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 –
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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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.
Ingredients
- 8 chicken legs
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/3 cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
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Preheat air fryer at 400 degrees F for about 5 minutes.
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Dry the chicken legs with paper towels and evenly sprinkle the outsides of the chicken legs with the salt, smoked paprika and pepper.
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Add the chicken legs to the air fryer basket, four at a time. Make sure they are not touching.
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Cook the chicken legs for 10 minutes. Open the air fryer and flip the chicken legs over. Cook for an additional 8 minutes.
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Open the air fryer and brush each chicken leg generously with BBQ sauce. Cook for 2 minutes. Check the temperature. If the chicken legs are at 165 degrees F they are safe to eat. If not, keep cooking.
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Repeat this process with the remaining four chicken legs.
Marie-Charlotte Chatelain says
I dont have an air fryer but this might be the last push I needed – I mean, how perfect can chicken legs look? YUM!!!!
foodtasticmom says
It cooked them perfectly.
Kim Guzman says
That chicken looks so tender and juicy! I’m going to save it for my son. He loves using the air fryer and he will love this one! He can’t resist barbecue anything.
foodtasticmom says
I hope he likes them as much as we did!
Dannii says
I am always looking for new ways to use my air fryer and these look delicious.
foodtasticmom says
Thank you 🙂
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
Nothing can beat BBQ chicken legs – I definitely need to try them in my air fryer. They sound mouthwateringly good.
foodtasticmom says
Thank you so much Bintu!
Cyndy says
I was just thinking about making chicken in my airfryer since it’s so hot outside! This is on my menu for tonight!
foodtasticmom says
Glad to hear it. Air fryer to the rescue!
Lucy says
Thank you. My husband is the cook in our family, and he made these today, following this recipe, They were absolutely delicious!
foodtasticmom says
Yay! Love hearing this. Thank you for taking the time to rate and comment!