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You are here: Home / Chicken / Air Fryer BBQ Chicken

Air Fryer BBQ Chicken

Posted by Jessica Pinney on April 30, 2022

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Weeknight dinner is a breeze with this quick and easy bbq chicken made in the air fryer. Only four ingredients needed to make this tasty recipe!

Cooked BBQ chicken legs and thighs in an air fryer basket.

Like most of you, I’ve fallen in love with my air fryer. 

While I use it for breakfast and side dishes the most, I’ve recently been utilizing it to cook chicken breast. The chicken comes out perfectly cooked and juicy every time! And clean up is a breeze. 

Since BBQ chicken is one of our go-to dinner mains, I thought I’d share how I make it quickly and easily in the air fryer. Your whole family will love it!

This post contains affiliate links (when you buy we make a little money at no cost to you). See our disclosure for more information.

Ingredients

Air fryer bbq chicken ingredients arranged on a table.

  • Chicken – I’m including instructions for all different cuts of chicken, but skin-on drumsticks and thighs are my favorite. 
  • Oil – I prefer olive oil or avocado oil.
  • Seasoning – Use any seasoning blend you prefer. I use Lawry’s seasoning salt or a BBQ rub. 
  • BBQ Sauce – Any BBQ sauce will work, so use your favorite. 

How To Make

A collage showing the four steps to making bbq chicken in an air fryer.

  1. Sprinkle the seasoning over chicken, then bush each piece with the oil.
  2. Bake in air fryer for 15 minutes at 400F.
  3. Brush each piece with BBQ Sauce. 
  4. Return to the air fryer and bake for 5 more minutes, until chicken skin begins to brown. 

Types of BBQ Chicken in The Air Fryer

You can use any kind of chicken cut to make this recipe. You’ll use the same cooking method I showed you above, but the cook temperature and time may be a little different.

To make things easy, I have listed all of the cook temperatures and times below. 

BBQ Chicken legs and thighs in an air fryer basket.

Legs & Thighs

Cook at 400F for 15 minutes, then baste with BBQ sauce and cook an additional 5 minutes. 

Breasts & Tenders

Breasts

Cook at 375F for 12 minutes, then baste with BBQ sauce and cook an additional 5 minutes. 

Tenders

Cook at 375F for 7 minutes, then baste with BBQ sauce and cook an additional 5 minutes. 

Wings

Cook at 400F for 6 minutes on each side, then flip once more and baste with BBQ sauce. Cook another 5 minutes until sauce thickens. 

Tips

  1. This recipe is perfect for meal prep! I often make it on Sundays and have one serving for dinner, then place the rest in meal prep containers with some frozen veggies to have for lunch the rest of the week. 
  2. Need to double the recipe? Keep the first batch warm in the oven on a baking sheet at 200 F. 
  3. Prep in advance to make dinner easy. Season the chicken up to 24 hours in advance. Keep in an air tight container in the fridge until ready to oil and bake.
A BBQ chicken drumstick in an air fryer basket.

More Easy Chicken Recipes

  • Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
  • Best Chicken Marinade
  • Buttermilk Chicken Tenders
  • Cheese Stuffed Buffalo Grilled Chicken

Other Air Fryer Recipes

  • Custard Toast
Print

Air Fryer BBQ Chicken

Juicy, flavorful BBQ chicken cooked in the air fryer.

  • Author: Jessica Pinney
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Chicken
  • Cuisine: American
Cooked BBQ chicken legs and thighs in an air fryer basket.
Print Recipe
★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

Ingredients

1lb Chicken Legs & Thighs

1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil

1/2 Tablespoon Lawry’s Seasoning Salt

1/3 Cup BBQ Sauce

Instructions

Pat the skin on your chicken dry with a paper towel.

Season all over with the Lawry’s, then brush each piece with the oil.

Place the chicken in a single layer in your air fryer, then cook at 400 F for 15 minutes.

Baste each piece of chicken with BBQ sauce, then return to the air fryer for 5 more minutes until chicken starts to brown.

Remove from the air fryer and serve immediately.

Did you make this recipe?

Please tag @cookingwithjanica and use #cookingwithjanica on social media. We’d love to see!

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  1. Tara says

    May 28, 2022 at 5:52 pm

    I used all drumsticks and my family absolutely loved them! We used sweet baby rays for BBQ. I will be making this again!

    ★★★★★

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