Southern Air Fried Chicken Drumsticks
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Southern Air Fried Chicken Drumsticks. Delicious chicken drumsticks cooked in the Air Fryer the southern way with the BEST EVER buttermilk coating that you have ever tried. If you like air fried chicken drumsticks, then start with this one.

I am a huge movie addict and own about 300 DVDS. Before then I had about the same amount in videos. I just love them and love to get lost in a movie after a hard day’s work or snuggle on the sofa on a Sunday with a family film with the kids.

I am not much of a fan of futuristic or Sci Fi (well apart from Back To The Future) but have pretty much every other type. I have chick flicks, drama, comedy, the odd horror movie and a huge amount of true story movies.

One movie that I absolutely love is The Help and I have also read the book too. I love the way it tells the story of the home help during the racist era and what it was like for them and how amazing things have changed since then. I love the dizzy blonde the most and how she didn’t want to accept the stereotypes of that generation.

She also couldn’t cook, and it was fun watching her being introduced to Southern Fried Chicken and even getting excited over shaking the bag to get a good coating over the raw chicken drumsticks.

I get excited like this too because OMG I just love southern fried chicken and now all these years later we can make a lower calorie version of this delicious classic in the Air Fryer, I mean that gets me REALLY EXCITED!

Long term followers of RecipeThis.com will know that this is not the first southern fried chicken to embrace the food blog. In fact, in early 2017 we had our first take on southern air fried chicken. It was a HUGE success and continues to be popular to this day and has had more than 10,000 shares.

WHY Do Another Air Fried Chicken Drumsticks?

Southern Air Fried Chicken Drumsticks

Well Dominic and I were recently recipe testing. We were making our Flourless Air Fryer Chicken Tenders recipe and Dominic commented and asked why nearly everything that we bread for the Air Fryer seems to have fake flour on it. Gluten free coatings, cauliflower coatings and such like.

I pointed out that when people cook in the Air Fryer that they do so because they want things super healthy and are wanting to reduce the amount of fats in their diet.

He responded with the fact that we have cookies and cakes in the Air Fryer, so I kind of think that I LOST that argument!

Plus, how about something that is in between?

The highest calories in southern fried chicken is the way that they are cooked in a deep fat fryer. Therefore, by making your own at home in the air fryer and making Air Fried Chicken Drumsticks you have something that is much better than the traditional fryer, but not quite Paleo!

Southern Air Fried Chicken Drumsticks

So here it is. Our take on Southern Air Fried Chicken Drumsticks. From a chopped up chicken that we did, with buttermilk and it shouts out old school southern fried chicken. The chicken is so tender you will eat in silence and get lost in your foodgasm moment!

Cooking in the air fryer is amazing and it is so crispy, just less greasy than the southern fried chicken you would have grown up with.

Southern Air Fried Chicken Drumsticks
5 from 1 vote

Southern Air Fried Chicken Drumsticks

Delicious crispy southern air fried chicken drumsticks. You will be buying chicken drumsticks more and more often once you have tried our air fried chicken drumsticks!
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 18 minutes
Servings: 4 Drumsticks

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Preheat the Air Fryer for 2 minutes at 185c/365f.
  • Place the bread in the blender and add to it salt, pepper, a pinch of cayenne, dried garlic and onion and the basil. Blend until the bread resembles breadcrumbs. Put into a bowl and put to one side.
  • Add flour to a second bowl and mix it with ½ the paprika and some salt and pepper. Put the bowl to one side.
  • Add the buttermilk, the rest of the seasonings and the chicken drumsticks to a third bowl and mix well and allow the chicken drumsticks to be submerged.
  • Now remove the chicken from the drumsticks bowl, place it in the flour, then in the breadcrumbs and do this for each of the air fried chicken drumsticks.
  • As you do them place each of them into the basket inside of your Air Fryer.
  • When all the chicken drumsticks are coated add a small drizzle of olive oil as this stops them from going dry and makes them taste even better!
  • Cook them in the Air Fryer at 185c/365f for 13 minutes. Then a further 2 minutes at 175c/347f.
  • Serve.

Notes

We cooked just 4 air fried chicken drumsticks because it was just two of us for lunch and 2 each plus some coleslaw was a perfect serving size. Think this mixture does 4 so if you are making 8 then double the quantities and then if you are doing 12 then triple it.
I don’t measure out my flour as it’s a waste of time as it doesn’t need to be exact. Instead always have 3 bowls of the same size and make sure the flour bowl has roughly the same amount of flour as what the breadcrumbs bowl has. Slices of bread can differ in size, if you don’t have enough then add a little more to the blender. You can also use any bread you have in.
We have found the best place to source chicken drumsticks to make Southern Air Fried Chicken Drumsticks is from ButcherBox. You even receive free bacon and $10 off your first order when you sign up with this link.

Nutrition

Calories: 315kcal | Carbohydrates: 45.4g | Protein: 21.1g | Fat: 4.9g | Saturated Fat: 1.2g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 132mg | Potassium: 204mg | Fiber: 2.3g | Sugar: 2g | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 3.2mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

Where To Source Your Chicken Drumsticks To Make Southern Air Fried Chicken Drumsticks:

Southern Air Fried Chicken Drumsticks
Southern Air Fried Chicken Drumsticks

About Recipe This

Hi! I am Sam and along with my chef hubby Dom we love sharing with you easy everyday recipes using kitchen gadgets. We are also the authors of The Complete Air Fryer Cookbook, an amazing air fryer cookbook filled with 140+ everyday air fryer recipes.

Beyond the air fryer we also love the instant pot, slow cooker, soup maker, ninja foodi, pie maker and several other kitchen gadgets.

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Recipe Rating




1 Comment

  1. 5 stars
    Mmm, buttermilk chicken is my favourite! I love this healthier option, and no greasy fingers! 😉 Now pass the hot sauce!