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Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

Crispy, sticky Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Drumsticks are a super fast and easy choice for a busy weeknight dinner. Chicken legs are seasoned, basted with BBQ sauce, and air fried to tender perfection.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 chicken drumsticks, approximately 1 ½ to 2 pounds
  • 2 teaspoons olive or avocado oil
  • ¼ cup BBQ sauce
  • propellant-free nonstick cooking spray, like Chosen Avocado Oil Spray

BBQ Spice Mix

  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon dry mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to tate
  • teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat air fryer to 380 degrees F. for 5 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, pat the chicken dry with paper towels and place in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with the oil and toss again to coat the drumsticks well. Sprinkle the seasoning over the chicken and toss until the chicken is well coated on all sides. Set aside.
  3. Spritz the air fryer basket with nonstick cooking spray (be sure it’s propellant free – see Notes). Place the seasoned chicken drumsticks in the basket in one layer with a little space in between and cook for 10 minutes at 380 degrees F. Use tongs to flip the chicken and cook for an additional 8 minutes.
  4. Pull the basket out and baste the chicken liberally on all sides with BBQ sauce. Cook at 380 degrees F for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches at least 165 F and the BBQ sauce is slightly caramelized.