Air Fryer Brown Sugar BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Sticky, smoky drumsticks that taste like they came off a backyard pit, done entirely in one air fryer basket. A brown sugar and smoked paprika rub crisps the skin, then a quick glaze of barbecue sauce caramelizes in the last few minutes. Eight ingredients, one basket, no oven and no grill.

Ingredients

• 8 chicken drumsticks (about 2 lb)
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1/3 cup barbecue sauce

Instructions

1. Pat the drumsticks very dry with paper towels, then toss them in a large bowl with the vegetable oil. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper, then sprinkle over the chicken and rub it in with your hands until every drumstick is evenly coated.
2. Preheat the air fryer to 380°F for 3 minutes. Arrange the drumsticks in a single layer in the basket with at least a finger's width between them, thick ends toward the outside (cook in two batches if your basket is small).
3. Air fry at 380°F for 22 minutes total, using tongs to turn the drumsticks over at the 11-minute mark. The skin should be deep golden and pulling back from the bone ends.
4. Brush the drumsticks all over with the barbecue sauce, raise the temperature to 400°F, and cook 4 to 6 minutes more, until the glaze is bubbling, darkened at the edges, and a thermometer in the thickest part reads 185°F (drumsticks are juiciest well past 165°F).
5. Transfer to a platter and rest 5 minutes so the glaze sets, then brush with any sauce left in the bowl and serve.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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