BBQ Air Fryer Chicken Legs

For a quick, delicious and budget-friendly meal, these BBQ Air Fryer Chicken Legs are the perfect solution. Dry rubbed and slathered in BBQ sauce.

I use rotisserie chicken a lot in my recipes. And whenever I bring one home, my daughter requests the legs. So I just had to try chicken legs in my air fryer. Chicken legs are considerably cheaper per pound than chicken breasts. So this is a budget-friendly meal for when things might be tight at the end of the month. Plus they are delicious and so easy to make. Keep reading to learn how to make perfect BBQ Air Fryer Chicken Legs.

How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Legs

It is not necessary to bread chicken legs for the air fryer. A simple seasoning of smoked paprika, salt and pepper does the trick. The BBQ sauce is brushed on the last few minutes of cooking. Otherwise the sugar in the BBQ sauce will burn before the chicken legs get fully cooked. Plus no sauce at the beginning makes the skin crispier at the end. I preheat my air fryer before placing my chicken legs in the basket. I use paper towels to dry the legs before seasoning them. It is imperative to use a digital thermometer. Keep cooking your chicken legs until the thickest part registers 165 degrees F. In my air fryer, that took 20 minutes of cooking at 400 degrees F.

Can you stack chicken legs in the air fryer?

No. To make sure the chicken legs cook to a safe eating temperature (165 degrees F) they need space. Air fryers cook by circulating hot air around food. If the chicken legs are stacked they won’t benefit from enough heat and air circulation. The goal is safely cooked chicken with crispy skin on the outside.

What goes with BBQ Air Fryer Chicken Legs?

I think corn on the cob is the perfect choice when corn is in season. Fresh tomato slices too. Here’s some other recipes to try with your air fried chicken legs – 

• Mashed Potatoes
• Baked Beans
• Coleslaw
• Buttermilk Biscuits
• Kentucky Apple Skillet Cake

Kitchen Tips

• My Philips XXL Air Fryer tested this recipe
• Always use a digital meat thermometer to check for doneness
• Tongs I use to flip food in the air fryer
• Heat safe pastry brush for applying the BBQ sauce

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