Air fried chicken legs are great any time of year! They are easy to make, only require ingredients you most likely already have at home, and are easy to reheat in the air fryer! No buttermilk required. This recipe does require about 10 minutes of letting the flour soak into the chicken. Do not skip the 10 minutes of resting time! It is necessary.
This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you click on a link and purchase something, I may earn a small commission from it. In the footer of this page is my full disclosure policy.
What to serve with extra crispy air fried chicken legs:
Air fried chicken legs reminds me of picnics! With picnics, it makes me think that potato salad, egg salad, potato chips, green beans, and homemade rolls would be great sides!
How to tell when chicken legs in the air fryer are done:
Air fried chicken legs time and temp can be kind of hit or miss regarding exact numbers. To tell if the chicken is fully cooked, can be done in the following ways:
- temp-With a meat thermometer (click here to see the one I recommend), you can remove a piece of chicken from heat and insert the meat thermometer. If the chicken temps above 165 degrees Fahrenheit, it is done.
- cutting it open-Without a meat thermometer (I did not have one for years) you can cut a slice of chicken open to see if it is done. If it is white on the inside, it is done. If the chicken is still slightly pink, let cook a bit longer. Since this is chicken legs, sometimes I cut the chicken away from the bone and see if the meat closest to the bone is cold. If it is scortching hot, then I consider my chicken leg done.
If you want to learn more about chicken time and temp, click here.
Helpful tips for making air fried chicken legs with flour:
- let the chicken soak up flour-this step is necessary. Do not skip this step. It really helps create a nice crispy coating. I highly recommend doing this with any flour coating mixture
- use enough cooking spray, but be careful-I cannot tell you the amount of times I have sprayed cooking spray to make chicken crispy and end up in a coughing attack because of the aresol. Spray it, close basket, and leave the room.
What do I need to make this recipe?
- chicken legs-you could probably use this recipe for wings as well to make air fried chicken legs and wings in the same basket, just maybe decrease the amount of cook time for the wings
- flour-this helps the chicken become crispy and delicious
- seasonings-this helps enhance the flavor. To me, the more seasonings, the better!
- cooking spray-adds enough oil for the flour to become crispy
If you like this recipe, check out my other related chicken recipes:
Oh I also wrote a cookbook! That has an air fried buffalo chicken leg recipe in it. If you want to learn more about my cookbook, click here.
Variations of crispy air fried chicken legs:
- no flour-if you really wanted to, you could skip the flour and egg mixture and just air fry with the seasonings and cooking spray
- more or less seasoning-you can use seasoning amounts of your choice!
- use breadcrumbs-mixing bread crumbs in the flour mixture can be an option if you would like!
- buttermilk instead of egg-you can use buttermilk instead of egg if you are low on eggs
- olive oil instead of cooking spray-as I said earlier, cooking spray from an aresol can may result in you coughing if you spray a lot of it. If you want to brush olive oil on your chicken you can do that as well.
How to store air fried chicken legs with skin:
- fridge-store your meal in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. If you are interested in getting some more air tight containers, click here to see the ones I use. Recently, I have been using the glass ones that are all the same size so they stack better. If you can get a set of these for under $25, you are in luck! Air fry for about 5 minutes to reheat.
- freezer-this recipe can be a freezer meal! Just bake as usual, and let cool. Then, place in a freezer safe container. If you want to know which freezer meal containers I use to store all my freezer meals I make for my parents, click here. These pans last for about 5-6 uses.
Easy Air Fried Chicken Legs
Recommended Products
Ingredients
- 6 chicken legs
- 1 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon of each basil, parsley, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika,
Instructions
- Pat chicken dry if it is not dry already. Stir together seasonings in a small bowl. Sprinkle ¼ of the seasoning mixture on each side of the chicken and rub in mixture. Let chicken relax.
- While chicken is relaxing, in the seasoning bowl, add flour. Stir. In another small bowl, crack eggs and beat them.
- Roll chicken in flour mixture and set on a plate. Let chicken relax for 5 minutes to soak up flour.
- Roll chicken in the egg mixture and then roll back in the flour mixture. Let chicken relax another 5 minutes (yes, this step is necessary).
- When chicken is done relaxing, spray bottom of air fryer with cooking spray and place chicken legs in the air fryer. Spray chicken with cooking spray (this will create a nice crunch). Air fry both sides of chicken at 400 degrees for 10 minutes each side. Repeat with remaining batches of chicken.
All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. Nutritional facts listed are a rough estimate and should only be followed as a general idea.
Love this air fryer chicken! It’s extra crispy and so flavorful too!
Oh my, this reminds me of fried chicken when I was a little kid. What a lovely, simple recipe! I’m eager to try it. Thanks for sharing!
I have made and totally loved this chicken recipe. Absolutely delicious. I’ve saved the recipe for future as it’ll become a regular for us now.
My son will love this. Looks fantastic! It's so much healthier than usual fried chicken too. Thanks for the recipe.
These chicken legs are soooo crispy! My family ate these up in a second. We will definitely be making them again, thanks!
I recently bought an air fryer.... I know, late to the party! So have been looking for easy recipes to try. I can't believe how crisp these turned out! They were so good I had to make a few batches!
Loved this recipe! So easy and takes no time at all.