These Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Legs are the perfect weeknight dinner you and the whole family will love. First, you brine the chicken and cook them in the air fryer for about 15 minutes before coating them in your favorite barbecue sauce.
Serve them with rice or potatoes and a veggie like broccoli or bacon-wrapped asparagus for a complete meal. This is a must for your weekly meal plan.
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We can’t stress enough how this quick chicken legs recipe makes for a delicious meal any day of the week. But it’ll even work for a small summer holiday celebration, especially if you don’t own a grill or live in an apartment.
Do you love air fryer chicken recipes? See our air fryer chicken sandwich or our juicy air fryer chicken breast.
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Ingredients
Let’s jump into this air fryer chicken legs recipe by discussing the ingredients you’ll need to make it. It’s super-easy with just a handful of ingredients, including the chicken legs, barbecue sauce, and seasonings.
- Chicken Legs – If you want the most economical choice of chicken meat, go for the legs. We usually find them for less than a dollar per pound.
- Oil – We like olive oil, but vegetable oil will also work.
- Barbecue Sauce – Use your favorite bottled BBQ sauce or your own homemade stuff. We love Sweet Baby Ray’s.
- Spice Blend – Our spice blend includes paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder, but you can use your favorite mix. As far as premade spice blends go, we love Famous Dave’s Chicken Rub.
- Baking Powder – It helps to crisp up the skin.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Brine Chicken Legs
The best way to get those juicy chicken legs is to brine them in a saltwater bath. It’s a 20 to 1 solution, which is 20 parts water to 1 part salt. Start by putting 20 ounces of water in a bowl. From that, take a cup and add it to a pan. Then add the salt to the water and boil it until the salt dissolves.
Add the salt water back to the bowl of water. Then add the water to a gallon food storage bag and add the chicken to it for 30 minutes to overnight (for best results).
How to Make Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Legs
Now it’s time to talk about making these air fryer BBQ chicken legs from start to finish. You’ll need to brine the chicken legs first, as explained above. Then, we’ll cover how to season, cook, and coat them in barbecue sauce. But first, could you preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees?
Brine the chicken in the 20 to 1 saltwater brine for up to 24 hours.
Then, pat the chicken legs dry with a paper towel. Then, add them to a bowl with oil and seasonings. Mix well to combine.
Next, cook the chicken legs at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Then flip and cook for another 5 minutes.
Brush them with your favorite BBQ sauce and cook for 2-3 minutes. Finally, flip them, brush them with BBQ sauce, and cook for another 2-3 minutes. At this point, the internal temp should be 165 degrees.
Hint: If you like your barbecue chicken legs more “saucy,” do the following. Warm more BBQ sauce in the microwave and brush it on after cooking. Doing so adds more flavor and makes the chicken look shiny and delicious.
Variations
There are many ways to make this air fryer BBQ chicken recipe. We focus on changing the flavor of the barbecue sauce. You can take a basic barbecue recipe and enhance it with one or more suggestions below.
- Honey BBQ Sauce – Combine honey with BBQ sauce for a sweet and tangy sauce.
- Spicy BBQ Sauce – Add some cayenne pepper if you like your BBQ sauce with a kick.
- Smoky BBQ Sauce– If you’re anything like us and love a smoky barbecue sauce, just add a bit of liquid smoke.
- Bourbon BBQ Sauce – A splash of bourbon will intensify your barbecue sauce’s sweet and spicy elements.
Equipment
Of course, you’ll need an air fryer to make this recipe. Our choice is the Instant Pot Vortex. We’ve had it for years, and it works just as well now as it did the day we bought it.
For predictable results and to ensure proper doneness of meats, we highly recommend a food thermometer. We’ve purchased several Thermoworks products. And we use the Thermopop nearly everyday.
Storage
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. For more extended storage, you’ll want to wrap the chicken individually in freezer-safe wrap for up to 4 months.
Top tip
For the juiciest chicken, don’t skip the saltwater brine. It’s easy to follow the steps above and is critical to success with this recipe.
FAQ
Don’t apply the barbecue sauce until the last few minutes of cooking to avoid burning it.
The best temp to cook these air fryer chicken legs is 375 to 400 degrees. This range ensures crisp skin as well as doneness.
That’s a good idea! Doing so will ensure the chicken starts cooking evenly and immediately at the best temperature.
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:
Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Legs Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 Chicken Legs
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tsp Onion Powder
- 2 Tsp Baking Powder
- ½ Tsp Paprika
- ¼ Tsp Kosher Salt
- ¼ Tsp Black Pepper
- ½ Cup BBQ Sauce
Instructions
- Start by brining the chicken legs in 20 ounces of water and 1 ounce of kosher salt.
- To make the brine, first put the salt and half the water in a small saucepan. Heat until the salt has dissolved. Then, add the remaining water to help cool it down.
- Put the chicken legs in a ziplock bag. Pour the cooled brine into the ziplock bag with the chicken, making sure it's completely submerged. Then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to a day.
- In a small bowl, add the garlic powder, onion powder, baking powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper. Mix until completely combined and set aside.
- Preheat the Air Fryer to 400 degrees.
- Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with a paper towel. Add the chicken to a medium bowl. Toss with a little olive oil and add the seasoning.
- Place the chicken legs in the air fryer basket and cook for 10 minutes. Carefully flip the chicken and cook for another 8 minutes.
- Baste one side of the chicken liberally with BBQ and cook for 3 minutes. Flip and baste the other side with BBQ sauce and cook for another 2-3minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
- Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before enjoying.
Notes
- You can easily double the seasoning blend if you make more chicken legs.
- You will need to cook these in batches.
- Store the cooked chicken legs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat the chicken to 375 degrees for 3-5 minutes.
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