Air Fryer Chicken Quarters

Need a budget-friendly chicken dinner that cooks quickly and can feed the whole family? Make Air Fryer Chicken Quarters! Chicken leg quarters come out best when cooked in the air fryer because the skin gets crispy and flavorful, and the meat stays tender and juicy. 

Keep reading below for lots of serving ideas!

Ingredients

• 2 chicken leg quarters
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (or use a high smoke point oil, such as avocado oil or vegetable oil)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano or basil
• ½ - 1 teaspoon sea salt, to taste (use ½ teaspoon if cutting down on salt)
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• Optional: cayenne pepper, to taste (skip if you don't want spice)

You can use your favorite chicken seasoning or slice blend if you prefer.

Equipment

• Air fryer
• Optional: aluminum foil to line the bottom of the air fryer for easier cleanup
• Instant read thermometer (this is a MUST for making sure your chicken is fully cooked without drying it out)

Instructions

Step 1: Combine the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, dried herbs, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and mix well. 

Step 2: Brush the chicken with melted butter or oil. Season on all sides with the seasoning mixture. Place the chicken in the air fryer basket or tray in a single layer without overlapping. If you want easier cleanup, place foil on the bottom of the air fryer to catch all the drips.

Step 4: Preheat air fryer to 400F. Air fry for 12-15 minutes, then flip the chicken and air fry for another 12-15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through to at least 165F in the thickest part. Check on the chicken after 10-12 minutes on each side to make sure it's not burning, since all air fryers cook differently. If the chicken is burning, turn the temperature down to 350F.

What to serve with chicken leg quarters

The great part about this simple chicken leg quarters recipe is that it literally goes with ANYTHING! Grab your starchy side dish: potatoes, rice, quinoa, couscous, pasta—anything! Grab your veggies, such as a salad or roasted vegetables—it all works! Some of my favorite pairing ideas for chicken legs are:

• Za'atar roasted potatoes
• Mashed potatoes (try these slow cooker mashed potatoes!)
• Pick any of the potato side dishes from this list of canned potato recipes
• Pan-fried veggies, such as pan-fried brussels sprouts, sauteed asparagus, or green beans with goat cheese and cranberries
• Roasted veggies, such as roasted radishes, bacon roasted vegetables, thyme roasted carrots, or roasted cauliflower
• Pan-fried asparagus with bacon

Leftover chicken leg quarter ideas

These chicken leg quarters reheat really well right in the air fryer. If you don't want to eat the same thing two nights in a row, you can always remove the meat off the bone and chop it up to use in other dishes. From there, use the leftover chicken for any of these ideas:

• Add it to a green salad (to keep it low carb)
• Add diced meat to cauliflower chicken soup
• Make air fryer chicken quesadillas
• Toss it with BBQ sauce and turn it into a BBQ chicken grilled cheese 
• Make chicken salad out of it. Try this 3-ingredient chicken salad for an insanely easy recipe, or this slightly more involved Hawaiian chicken salad with pineapple. The tender meat is so good for chicken salads!!
• More chicken salad ideas: spicy crunchy chicken salad, chicken salad with chickpeas
• Add it to this pot pie instead of turkey

More seasoning ideas for chicken leg quarters

Try adding these seasonings to the chicken to switch things up:

• Smoked paprika instead of regular paprika
• Add a pinch of cayenne pepper to make it spicy
• Taco seasoning or fajita seasoning instead of all the seasoning in the recipe
• Squeeze some lemon juice over the chicken once it's cooked