The Best Sweet and Chilli Chicken Drumsticks
I love using my air fryer to prepare this dish! It’s so easy and I find that it reduces my cooking time by 37% compared to using my oven. As the air fryer cooks food using air circulation it’s really helpful that I don’t have to turn them if my hands are tied up with my kids or work and knowing that they will still be evenly cooked.
We are an affiliate We hope that we can help you make the best decision on your purchase. Just so that you know, as an Amazon affiliate, we get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
Things to note:
- Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to choose smaller sized chicken drumsticks so that they can be placed spaciously in the basket.
- When preparing the chicken drumsticks make sure to pull out any small feathers that may still be at the end of them. I generally leave the skin on as it acts as a barrier while grilling so I find that the meat is more succulent this way. However, if you would like to lower your calories intake slightly, you may decide to cook them without the skin.
- If you are not a fan of the sweet and chilli flavour, you can opt to change it for other sauces like tomato sauce.
- You can opt not to use any oil to spray the air fryer.
- The air fryer does not have to be preheated if you are pressed for time as they generally heat up pretty fast anyways.
- The recommended internal temperature for chicken is 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius). Therefore be sure to use a temperature probe to check your chicken once done.
Serving Suggestions
- Steamed broccoli or broccolini with some pepper and salt.
- Frozen French fries which can be easily done in the air fryer within a few minutes.
- Sweet crispy butternut pumpkin air fried.
- Potato salad is a classic side that would give you the carbs for this dish.
- Leafy salads are good for a healthier and lighter meal.
- You can’t go wrong with traditional Italian or Mediterranean pasta salads.
Sweet and Chilli Chicken Drumsticks
Making sweet and chilli chicken drumsticks could not be easier than with the air fryer. All you need to do is mix all the ingredients together and pop it into the air fryer basket. Then it's ready within 20 minutes of cooking (excluding preheating time).
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Tongs
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
Marinade mixture
- 1.2 kilograms Chicken Drumsticks Around 8 pieces of chicken drumsticks
- 5 tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 3 tablespoons Oyster Sauce
- 3 cloves Garlic Garlic needs to be crushed
- 1 tablespoon Garlic salt
- 1 tablespoon Basil herbs Dried
- 2 tablespoons Sweet and Chilli sauce
Glazing mixture
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 3 tablespoons Water
Instructions
- Clean the chicken drumsticks by removing any feathers (usually at the bottom of the leg).
- Combine all the ingredients for the Marinade mixture in a mixing bowl. Mix the ingredients thoroughly and making sure that all the chicken drumsticks are coated.
- Let the chicken drumsticks marinade in the sauces for at least 2 hours. The best result would be to let it marinade overnight.
- Spray some oil in the Air Fryer basket. Alternatively you can use Air Fryer parchment paper.
- Pre Heat Air Fryer to 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit) for 5 minutes
- Place the drumsticks, in the Air Fryer, in a single layer being careful not to overcrowd the basket. Set the temperature to180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit) and the time to 20 minutes.
- At 10 minutes take out the Air Fryer basket with tongs to avoid being burnt and turn the chicken drumsticks around. Then place it back into the Air Fryer for the remaining cooking time of 10 minutes. This will make sure you have the lovely golden-brown colour all around your chicken drumstick. However, if you are busy and cannot do this step it can be left out as the air fryer cooks the meat evenly even though you don’t turn it.
- Mix the honey and water together in a sauce bowl.
- When the air fryer beeps after cooking for the last 10 minutes, take the chicken drumsticks out of the Air Fryer with your tongs. Coat the chicken drumsticks with the honey mixture. Then place it back into the Air Fryer for another 5 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Once the Air Fryer has stopped cooking, take the chicken drumsticks out and let it rest in the Air Fryer basket for 3 minutes and then it is ready to be served.
