Keto Sesame Chicken Legs in Air Fryer

Make these easy Keto Sesame Chicken Legs in the Air Fryer in less than 30 minutes. These Golden Chicken legs are nicely brown, juicy inside, and crispy outside. And the best part? They are also Keto-friendly and you will use less oil than usual.

Hey there foodies, it’s time to whip up something delicious that will tingle your taste buds and keep you on track with your low-carb lifestyle. Introducing my latest obsession: Sesame Chicken Legs in Air Fryer!

These chicken drumsticks are crispy, savory, and oh-so-tasty. Plus, they’re super easy to make and require just a handful of ingredients, including sesame seeds, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger.

I mean, who doesn’t love a juicy, succulent chicken that’s coated in a flavorful marinade and then air-fried to crispy perfection? And the best part? You don’t have to worry about piling on the carbs because this recipe is completely keto-friendly.

What I love about the air fryer is that it allows you to cook something delicious super easily, and quickly, and you don’t need to wash a lot of plates after that.

This is a quick dinner recipe that you can put on the table during a busy workweek. It requires no cooking skills from you. You need just to prepare and cover the chicken legs with the marinade, and after that cook them in the air fryer for about 15-20 minutes at 380°F (190°C). That’s it.

Get ready to experience the magic of sesame seeds, the umami flavor of soy sauce, and the aromatic punch of garlic and ginger.

This recipe is going to impress your taste buds!

🥰 Why You Will Love This Recipe?

• Very easy to make, even if you don’t have experience in cooking. It is perfect for busy weeknights when you want a delicious meal without spending too much time in the kitchen.
• I used simple ingredients that you can easily find. Chicken drumsticks are a budget-friendly cut of meat, making this recipe affordable and accessible to everyone.
• This recipe is keto-friendly, which means you can indulge in a delicious meal without worrying about your carb intake.
• The air fryer method gives the chicken legs a crispy exterior while keeping the meat juicy and tender on the inside.
• It’s a crowd-pleaser! Whether you’re cooking for yourself or hosting a dinner party, everyone will love the delicious flavor and crispy texture of these chicken legs.

🏆 Tips for Success? How to Make It Better?

• Make sure to pat the chicken legs dry with paper towels before marinating them. This will help the marinade adhere better to the chicken and prevent excess moisture from affecting the air fryer cooking process.
• Do not overcrowd the air fryer basket because we need to leave space between chicken legs. This will make them crispier. If you need to cook a larger amount of chicken drumsticks, then a better idea will be to cook them in a few batches. For best results, leave enough space between the chicken legs so that they cook evenly and get crispy all over.
• If you want to get crispy chicken legs, then you should preheat the air fryer for at least 5-10 minutes. Also, this will speed up the cooking time.
• If you have time, leave the meat to marinate overnight because the pieces of meat are large enough and it takes longer for the marinade to penetrate well the meat.
• Add oil to the marinade, because the spices open their aroma better in the oil and later, this aroma sticks better to the meat.
• Flip the chicken legs halfway through cooking to ensure even browning and crispiness on both sides.
• If you want to intensify the sesame flavor, you can toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan for a few minutes until golden brown before adding them to the marinade.

🤔 How to Scale the Recipe Up and Down?

This is a simple recipe, so in case if you will want to reduce or increase the quantity, just increase all the ingredients proportionally.

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

You could serve the sesame chicken drumsticks next to some baked vegetables like spicy broccoli in air fryer, frozen asparagus, white rice, or noodles.

🔥 What Air Fryer Do I Use?

I used for this recipe the Cosori 5.8Q Air fryer, and I set it up to 380°F (190° C) for about 20 minutes (without preheating the air fryer).

🥘 Ingredients Needed for This Recipe?

• 5 Chicken drumsticks.
• 1 tablespoon of Sesame Seeds.
• 3 Garlic cloves.
• 2 ½ tablespoons of Soy sauce.
• ½ tablespoon of fresh Ginger.
• 1 tablespoon of Olive oil.
• Black pepper to taste.

🥦 Ingredients Swap?

• Chicken drumsticks. You can replace them with the whole chicken legs (thighs with drumsticks attached) or chicken wings.
• Spices. In the marinade, you can add also chili peppers, black pepper, turmeric, or curry.
• Olive oil. You can replace it with other oil that has a high smoke point.

👩‍🍳 Step-by-step Directions

Prepare the Marinade

To marinate the meat, put it in a bowl and pour over all the ingredients for the marinade except the sesame seeds. Mix well and let the meat marinate for a while.

To extract the maximum flavor from the meat, a good idea will be to marinate the meat for at least one hour. But of course, if you have more time, the taste would be even better. Ideally, let the meat marinate overnight.

If you don’t have time, and you need to cook the chicken drumsticks as quickly as you can, just cook cover well the chicken legs with the marinade, and start cooking them.

Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 380°F (190°C). Then put the drumsticks in the air fryer basket and cook them for about 10 minutes on one side.

Remove the air fryer basket, flip the chicken drumstick to the other side, and cook them for another 10 minutes.

The time of the cooking may vary on the size of the chicken legs and how your air fryer works.

For the best results, use a meat thermometer. Our goal is to reach the internal temperature of the meat to 160° F (70° C).

After that time, our meal should obtain a beautiful golden crust and it is ready to be served.

♻️ Storage and Heating

How Long Do Sesame Chicken Legs Last in the Fridge?

If you will have some leftovers, you can store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

How to Heat the Sesame Chicken Legs?

You can heat the chicken legs in the microwave, in the oven and surely you can put them back in the air fryer for 3 minutes.

Can you Freeze Sesame Chicken Legs?

This type of food is perfect for freezing. I would suggest you freeze the meat after marinating because the freshly cooked meat will always be juicier.

But of course, if you have leftovers, you can put them into a well-closed container and keep them in the freezer for a few months.

Answering Your Questions:

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