Crispy panko crumbed chicken drumsticks really easy to cook in the air fryer. They avoids all the mess of trying to fry the chicken in oil which makes them healthier in the process. These chicken drumsticks are amazingly crispy thanks to the panko combined with the air fryer!
What is panko?
Panko is a type of breadcrumb that originated in Japan. Unlike normal breadcrumbs which are quite fine, panko is larger, lighter and crispier. It is more of a flake than a crumb.
Panko is ideal for using in an air fryer. This is because it gets really crispy really easily and doesn’t absorb as much oil as normal breadcrumbs.
Crumbing The Chicken Drumsticks
There are 3 stages to the crumbing of the chicken drumsticks: flour, egg, and panko. You will need 3 separate bowls (or plates) that are large enough to fit a drumstick in.
Fill the first bowl with the flour, salt and pepper, and any other spices you want to add to the chicken. Spices don’t mix into the panko particularly well (and panko itself doesn’t have much flavor) so this is one of the best ways to add extra flavor to the dish.
Fill the second bowl with the beaten egg and the third bowl with the panko breadcrumbs.
When crumbing, it is best to keep one hand for handling wet parts of the process and one hand for handling dry parts of the process. Mixing wet and dry will cause layers of crumbs and flour to form on you fingers.
Start by fully coating a chicken drumstick in the flour mixture. Then you want to dredge the chicken in the egg, until fully coated. Lastly, transfer the chicken into the panko bowl and coat with as much of the panko breadcrumbs as possible. Press panko into the chicken to get as much to stick as possible. Once fully coated, transfer to a plate. Repeat this process with the remaining drumsticks.
Air Frying The Panko Chicken Drumsticks
To cook the panko chicken drumsticks in the air fryer, start by preheating the air fryer to 400°F/200°C.
Once preheated, layer the drumsticks into the air fryer basket in a single layer. Try not to overcrowd the air fryer and cook in batches if necessary. Overcrowding can lead to the chicken not being as crispy or cooking as evenly.
Cook the chicken for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway. When finished, the chicken should be cooked through and the panko crumbs on the outside should be golden brown and crispy.
Let the chicken rest for a few minutes and season with some salt and/or serve with your favorite dipping sauce (I like serving mine with honey mustard). The chicken is best served warm (it comes out of the air fryer very hot).
I do very much recommend some salt and/or a dipping sauce to add flavor to the chicken. This is because the chicken won’t have a large amount flavor on its own (from the chicken or the panko). The only other way to add flavor is to add extra herbs or spices to the flour when coating the chicken, or to toss the drumsticks in a sauce after they are cooked.
Check out some other great air fryer recipes:
Panko Crumbed Chicken Drumsticks In The Air Fryer
Equipment
- Air Fryer (affiliate link)
Ingredients
- 4 chicken drumsticks (about 1.5 lb / 680 g)
- 1/2 cup plain flour
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- black pepper
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 cup panko
Instructions
Coating Chicken
- Prepare 3 bowls large enough to fit a chicken drumstick in. In the first bowl mix together the flour with the salt and black pepper (Note 1). In the second bowl add the beaten egg. In the third bowl add the panko breadcrumbs.
- Coat the chicken drumstick in the flour mixture, then in the beaten egg and finally in the panko crumbs. Coat the chicken in as much of the panko as possible, press extra panko into the chicken if required. (Note 2)
- Repeat Step 2 until all chicken drumsticks are crumbed .
Cooking Chicken
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F/200°C.
- Line the chicken drumsticks in a single layer in the air fryer basket.
- Cook for 20-25 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and the outside is golden brown and crispy.
- Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before seasoning with a bit more salt and/or serving with your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- Add any other spices or herbs you want, to add more flavor to the dish, as panko crumbs don’t contain much flavor. I strongly recommend seasoning the chicken at the end with some salt and serving with a dipping sauce.
- It is best to have 1 hand be used for handling the dry portion of coating the chicken and 1 hand used for handling wet portions of the coating. This prevents forming wet layers of flour and crumbs on your fingers.
