When chicken drumsticks go on sale at the grocery store, stock up and pull out the deep fryer. These deep-fried chicken legs are one of the easiest chicken leg recipes in our arsenal; in only 30 minutes, they’ll taste every bit as good as restaurant fried chicken.
We season the breading flour for our deep-fried chicken drumsticks with paprika, garlic and onion powder seasoning. Some fried chicken recipes call for bread crumbs or cornflakes, but I’ve found that all-purpose flour is the best option for chicken drumsticks. When deep-fried at 375ºF, it creates a shatteringly crisp coating that locks moisture inside, steaming the dark-meat chicken and keeping it extra-juicy. It’s a combo that will have you digging back in for bite after bite.
Ingredients for Deep-Fried Chicken Legs
- Chicken drumsticks: Whether you call them chicken drumsticks, chicken legs or drummies, they’re all the same thing: the bottom portion of the chicken leg quarter. It’s nearly impossible to overcook chicken drumsticks because the dark meat contains a lot of collagen, which keeps the meat moist as it cooks.
- Seasoned flour: We season the all-purpose flour with paprika, salt, onion powder, garlic powder and pepper. If you want to change things up, feel free to swap in the spice blend from recipes like copycat KFC fried chicken or our best fried chicken.
- Eggs and milk: These liquid ingredients help the seasoned flour stick to the chicken drumsticks.
- Oil for deep-fat frying: The best oils for frying have a high smoke point (the temperature at which the oil begins to smoke). You can use a neutral oil like canola or vegetable oil or a flavorful oil like peanut oil. Your choice!
Directions
Step 1: Dredge the chicken drumsticks
In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, paprika, salt, onion powder, garlic powder and pepper. In another shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk.
Place the chicken in the flour mixture, a few pieces at a time. Turn to coat them, shaking off any excess. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture. Finish by coating the chicken again in the flour mixture.
Editor’s Tip: Pat the chicken dry before adding it to the flour mixture. The dryer the chicken is, the better the flour will adhere. This results in a crispy coating that won’t fall off when you eat the fried chicken.
Step 2: Deep-fry the chicken drumsticks
In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat the oil to 375°. Once the oil is hot, fry the chicken, several pieces at a time, until the pieces are golden brown and their juices run clear, seven to eight minutes on each side.
Drain the fried chicken drumsticks on paper towels before serving.
Editor’s Tip: You don’t need a deep fryer to make fried chicken! Use a Dutch oven or any tall-sided pot. You can even use a wok. Whichever option you choose, make sure to leave enough space for the oil level to rise when you add the chicken. Overflowing oil is a major safety hazard!
How Long to Fry Chicken Drumsticks
Chicken is safe to eat when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°. However, dark meat chicken tastes better when it reaches at least 175°. Personally, I like my chicken drumsticks closer to 190° so they’re fall-off-the-bone tender. It can be challenging to check the internal temperature of chicken drumsticks, though. You need to probe the thickest part of the meat without hitting bone—and drumsticks have a huge bone running down the center.
If you can’t get an accurate reading with a meat thermometer, you can rely on your senses to know when the chicken is finished frying. When you remove the drumsticks from the deep fryer, look at the meat around the skinny side of the leg. Cooked meat will shrink away from the bone, so you should see a lot more bone than when you started cooking. You can also cut into the chicken to see if the juices run clear.
Recipe Variations
- Use a cornmeal coating: Try the breading from our cornmeal fried chicken recipe for an extra-crunchy twist.
- Swap in chicken thighs: Make fried chicken thighs using the other part of the chicken leg quarter.
- Scale up the recipe: Double or triple the recipe for a party or backyard barbecue. Use our tips for cooking chicken for a crowd, which include ideas for how to keep chicken warm and crispy while you fry the chicken in batches.
How to Store Deep-Fried Chicken Legs
Store leftover deep-fried chicken legs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Fried chicken has the best texture just after it comes out of the deep fryer, but you can reheat fried chicken in an oven or air fryer to revive its original crispness.
Deep-Fried Chicken Legs Tips
Do you need to boil chicken drumsticks before frying them?
Some people boil chicken drumsticks before frying them to remove impurities or unpleasant odors. However, I’ve never found this step to be necessary. The chicken always tastes just fine when it’s fried from raw. Boiling drumsticks also makes the skin slick, which prevents the breading from adhering properly.
Should you remove chicken skin for fried chicken?
Whether you remove the chicken skin is a matter of preference. We like to keep the skin on for the flavor it adds, but removing the skin reduces the chicken’s fat and calorie content. You should remove the skin before breading the chicken, if you choose to do so.
Why are the deep-fried chicken legs not crispy?
If your fried chicken is soggy instead of crispy, you may have overcrowded the deep fryer. Adding too much chicken at once will drop the oil temperature quickly. And if the oil isn’t hot enough, the breading will absorb oil and become soggy. Work in batches to ensure the oil temperature stays at the optimum temperature. Then, let the oil heat back up in between batches.
What do you serve with deep-fried chicken legs?
There are so many great side dishes for fried chicken! Keep it classic with coleslaw, baked beans or mashed potatoes and gravy. Choose a lighter pairing and serve grilled vegetables, corn on the cob or a light side salad.
