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Air Fryer Honey Mustard Chicken Legs

Name: Air Fryer Honey Mustard Chicken Legs
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds chicken drumsticks; 1-2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or sea salt); 1 teaspoon black pepper; 2 teaspoons yellow mustard; 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard; 2 tablespoons honey

Author: Laurie Fleming
Published: February 9, 2023

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Just 5 simple ingredients and a few minutes of hands-on kitchen time is all you’ll need to make these Air Fryer honey mustard chicken legs.

Chicken legs are seasoned in a delicious sweet and spicy honey mustard concoction and air fried to crisp perfection in this easy recipe. It’s the perfect gluten-free chicken recipe to have on your weeknight dinner rotation!

Air Fryer Honey Mustard Chicken Legs brushed with glaze ready to cook.

I’m a self proclaimed chicken leg lover! They’re such a delicious and versatile protein that can be enjoyed in so many different ways.

My Air Fryer BBQ chicken legs and Air Fryer garlic Parmesan chicken legs were both big hits, which inspired me to try some wacky peanut butter chicken legs with spicy aioli too! And they all turned out lip-smackingly delicious.

This time though, I wanted to take a step back and try something simple, wholesome and easy to make, and that’s when I whipped up this recipe.

Crispy Air Fryer Honey Mustard Chicken Legs fresh from the air fryer.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

Lip-smacking delicious: The earthy heat from the mustard is beautifully balanced by the sweetness of the honey, and teamed up with the crispy and juicy chicken- it’s just out of the world delicious!
Quick and easy: You’ll need a little over 30 minutes to cook these delicious chicken legs from start to finish. It’s perfect as a weeknight dinner for the whole family.
Versatile: There’s tons of ways you can serve these honey mustard chicken legs. Team them up with some mashed potatoes or French fries, or any of your favorite sides.
Great as leftovers: If there’s one chicken recipe that I swear tastes incredible even as a leftover, it is this! Reheat your leftovers, shred them and use them as a filling for your sandwiches, wraps and more!

Ingredients For the Air Fryer Honey Mustard Chicken Legs Recipe

Chicken drumsticks: I used chicken drumsticks here, but honestly, you could use almost any cut of chicken for this recipe, and it should work just as well.
Yellow mustard: Use your favorite store bought yellow mustard, or use my homemade yellow mustard recipe to make it from scratch.
Whole grain mustard: Whole grain mustard lends a beautiful spicy kick to the dish, and also has those chunky bits which bring a nice bit of texture too!
Honey: To balance out the heat from the mustard, and for that beautiful sweetness.
Seasonings: To lend the honey-mustard flavors shine, I just used some salt and pepper for the seasoning.
Oil: Just regular canola oil or vegetable oil should work perfectly!

Variations & Substitutions

You can use a different cut of chicken like chicken breast, thighs or chicken tenders too!
For an extra bit of spiciness, add a dash of cayenne or paprika to the marinade.
You can also add garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning or any other seasoning blends of your choice in addition to the salt and pepper, for some extra flavor.
Try this recipe with another protein like salmon (Air Fryer salmon with whole grain mustard) or shrimp.

How to Make Air Fryer Honey Mustard Chicken Legs

Raw chicken legs coated with honey mustard marinade.

To make the perfect Air Fryer honey mustard chicken legs, start by getting all your ingredients ready and preheating your Air Fryer.

Season chicken: Add your chicken legs to a large bowl and drizzle some olive oil over it. Toss it to coat everything well and sprinkle some kosher salt and black pepper over it. Give everything a good mix.

Air fry: Transfer the chicken to the Air Fryer basket in a single layer and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until it has that golden brown crispy texture.

Make sauce: Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the whole grain mustard, mustard and honey.

Baste and cook: Use a bristle brush to slather some of this delicious sauce all over the cooked chicken legs, pop them back in again, and air fry for 3-5 minutes.

Serve: Get them out, top with some more honey mustard sauce if you want, and serve!

Close-up of crispy air fryer honey mustard chicken legs.

Tips & Tricks to Make Honey Mustard Chicken Legs in the Air Fryer

To get an extra crispy exterior on the chicken, use chicken legs with their skin on. The skin gets incredibly crispy when air fried, and you’ll have that delightful crunchiness you’re looking for.
Another great idea is to bread the chicken before you air fry it. If you’re planning on doing this, check out my Air Fryer breaded honey mustard chicken recipe.
To get the chicken to soak up all those beautiful flavors and tenderize nicely, marinate it in the honey mustard sauce for at least 30 minutes, ideally overnight.
To make things quicker, use a classic honey mustard sauce or copycat KFC honey mustard sauce to marinate the chicken.
Remember to flip the chicken legs over midway during the cooking time to get them to cook evenly and crisp up on all the sides.
To make cleanup easier, you can also line your Air Fryer basket with parchment paper or liners.

Storage Instructions

Refrigeration: If you have any leftover honey mustard chicken, allow it to cool down and transfer it to an airtight container. You can then refrigerate them for 3-4 days, and reheat whenever you want to have them.

Freezing: You can also prep the chicken legs in advance if you want to! Simply marinate them in the sauce, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze them for 3 months.

Then, when you want to make them, allow them to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then air fry them.

Reheating: You can reheat the chicken legs in the microwave until they’re nice and warm, or air fry them for a few minutes and get them extra crispy. Check out my post about how to reheat chicken legs in the Air Fryer to do it right.

Serving Ideas & Suggestions

I love serving these crispy and delicious chicken legs with some Ninja Foodi basmati rice, a side of vegetables like Air Fryer vegetable kebabs, vegetable tempura or just some green beans in garlic butter sauce.

They also taste incredible when served with some creamy mashed potatoes or crispy Parmesan potatoes.

FAQs

Can I use frozen chicken to make honey mustard chicken legs? You can, but you’ll first need to allow the chicken legs to thaw completely and pat dry them until there’s no excess moisture left, before you use them for this recipe. This will ensure that the chicken is perfectly crispy, and doesn’t have that soft, chewy texture.

Can I make honey mustard chicken legs in the oven? You can! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and arrange the chicken legs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cook these for 35-40 minutes or until the meat thermometer reads 165 degrees or more.

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