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air fryer chicken legs with air fried potato wedges

Crispy and Moist Air Fryer Chicken Legs

Course: Main
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Comfort Food
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 3
Calories: 602kcal
Author: Marilyn
Easily make the crispiest, juiciest, most perfectly delicious air fryer chicken legs at home. You'll love these healthier air fryer chicken drumsticks!
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Equipment

  • Air Fryer

Ingredients

  • 6 chicken legs
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons poultry seasoning
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground white pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat air fryer to 400ºF. (Use the Air Fryer setting if your air fryer has one.)
  • Pat chicken legs dry with a paper towel and transfer to a shallow plate. Drizzle oil over legs, tossing legs to coat with oil.
  • In a quart-size food storage bag, combine the poultry seasoning, salt and white pepper. Add 2 legs to the bag, tossing them to coat with the seasoning. Transfer legs to the air fryer basket. Repeat steps with the remaining legs. Arrange the legs in a single layer in the basket.
  • Air fry the chicken legs for 10 minutes. Using tongs, turn legs over and cook for another 10 minutes or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken leg reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.
  • Using tongs, transfer legs to a serving plates.

Notes

  • When placing the chicken legs in the air fryer, alternate the thicker and thinner part of the leg so they fit better alongside each other without crowding.
  • If you don't have an instant read thermometer, you can check to see that the drumsticks are done if the juices run clear when pierced with a fork and the outside is browned.
Variations:
  1. White Pepper:  I love the taste of white pepper in my chicken seasoning. It adds a unique twist that makes the seasoning perfect. I first learned about this special ingredient after seeing it used in Colonel Sanders Original Recipe. You can omit it if you prefer.
  2. Homemade Chicken Seasoning: Omit the poultry seasoning. Combine 2 teaspoons paprika, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon ground white pepper and the kosher salt.
  3. Montreal Chicken Seasoning: McCormick makes a great  seasoning that goes fabulously with baby back ribs. If you love McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning, you owe it to yourself to try their chicken seasoning. It is under their Grill Mates line making it perfect for air fried chicken legs.
  4. Italian Seasoning: Replace the poultry seasoning blend with an Italian seasoning blend. Omit the white pepper.
  5. Lemon Pepper Chicken Drumsticks: Replace the poultry seasoning blend with a Lemon Pepper Seasoning blend. Omit the white pepper. Lemon Pepper is a relatively common seasoning blend that you can find in the spice section of your grocery store.
  6. Homemade Lemon Pepper Seasoning: Replace the poultry seasoning blend with 2 tablespoons dried lemon peel, 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon onion powder. Omit the white pepper.

Nutrition

Calories: 602kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 240mg | Sodium: 1767mg | Potassium: 542mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 307IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 3mg