Name: Air-Fryer Paprika-Rubbed Chicken Drumsticks
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons paprika; 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; ½ teaspoon dry mustard; ½ teaspoon salt; Pinch pepper; 4 (5-ounce) chicken drumsticks , trimmed; 1 teaspoon vegetable oil; 1 scallion , green part only, sliced thin on bias

Why This Recipe Works

Their irregular shape and small size make them perfectly suited to cooking in the air fryer, which envelops them in circulated hot air. We wanted a simple recipe for drumsticks that would yield succulent meat perfumed with spices and featuring crisp mahogany skin. Paprika, garlic powder, and dry mustard created the base, while a little brown sugar added sweetness and helped create a slightly glazed exterior on the chicken as it melted. We poked holes in the drumsticks' skin to better render the fat, rubbed on a little oil to help achieve maximum crispness, and sprinkled on our spice rub. In less than 25 minutes we had perfectly cooked drumsticks. Scallion sprinkled over the top just before serving provided an earthy flavor and delicate, fresh crunch.

Instructions

Combine paprika, sugar, garlic powder, mustard, salt, and pepper in bowl. Pat drumsticks dry with paper towels. Using metal skewer, poke 10 to 15 holes in skin of each drumstick. Rub with oil and sprinkle evenly with spice mixture.

Arrange drumsticks in air-fryer basket, spaced evenly apart, alternating ends. Place basket in air fryer and set temperature to 400 degrees. Cook until chicken is crisp and registers 195 degrees, 22 to 25 minutes, flipping and rotating chicken halfway through cooking.

Transfer chicken to serving platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with scallion. Serve.