An air fryer makes meals faster with less fuss and great flavor!
Air fryer chicken legs take less than 5 minutes to prepare and cook up extra juicy with crispy skin. So easy!
Simply season, place in the air fryer basket, and hit the start button. Chicken legs in the air fryer are picnic-perfect in minutes!
Easy Air Fryer Chicken Legs
Like most air fryer recipes, chicken cooks quickly and easily and comes out deliciously juicy!
- Less than 5 minutes prep and clean-up is a breeze.
- 3 ingredients, chicken, a drizzle of oil and your favorites spice mix or seasonings.
- These cook in about half of the time of baked chicken legs.
- This simple recipe works on thighs, quarters, drumsticks, and wings, too!
- Dark meat stays incredibly tender and juicy while the skin gets extra crispy.
New to Air Frying?
I have and love this Cosori Air Fryer, you can find more info on choosing an air fryer here.
If you’re new to air frying, check out our favorite air fryer recipes for beginners. Find all air fryer recipes here.
Ingredients and Variations
CHICKEN: Chicken legs are the thigh and drumstick combined, making them a larger portion for bigger appetites. This recipe uses bone-in and skin on chicken. A drizzle of oil helps the seasoning stick and the skin get crispy.
This recipe works with chicken thighs or as an air fryer chicken drumsticks recipe, cooking time will for drumsticks and thighs is closer to 22 minutes.
SEASONING: Below I’ve included our favorite mix of spices to toss the chicken with and we sometimes add a sprinkle of onion powder too. You can use your favorite premade chicken seasoning but some can be quite salty. For homemade, try DIY Chicken Seasoning or Lemon Pepper Seasoning!
PRO TIP: Add a tiny pinch of corn starch to homemade seasonings to keep them from clumping and to help adhere to foods.
How to Air Fry Chicken Legs
- Pat chicken dry and drizzle with oil. Generously season.
- Place pieces in a single layer in a preheated air fryer, skin side down, & cook (per recipe below).
- Flip & continue cooking until the internal temperature reads 165°F.
No air fryer? No problem! Bake chicken legs in the oven at 400°F for 40-45 minutes or until chicken reaches 165°F.
Pro Tips
- Pat the chicken dry with a clean paper towel so the seasonings adhere and the skin crisps better.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer, heat needs to circulate all around the food. Cook in batches if needed and keep warm under foil or in the oven. Heat all of the cooked chicken for 3 minutes before serving.
- Cooking skin side down for most of the time keeps the skin from burning.
- Chicken legs will continue to cook after they’ve been removed from the air fryer. Let them rest before serving so the juices stay sealed in.
More Air Fryer Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan – a family favorite
- Air Fryer Chicken Breasts – from fresh or frozen
- Parmesan Air Fryer Chicken Wings – extra crispy
- Air Fryer Chicken Tenders – seasoned & breaded
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken – totally effortless
- Air Fryer Chicken Drumstick Recipe – bbq chicken drumsticks
Did you love this Air Fryer Chicken Legs recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Air Fryer Chicken Legs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3-4 chicken legs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chicken seasoning* see note
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 370°F.
- Pat chicken dry with a paper towel. Drizzle olive oil over chicken legs and generously season with chicken seasoning, garlic powder, and salt & pepper to taste.
- Place the chicken legs in a single layer in the air fryer basket, skin side down, and cook for 20 minutes.
- Flip the legs over and cook an additional 5-10 minutes or until the legs reach 165°F.
Notes
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more or less to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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wonderful wonderful wonderful
Excellent recipe! The homemade seasoning is what makes it good. I followed the recipe and my chicken came out looking just like the picture. It was moist and juicy and the skin was crunchy.
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Scott!
A+ as usual with your recipes Holly!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Janet!
Love the recipe but there is no indication if the air fryer should be set for air fry, bake, broil etc.
Hi Sharon, unless otherwise stated I use the air fry setting. Enjoy!
I love using your recipes as a base when I’m cooking. I was looking for chicken legs in the air fryer and when I saw the link I knew I could use your temp and time, it would be reliable. My chicken legs turned out great!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Kathleen!
very interesting
Its really a nice recipe
What is chicken seasoning???
Hi Rita, Chicken seasoning is a blend of spices that you can purchase or make that is designed for chicken or other poultry dishes.
How long to you cook if making the whole quarter AND leg?
Hi Kristy, you may need to increase the time slightly. I would check the internal temperature to see how close to 165°F it is at 15 minutes and possibly cook it for another 5-10 minutes if necessary.
Terrific flavor! I made your home-made chicken seasoning & your suggested oven method, since I don’t have an air fryer. I’m going to use the seasoning next for a whole roasted chicken.
Sounds delish Renee!
Is that a parchment liner under the basket?
The basket is on a plate for the photo so it didn’t drip on my counter ;)
They look so good, I’m making them next week!
Can’t wait for you to try them Vicki!!