Air fryer chicken drumsticks, specifically these ones loaded with the flavors of thyme and garlic, will become your ultimate favorite way of devouring drumsticks going forward!
Stop everything right away, switch on your air fryer and make these air fryer chicken drumsticks immediately! I insist! And I can bet that you will thank me for this!
I wanted to develop a simple, fail-proof as well as delicious air fryer chicken drumsticks recipe which anyone can make easily without much of a pre-prep; but what finally came out surprised me to the core!
To ensure that it was not by fluke, I recreated the same recipe of air fryer chicken drumsticks the very next day and it knocked the socks off me, yet again!
The crispiness outside, the juiciness inside and the overall flavor of the chicken – everything was so on point that I was simply left flabbergasted!
Try these air fryer chicken drumsticks as soon as you can and you will know what I’m saying! This newly found love of ours has already made its appearance on our dinner table more than thrice in a week!
What are air fryer chicken drumsticks?
I just realized that I have been posting a series of air fryer recipes for the past few weeks! So keeping up with that trend, the right recipe to share in this line is a supremely delicious air fryer chicken drumsticks!
To put it as simply as I can, this recipe of air fryer chicken drumsticks is by far the easiest way of making mind-blowing chicken drumsticks without any hassle whatsoever!
All you need to do here is to marinade your drumsticks, preheat your air fryer, then shut the drumsticks in it for a little more than twenty minutes and voila! While you relax on your couch with a sip of wine, your scrumptious chicken would be ready in a jiffy!
Air Fryer vs Your Traditional Oven
Of course this recipe of air fryer chicken drumsticks can be replicated in a traditional oven as well and I already have shared many oven roasted chicken recipes in my blog.
But to tell you honestly I am drifting away from my oven as I’m getting more & more comfortable with my air fryer!
This is simply because of the convenience that the air fryer offers. The basket in which you arrange the food is such a remarkable innovation in my opinion that even a beginner cook can conveniently & easily operate it following the instructions without worrying of burning their hands!
I agree that the cooking technique of an oven and an air fryer is almost the same; but it is that ultimate mess-free-ness of the air fryer that appeals to today’s modern generation!
Ingredients for Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
Chicken Drumsticks: Since this air fryer recipe is specifically for chicken drumsticks, I would recommend you to use drumsticks only. Chicken breasts will require different timing and temperature and I do have a recipe for air fryer chicken breasts as well!
Use a fresh batch of chicken drumsticks with skin on. Skins will crisp up in the air fryer and also prevent the meat inside from going dry.
If you are like me who is always looking for ways to cut down the extra fat or calorie consumption, then just remove the skin before devouring the air fryer chicken drumsticks! They will still taste as delicious!
Thyme: Sourav, my husband, and I both love the flavor of thyme especially with chicken. That’s the very reason I wanted to make thyme chicken in this version of air fryer chicken drumsticks.
Use a good quality dried thyme in the marinade and also sprinkle fresh thyme on top before serving. The aroma of thyme will take your crispy & juicy chicken drumsticks to another level!
Onion & Garlic powder: Like my other air fryer recipes, here also I prefer to use onion and garlic in powder form as it is easier to mix them in with the marinade.
Powders get evenly distributed reaching to all the nook & crannies of the drumsticks. Plus you don’t have the risk of burning the bits of garlic and onion in the high temperature of an air fryer.
If you haven’t used onion & garlic in powder form before, you can try this brand from Amazon.
Chilli powder: We Indians always like a spicy kick to our meaty dishes and hence these air fryer chicken drumsticks are also not deprived of a good dash of red chilli powder.
You can also use smoked paprika if that’s what you are more familiar with; but since red chilli powder is a staple in Indian kitchen, I went ahead with that!
Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil is a must in this recipe of chicken drumsticks as the best flavors of garlic & thyme could be experienced when mixed with the flavor of olive oil. It is simply a match made in heaven!
You can try this brand of olive oil which I have been using for years.
Salt & Pepper: Season your chicken drumsticks with the right amount of salt & and freshly crushed black pepper while marinating.
How to make Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks?
Step 1: Wash and pat dry the chicken drumsticks. The less moisture in your drumsticks, the crispier they will turn out.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients – dried thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, red chilli powder/paprika, salt and black pepper powder.
Step 3: Give a good mix so that all the spices, aromatics and seasonings are evenly mixed.
Step 4: Now drizzle the olive oil over the spice mixture. Using a wire whisk or a fork, give a good stir to get a uniformly combined marinade.
Step 5: Once you are satisfied with the mixture, drop the chicken drumsticks to the mixing bowl.
Step 6: Start rubbing the spicy marinade into each chicken drumstick ensuring each one is coated with the mixture thoroughly and it also reaches inside the cuts and creases.
Step 7: Once all the chicken drumsticks are nicely marinated, leave them for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Step 8: When you are ready to air fry your chicken drumsticks, first brush the bottom of the fryer basket with oil; this will ensure chicken does not stick.
Step 9: Now start preheating your air fryer at 190 C / 375 F and set the timer to 22 minutes.
Step 10: Once preheated, arrange the marinated chicken drumsticks inside the fryer basket in a single layer keeping a couple of centimeters gap between two.
Pro tip: Never ever overcrowd the fryer basket, neither place one drumstick on top of another; then your air fryer chicken drumsticks will not cook evenly and you will end up with a bunch of grossly uncooked and soggy drumsticks!
Step 11: Air fry the chicken drumsticks for 22 minutes flipping them over halfway through to ensure both sides are cooked evenly and crisp up beautifully.
Step 12: After about 22 minutes, check the doneness of the chicken by poking a fork at the thicker part of the drumsticks. If the chicken is completely opaque and white without any trace of pink, your air fryer chicken drumsticks are ready!
Pro tip: If you happen to have an instant read meat thermometer, you can check if the internal temperature of the meat reaches 75 C / 165 F to ensure that the chicken is completely cooked through.
Step 13: Serve your air fryer chicken drumsticks with a generous serving of fresh salad and a favorite dip of yours! Enjoy!
More delicious air fryer recipes from Flavor Quotient
- Chicken drumsticks - 6
- Dried thyme - 1 & ½ tsp
- Onion powder - 1 & ½ tsp
- Garlic powder - 1 & ½ tsp
- Red chilli powder - ½ tsp
- Extra virgin olive oil - 4 tbsp
- Black pepper powder - ¼ tsp
- Salt to taste
- Wash and pat dry the chicken drumsticks. The less moisture in your drumsticks, the crispier they will turn out.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients - dried thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, red chilli powder/paprika, salt and black pepper powder.
- Give a good mix so that all the spices, aromatics and seasonings are evenly mixed.
- Now drizzle the olive oil over the spice mixture. Using a wire whisk or a fork, give a good stir to get a uniformly combined marinade.
- Once you are satisfied with the mixture, drop the chicken drumsticks to the mixing bowl.
- Start rubbing the spicy marinade into each chicken drumstick ensuring each one is coated with the mixture thoroughly and it also reaches inside the cuts and creases.
- Once all the chicken drumsticks are nicely marinated, leave them for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- When you are ready to air fry your chicken drumsticks, first brush the bottom of the fryer basket with oil; this will ensure chicken does not stick.
- Now start preheating your air fryer at 190 C / 375 F and set the timer to 22 minutes.
- Once preheated, arrange the marinated chicken drumsticks inside the fryer basket in a single layer keeping a couple of centimeters gap between two.*
- Air fry the chicken drumsticks for 22 minutes flipping them over halfway through to ensure both sides are cooked evenly and crisp up beautifully.
- After about 22 minutes, check the doneness of the chicken by poking a fork at the thicker part of the drumsticks. If the chicken is completely opaque and white without any trace of pink, your air fryer chicken drumsticks are ready!
- Serve your air fryer chicken drumsticks with a generous serving of fresh salad and a favorite dip of yours! Enjoy!
Liked the recipe? Let us know!