsticks got crispier than 6 even though they weren’t touching in either test.)
Nutrition
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