Crispy Air Fryer Ranch Chicken Drumsticks

Try making ranch chicken drumsticks in the air fryer for a quick and easy meal without all the added oil from regular frying.

During the Amazon Prime Days this year, I was able to get a combo Air Fryer and Dehydrator. I was so excited! I’ve been wanting an air fryer for a long time and jumped on this deal the moment I saw it. It’s perfect to make quick meals on busy weeknights!

Here’s the exact one I purchased:

The first thing I made was some cheesy bread. Yes, I could have used the toaster to toast my bread, but I wanted to test out the air fryer with a very easy recipe. The next thing I made was ranch chicken drumsticks. We bought a large package of chicken drumsticks recently to make Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Drumsticks and had extra. 

Since we needed to test out the air fryer on a real recipe, we made something simple. It was easy, with simple ingredients, but it was delicious! When the boys ate all of theirs and asked for more, we knew we had a winner for the whole family.

A couple of years ago we made a meal with ranch pork chops. I took the same idea but switched it to ranch chicken drumsticks. 

Why the Air Fryer?

One of my favorite things about using the air fryer is that you only use a little oil. These were barely coated with oil, just enough to make the ranch powder stick to the chicken. And also enough so they don’t stick to the tray or air fryer basket. 

I also like that you can cook tender meat in less time and at a lower temperature in the air fryer than in the oven. It also doesn’t heat up the rest of the house like using the oven does. 

With the air fryer, you get crispy skin on your meat because of the hot air moving around similar to a convection oven. All this is done without needing hot oil on the stove that will pop and make a mess when deep frying.

​Other Seasonings

If you don’t care for ranch flavor, you can season your air fryer drumsticks with other seasonings. I also like to add garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper, cayenne pepper, or Everglades chicken seasoning. 

Dipping Sauce

​There are a few options for a delicious sauce to dip your air fryer chicken legs in when they are done. I like to add a bit more ranch dressing to mine. The boys like to dip it in ketchup but that’s not my favorite with ranch. Another great option is bbq sauce or buffalo sauce. 

Air Fryer Ranch Chicken Drumsticks Step by Step

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken drumsticks
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 pkg ranch powder

Preparation

Brush drumsticks with olive oil.

Coat the drumsticks with the ranch powder in the same way you would a dry rub on any meat. The best way to do this is to place them in a large bowl and add the oil and ranch dressing powder. 

Place the ranch chicken legs in a single layer in the air fryer at 380F for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and flip the drumsticks. Depending on the size of your air fryer, this may need to be done in multiple batches. 

Cook another 10 minutes or until they are done and the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 170 degrees F on a meat thermometer. Let them sit on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil or excess moisture. 

Air Fryer Ranch Chicken Drumsticks Leftovers

Storage: Place in a sealed airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

Reheating: For best results, reheat in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, just until warm, at most 5-10 minutes. If you put them in the air fryer again, they may start to burn. We also like cooked chicken cold the next day so it doesn’t have to be reheated. 

Recipe

Air Fryer Ranch Chicken Drumsticks

Try making ranch chicken drumsticks in the air fryer for a quick and easy meal without all the added oil from regular frying.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Course:

Main Dish

Cuisine:

American

Keyword:

air fryer

|

chicken drumsticks

|

ranch powder

Dietary Needs:

Egg-Free

|

Gluten-Free

|

Keto

|

Nut-Free

Meat:

Chicken/Turkey

Cooking Method:

Air Fryer

Servings: 4

5 from 17 votes

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken drumsticks
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 pkg ranch powder

Recommended Equipment

• Pastry Brush
• Air Fryer

Instructions

• Brush drumsticks with olive oil
• Coat the drumsticks with the ranch powder
• Place in the air fryer at 380F for 20 minutes
• Remove and flip the drumsticks
• Cook another 10 minutes or until they are done

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Nutrition Facts

Air Fryer Ranch Chicken Drumsticks

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 335 Calories from Fat 225

% Daily Value*

Fat 25g38%

Saturated Fat 5g25%

Cholesterol 140mg47%

Sodium 177mg7%

Potassium 339mg10%

Carbohydrates 1g0%

Protein 27g54%

Vitamin A 70IU1%

Calcium 15mg2%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

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