Easy air fryer fried chicken recipes! With a light breading these chicken drumsticks, wings, breasts or air fryer fried chicken thighs will have moist meat but a nice crispy outside. 

A plate of several air-fried chicken drumsticks is shown. The drumsticks are golden brown and crispy, arranged in a pile on a white plate. The text "Easy Air Fryer Fried Chicken Recipe" is prominently displayed at the top of the image.
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We are a little obsessed with creating new easy air fryer recipes here on The Typical Mom since we got our fancy machine. One of our first creations was this air fryer fried chicken recipe using drumsticks. (affiliate links present)

Air Fryer Fried Chicken Drumsticks

Like I said, you can use the same method to make air fried drumsticks, thighs, wings, or even chicken breasts. Just adjust the cooking time for thicker or larger pieces. A meat thermometer will help ensure that each piece is cooked perfectly and safe to consume.

I assure you this and our air fryer fried chicken breast pieces will become your favorite dinners too. Coated with a breading so it will remind you of KFC, your favorite fast food joint that cooks just the bird, but way healthier. We call it fried but you know itโ€™s the cheater version here. ๐Ÿ˜‰

If you love extra crispy food and quick recipes, here are some resources to start with:

A close-up photo of a hand pulling out the basket of an open air fryer on a light-colored surface. The interior of the air fryer basket is empty and features a mesh design, perfect for cooking your favorite dishes like bang bang shrimp. The edge of the air fryer has a latch mechanism for securing the basket.

Ninja Foodi Fried Chicken

Have you tried our other easy Ninja air fryer recipes or used the pressure cooker yet? I bet you loved it and want more. Maybe you have another brand and are ready for some crispy chicken in the air fryer for dinner. Whatever style you might have will work for this throw-together meal.

If you want an even cheaper meal you can use this same coating but the timing for our air fryer leg quarters which have the thigh attached as well which means more meat!

Do air fryers work for fried chicken?
How long do you leave fried chicken in the fryer?

โ€œFryingโ€ chicken in an air fryer has never been easier using this method!

A glass bowl filled with raw chicken drumsticks is placed in front of an air fryer. A package labeled "Chicken Fry" is visible in the background. The text at the top of the image reads, "'Fried' Chicken in the Air Fryer: Your Ultimate Air Fryer Fried Chicken Recipe.

Air Fryer Fried Chicken without Buttermilk

Yes you can add a thick breading dredging each piece in flour with seasonings after marinating in buttermilk, but you donโ€™t have to. In order to keep this on the healthy side of things you can just use olive oil. We have a few other methods of breading chicken without eggs to choose from too. This is what I used, literally 3 ingredients is it!

  1. Chicken legs โ€“ medium size, donโ€™t buy the HUGE jumbo ones
  2. Olive oil โ€“ and olive oil spray
  3. Louisiana chicken fry mix
  4. Gallon storage bag โ€“ if you just wanna shake the coating on

Fried chicken coating

  • Other ideas you could use to create a crunch on the outside would be the following;
    • Pork rinds
      • Dredge legs in whisked eggs
      • Roll chicken pieces in smashed pork rinds โ€“ use food processor to get them fine 
    • Shake n Bake mix
A raw chicken drumstick coated in a breading mixture is placed on a white plate with a black pattern. The text above the image reads "How to Make Air Fryer Fried Chicken Drumsticks.

If you did want more of a thicker coating you could dip in whisked eggs, then in a flour mixture with some seasonings mixed in. You will want to spray the outside well with olive oil when theyโ€™re in the basket though to crisp the outside. I coated these two different ways.

How to Make Fried Chicken in Air Fryer with Flour

  • First you must rub a generous amount of olive oil on your drumsticks
  • Then you can either roll them in the mix on a plate like you see here
  • Or at the end it was easier to throw a few legs into a gallon Ziploc filled with coating and shake the mix on
  • Either way works, just make sure you have plenty of olive oil on each one so it sticks well
  • The skins will crisp up themselves too so it isnโ€™t just the coating

The chicken breading fry mix we used was great because it already had a bit of spice and spices inside. That way I didnโ€™t have to add anything. Just rub on olive oil, shake on mix, air fry.

We love this method because as much as we love fried foods sometimes, deep frying isnโ€™t good for us. Then you can make a side dish like our air fryer tater tots to go with this!

Note: Timing below works well for medium-sized chicken legs. If cooking chicken breasts, I would recommend using medium-sized breasts and cutting them in half so the middle cooks as evenly as the edges. Breasts will take longer than any other chicken pieces, dry rub air fryer chicken wings will take the least amount of time.

You can easily make delicious chicken legs in the air fryer using this method. Whether you call them air fryer chicken legs or air fryer drumsticks, theyโ€™ll come out perfectly cooked every time! Use this printable air fryer cook times sheet (linked above) for reference.

Close-up of four raw, breaded chicken drumsticks placed in the basket of an air fryer, ready to be cooked. The chicken is lightly coated with a flour mixture, perfect for an easy air fryer fried chicken recipe. The air fryer basket's black mesh is visible underneath the drumsticks.

How to Cook air fryer fried chicken

  1. The first thing you want to do is make sure the skin is dry so the oil will stick. Use paper towels to do this for best results.
  2. Generously rub olive oil on each piece of chicken
    1. Ensure all pieces are the same size 
    2. Important when cooking chicken so they get done at the same time
  3. Roll in coating of your choosing in a large bowl or plate
  4. Lay in your air fryer basket or on to a trivet
    • Make sure theyโ€™re in a single layer and not overlapping. If you stack chicken they wonโ€™t cook evenly or crispy all the way around.
  5. Turn on air fryer (or use air crisp button on Ninja Foodi).
    1. Timing will depend on how thick your meat is but should be done in 30 minutes or less.
  6. Flip pieces about half way through
  7. Before last 2-4 minutes spray chicken pieces with olive oil to really crisp up the outsides.
  8. Check internal temperature when done with a meat thermometer
    1. Needs to reach 165 degrees or more in thickest part of meat
  9. Eat or drizzle barbecue or hot sauce on top.

Using this method you can have crispy chicken pieces in about 25 minutes! If you donโ€™t have an air fryer, hereโ€™s how to bake crispy chicken wings in the oven. You can make this copycat Kentucky fried chicken recipe too.

Ninja Foodi Fried Chicken Recipe

If you want crispy chicken legs in air fryer with a thicker batter soaked in buttermilk beforehand, try this one too.

A white plate holds four cooked chicken legs with a crispy exterior, garnished with a sprig of parsley.

You can find more air fryer dinner recipes here like our homemade chicken tenders, and print directions below to keep them handy.

A plate of crispy, golden-brown air fryer fried chicken drumsticks piled together.
5 from 5 votes

Air Fryer Fried Chicken Recipe

By The Typical Mom
Easy air fryer fried chicken recipe without buttermilk! With a light breading these chicken drumsticks, wings or breasts will have moist meat but a nice crispy outside.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 24 minutes
Total: 39 minutes
Servings:
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Equipment

  • 1 air fryer
  • 2 plates

Ingredients 

  • 12 chicken legs, or other chicken parts but time below works for drumsticks
  • 2 tbsp seasoned salt
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 bag chicken breading, or use flour with seasonings to bread
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Instructions 

  • Dry legs with paper towels so skin is dry. Put drumsticks in a bowl and pour olive oil on top. Rub all legs with olive oil so they are coated well. Preheat air fryer for 5 minutes at 375 degrees.
  • One at a time sprinkle seasoning of your choice all over each drumstick. Or if you are using the bagged seasoned breading we did add mix to gallon baggie and shake with 3 legs inside so they are coated well with powder.
  • When preheated spray the inside of your air fryer basket lightly with non stick spray.
  • Lay legs with meatiest side facing down into your basket so they don't overlap, 4 fit nicely in our Ninja Foodi. Spray tops with olive oil spray.
  • Close your air fryer lid and set for 24 minutes total. Flip legs after 10 minutes, spray with olive oil spray again, then continue cooking other side for 12 minutes.
  • Spray tops once again and air fry for 2 additional minutes to really crisp the tops if you want it super crispy. Always check chicken to ensure they are cooked thru before eating.
  • Remove and enjoyโ€ฆthen add another batch.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 3oz, Calories: 633kcal, Protein: 42g, Fat: 50g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Cholesterol: 239mg, Sodium: 216mg, Potassium: 523mg, Vitamin A: 235IU, Vitamin C: 0.5mg, Calcium: 23mg, Iron: 1.8mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!

About The Typical Mom

Justine is the creative mind behind The Typical Mom and The Typical Family on YouTube. She began blogging about easy recipes, budget friendly activities for kids, and fun family travel destinations in September 2012.

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5 from 5 votes

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