Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks (With Lemon Garlic)

Make beautifully crispy golden brown fried chicken drumsticks in the air fryer, tenderized and flavored in a homemade lemon and garlic marinade!

This recipe is great to serve as party snacks or turned into a main meal when served with roasted vegetables, crispy potato wedges, Air Fryer French Fries, or Mexican street corn.

Enjoy maximum flavor in your crispy drumsticks; fried the healthy way! 

There are so many of you, different readers, here at the Yummy Bowl - some of you like to get straight to the recipe ingredients and instructions, and some of you love reading the full information with tips and tricks that I provide for the recipe.

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• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Tips
• Serving Suggestions
• Freezing And Storing Instructions
• FAQ
• Easy Air Fryer Recipes
• Easy Chicken Recipes
• Recipe
• Comments

Ingredients

My few comments on the ingredients + don't forget to read the Tips section!

The full recipe and ingredients can be found in the recipe card below this post.

• Chicken drumsticks - I’ve used 4 chicken drumsticks for this recipe, but you could use 6-7 chicken wings or 4 thighs instead. Whatever cut of chicken you choose, for best flavor and texture please always opt (if possible) for high-quality organic chicken with no antibiotics. if using thighs, you may need to adjust the cooking time for extra minutes. A good chicken thermometer will be handy here!

• Marinade - I’ve made my own marinade from scratch, but you could use a store-bought lemon-garlic marinade for added convenience. Oregano combines with the lemon garlic in the marinade beautifully, but any dried or fresh rosemary, basil, or thyme will work! Since you need to marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes, this air fryer chicken drumsticks recipe is great as a make-ahead family favorite. 

Instructions

Make the marinade. In a small bowl mix lemon zest, olive oil, oregano, lemon juice, onion powder, black pepper, salt, garlic, brown sugar. For very intense garlicky flavor use 4 garlic cloves.

Blot the chicken drumsticks with a paper towel. 

In a large bowl (or you can use a zip lock bag for this) massage the chicken with the marinade and leave it in the fridge for 30 minutes or 1-2 hours if you have more time. 

Preheat the air fryer to 375 F according to manufacturer instructions. (Mine was 375 F for 5 minutes, I used a Cosori air fryer 5.8 quart. You could also use a Ninja Foodi. 

Once the air fryer is preheated, place the chicken into the basket and air fry for 10 minutes (discard the leftover marinade or reheat in a pan until gently simmering to drizzle on top when serving), and flip the juicy chicken drumsticks for the last 10 minutes.

Total air frying time 20 minutes. Chicken should be darkened, browned and quite crisp on the outside.

You can garnish with extra lemon zest, lemon slices/wedges and fresh oregano or parsley.

Enjoy your crispy chicken with your favorite dipping sauce such as BBQ sauce or buffalo sauce.

Tips

• If you don’t have an air fryer, you can still fry your full chicken drumsticks in a pan with enough oil to cover the chicken or bake them at 350 degrees F in the oven for an additional cook time of 25 minutes.

• You don’t need to spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray or brush it with olive oil, but it is an option, especially since it helps to prevent the chicken from sticking to the basket. Otherwise, air fryer basket liners are great options to extend the life of your air fryer basket. You could also use parchment paper, cut to fit the size of your basket, and poked with holes for good hot air circulation.  

• Allow a good amount of space between the chicken drumsticks in the air fryer basket so the chicken can get a beautiful crispy exterior. If you decide to double the number of chicken drumsticks, you will likely need to cook them in batches. 

• Leftover stored air fryer chicken can be reheated the same day in the air fryer at 375F for 5 minutes. 

• Flipping the chicken halfway through the air frying time will ensure a beautiful crispy crunch on all sides of the drumsticks. 

• For a spicy air fryer chicken drumsticks recipe, add cayenne pepper, chili powder, or hot sauce to the marinade. 

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve these air fryer chicken drumsticks with simple garnishes such as mashed potatoes, cauliflower, steamed veggies (broccoli and green beans especially good), or a side salad.

Freezing And Storing Instructions

Storing. Store the cooked air fryer chicken in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. For the best flavor cook as much as you’ll eat in one go. 

Reheat leftover chicken drumsticks in the oven, covered with aluminum foil, to prevent them from drying out. About 300 degrees until warmed through.

Freezing. If you need to freeze the chicken it is best you freeze them uncooked.

Make ahead. Rub the chicken with seasonings and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. On the day of cooking follow the instructions in this recipe.

FAQ

Easy Air Fryer Recipes

The air fryer has become my new favorite way of enjoying food, in particular veggies. The cooking time is reduced in half, the texture crispy and flavor incredible. I use my Cosori a lot!

Want to explore more air fryer recipes? Please visit my Air Fryer recipe index right here.

Easy Chicken Recipes

You can find ALL MY CHICKEN recipes here.

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Recipe

Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.

Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.