Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Legs
Are you looking for the perfect weeknight dinner? These Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Legs are a great option, even for picky eaters! This chicken recipe is great for busy nights when you’re craving juicy chicken fast!
My entire household loves these Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Drumsticks. Smothering juicy chicken legs in homemade BBQ sauce (or store-bought) is a winning combination, without a doubt. And the air fryer perfectly cooks the chicken to give a juicy bite with crispy skin.
Since these air fryer barbecue chicken legs are so easy and quick to make, don’t forget to pair them with a few of your favorite side dishes. You can easily make air fryer potatoes, steam some green beans, or whip up some air fryer corn.
Be sure to see this Fajita Stuffed Chicken and these Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs for more easy recipes.
Ingredients
- Chicken legs – I use eight drumsticks for this recipe. Try to choose a pack with legs around the same size so they cook evenly.
- Salt – Any type of salt will work. We use Real Salt or kosher salt.
- Black pepper – For flavor.
- BBQ sauce – Use your favorite barbecue sauce. Check out my Keto Barbecue Sauce recipes for three great options.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Legs
Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Be sure to spray the air fryer basket with olive oil spray.
Step One: Add the salt and pepper to the chicken legs. Put the chicken legs into the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook for 22-25 minutes until the skin is crispy. The internal temperature needs to be 160 degrees.
Step Two: Remove and coat with BBQ sauce.
Top Tip💡
Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the chicken. If you overbake it, the chicken is going to dry out. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken to be sure that it’s at 160 degrees.
Substitutions
- Chicken – While I prefer to use chicken legs for this recipe, you can also use leg quarters and breasts. The cooking time may vary. Check out my Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Breast recipe for more information on cooking that cut of chicken.
Variations
- Seasonings – Other options besides salt and pepper are onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, chili powder, smoked paprika, and any other seasoning mix, such as my All Purpose Seasoning.
See these Parmesan Chicken Legs for another delicious dinner using drumsticks. Or for another great barbecue-flavored recipe, try these BBQ Chicken Kebab Rolls!
Equipment
Cooking chicken legs in the air fryer is a breeze. All you need is an air fryer to get started! Some people like to use air fryer liners in the basket, but I prefer to spray with oil to avoid sticking.
Storage
Eating leftovers of these air fryer barbecue chicken drumsticks is the best! They’re so good the next day, and easy to warm back up in the air fryer, oven, or microwave. All you have to do is let the drumsticks cool to room temperature and then store them in an airtight container.
When you’re ready to eat and reheat, make sure to warm the chicken all the way through. You can add some extra BBQ sauce if you want!
Common Questions
Air fryer recipes like this go with just about anything! You can’t go wrong with green veggies like green beans and Brussels sprouts. You can also pair it with cauliflower rice, white rice, or even some baked squash.
Using an instant-read thermometer is the only way to make sure that chicken is perfectly cooked. You insert the probe into the thickest part of the chicken meat, away from the bone. As long as it reads 160 degrees, the chicken should be cooked and ready to eat – and still juicy!
You can! I love freezing leftover chicken. You can freeze it on the bone, or off the bone – either one. Sometimes I’ll take the cooked chicken off the bone and freeze it, so that it’s ready to use in other recipes like a chicken salad or even chicken tacos.
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Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Legs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2.5 lb chicken legs (8 drumsticks)
- 1.5 tsp salt
- .5 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F and spray the air fryer basket with olive oil spray.
- Season the chicken legs with salt and pepper.
- Add to the basket in a single layer.
- Cook for 22-25 minutes until the skin is crispy and 160°F on an internal meat thermometer.
- Coat with your favorite BBQ sauce.
Nutrition
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Fast, easy and tasty!
So Quick and Easy. Yum
This is an amazing recipe to bring out the natural flavors of the chicken legs.
Yum yum yum!
Ohhhh so delicious!!
Can’t wait to try these-air fryer recipes are at the top of my list in summer.
Thank you for this simple and flavorful recipe. It was exactly the inspiration that my lazy Thursday needed.