Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks with BBQ Sauce
Tender chicken drumsticks glazed with BBQ sauce and cooked quickly in the air fryer. A simple and tasty recipe for a savory dinner.
Steps
- 1
Preheat the air fryer to 190°C (375°F).
- 2
Season the chicken drumsticks with salt and pepper on all sides.
- 3
Brush each drumstick generously with BBQ sauce, ensuring they are well coated.
- 4
Arrange the drumsticks in a single layer in the air fryer basket and cook for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway through.
- 5
Brush with additional BBQ sauce and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.
Shopping list
8 chicken drumsticks, 1 cup (240ml) BBQ sauce, salt, black pepper, fresh parsley (optional)
Recipe story
Glazed chicken drumsticks have been popular in Southern American cuisine, where BBQ sauce was perfected by African-American communities. The recipe has evolved from traditional grilling to quick air fryer preparation, preserving the smoky and sweet flavor.
Ingredient Secrets
Black pepper
Known as 'black gold' in antiquity, pepper was so valuable that it served as currency and tribute. In the Middle Ages, Venetian merchants controlled the pepper trade, and individual peppercorns were often counted. Legend has it that when Alaric, king of the Visigoths, demanded tribute from Rome, he included 3,000 pounds of pepper.
Sea salt
Sea salt, extracted from ocean waters by evaporation, was one of the most precious goods of antiquity, used both as food and as currency. In ancient Rome, soldiers were paid with salt, which is the origin of the word 'salary'. Salt roads connected entire civilizations, and in the Middle Ages, salt was so valuable it was called 'white gold'.
Parsley
In Greek mythology, parsley was associated with death and rebirth, planted on graves to symbolize the cycle of life. Romans used it generously in cooking and as a remedy for hangovers.
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