These easy Air Fryer Butterflied Chicken Legs have crispy skin on the outside and juicy meat on the inside. Butterflying the drumsticks helps them cook faster and gives them more room for seasoning. This is the perfect recipe for a quick weeknight dinner as they're ready in under 20 minutes!
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These are similar to my Air Fryer Chicken Legs, but splitting them open changes everything. The flattened shape gives you flavorful chicken drumsticks that taste like giant chicken wings, and are delicious dipped in ranch dressing or BBQ sauce.
If you love this recipe, then check out my Air Fryer Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs and Thin Pork Chops In The Air Fryer next.
Jump to:
- What you'll love about this recipe
- Ingredients you'll need
- How to butterfly chicken legs
- How to Cook Air Fryer Butterflied Chicken Legs
- Tips for the Best Results
- Substitutions & Variations
- Serving Suggestions
- Storage Tips and Reheating
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Air Fryer Recipes You'll Love
- More Chicken Drumstick Recipes
- Printable Recipe
- Comments
What you'll love about this recipe
- Quick and easy to make.
- Perfect meal for busy weeknights.
- Ready in less than 20 minutes.
- Butterflying the chicken legs gives them a larger cooking surface so you can cover them in more seasoning!
Ingredients you'll need
Here's what you'll need to make these air fryer butterfly drumsticks:
- Chicken legs with the skin on are a must to keep the meat juicy inside. If you don't want to eat the skin, remove it after the drumsticks are cooked.
- Olive oil helps crisp up the outside, seal in the moisture, and give the rub something to stick to.
- You can use homemade rub like my favorite dry rub for smoked chicken, my pork rub for smoking (which is also yummy on chicken), or your favorite store-bought rub. For this recipe, I used dill pickle seasoning, which gave it a delicious flavor.
For a full list of ingredients and quantities, see the printable recipe card below.
How to butterfly chicken legs
To butterfly the chicken legs, follow these simple steps or watch the video below.
- Locate the Bone: Feel around the meat to locate the main bone in the drumstick.
- Make the Cuts: Place the chicken on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, make a lengthwise cut through the meat along the side of the bone, but do not cut through the meat.
- Flatten the meat: Open the drumstick like a book and flatten it out.
How to Cook Air Fryer Butterflied Chicken Legs
- Butterfly each chicken leg following the instructions above. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
- Brush or drizzle olive oil on both sides of each butterflied leg. Sprinkle generously with your seasoning mix. You can also add oil and dry rub to a large mixing bowl, add butterflied chicken legs, and toss until well coated.
- Preheat your air fryer to 380°F.
- Place butterfly chicken legs in the air fryer basket in a single layer, skin-side up. Air fry for 10 minutes at 380°F.
- Use tongs to flip the chicken legs over, and air fry for 6 more minutes at 380°F until the chicken skin is golden brown and crispy, and the internal temperature reaches 165°F when measured with a meat thermometer. If not fully cooked, air fry for 1-2 minutes more until done.
- Serve immediately with your favorite side dishes or dipping sauce and enjoy!
Depending on the number of chicken pieces you are cooking and the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook the chicken in batches.
Tips for the Best Results
- Read through all of the instructions on how to butterfly the chicken legs before starting.
- Leave space between the chicken legs so they cook evenly.
- When flipping, spray with cooking spray or avocado oil spray for extra-crispy skin.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature.
Substitutions & Variations
- Play around with the dry rub. Add some cayenne pepper or red chili flakes to spice it up!
- If you like saucy chicken, toss the butterflied chicken legs in some BBQ sauce or Jalapeno Hot Sauce after cooking.
- Marinate the chicken legs in a bowl with soy sauce, olive oil, garlic, and ginger.
Serving Suggestions
I like serving these butterfly chicken drumsticks with air fryer sweet potato fries, air fryer gnocchi, or air fryer roasted root vegetables.
They also pair nicely with crispy air fryer potatoes and air fryer scalloped potatoes.
They're also delicious with ranch, honey mustard, or buffalo sauce for dipping.
Storage Tips and Reheating
Refrigerator: Store leftover chicken drumsticks in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Freezer: Freeze cooked chicken in a freezer bag for up to 2 months.
Reheating: Reheat in the air fryer on the REHEAT function until heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Butterflied chicken legs take about 16 minutes to cook in an air fryer. Larger chicken legs take longer to cook than smaller ones.
You can use a variety of seasonings such as smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and herbs like thyme or rosemary.
Yes, flipping the chicken halfway through cooking ensures that both sides are evenly cooked and browned.
It increases surface area for more flavor and faster cooking, giving you evenly cooked, juicy chicken legs every time.
More Chicken Drumstick Recipes
Printable Recipe
Air Fryer Butterflied Chicken Legs
Ingredients
- 8 chicken legs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons your favorite chicken rub or dill pickle seasoning (links to my homemade rubs in the Note section below)
Instructions
Butterfly The Chicken Legs
- Place the chicken legs on a cutting board. Feel around the meat to locate the main bone in the drumstick. Using a sharp knife, make a lengthwise cut along each side of the chicken bone. Do not cut the meat all the way through.
- Open up the drumstick like a book and flatten the meat. Now that it's butterflied, it's ready for seasoning.
Air Fry the Butterflied Chicken Legs
- Preheat your air fryer to 380℉.
- Whisk olive oil and dry rub in a large mixing bowl. Add butterflied chicken legs to the bowl and toss until well coated.
- Place butterflied chicken in the air fryer basket in a single layer, skin-side up. Air fry for 10 minutes at 380℉. Use tongs to flip the chicken over, and air fry for 6 more minutes at 380℉ until they are golden brown and crispy, and the internal temperature is 165℉. (If not fully cooked, air fry for 1-2 minutes more until done.)
- Serve immediately with your favorite side dishes or dipping sauce and enjoy!
Video
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Notes
- Read through all of the instructions on how to butterfly the chicken legs before starting.
- Leave space between the chicken legs so they cook evenly.
- When flipping over, spray with cooking spray or avocado oil spray for extra crispy skin.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. Make sure you don't touch the bone.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- *You can also use my Homemade Chicken Rub or Homemade Chicken and Pork Rub
Nutrition
The provided nutrition information is automatically calculated. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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