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!
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Air fryer chicken leg quarters
Many people overlook chicken quarters at the store for other cuts of chicken, but they are a delicious, affordable source of protein that provides you with lots of meat and juicy flavorful chicken. The best part is that chicken quarters are EASY to cook in the air fryer and are so versatile!
This easy air fryer chicken quarters recipe has just a few seasonings, so it is the perfect balance of flavorful, yet neutral enough to be paired with any of your favorite sides!
Chicken quarters cook in under 30 minutes in the air fryer! So let's get started!
More air fryer chicken recipes: Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken Kebabs
Ingredients
- 2 chicken leg quarters
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (or use olive 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)
More air fryer dinner ideas: Air Fryer Trout
Equipment
- Air fryer
- Optional: foil to line the air fryer for easier cleanup
- Meat thermometer (this is a MUST for making sure your chicken is fully cooked without drying it out)
More air fryer chicken recipes: Air Fryer Orange Chicken
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 olive oil. Season on all sides with the seasoning mixture. Place the chicken in the air fryer tray or basket without overlapping.
Step 3: Optional: place foil at the bottom of the air fryer for easier cleanup from the chicken drippings.
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.
Step 5: Use tongs to carefully remove the chicken onto a plate and let rest for a few minutes before serving.
More air fryer chicken recipes: Dukkah Crusted Chicken
Important tip for air frying chicken quarters
→ The most important thing to keep in mind is that ALL air fryer ovens cook slightly differently, and the exact cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken. Check on the chicken after 20 minutes and see how it's doing. If it is burning on the outside but not anywhere close to reaching an internal temperature of 165F, reduce the heat to 340-350F, flip the chicken over if needed, and continue to cook.
→ You can skip the step where you brush the chicken with butter or oil, and you can season the chicken directly. However, the butter makes the chicken skin much crispier and more flavorful.
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!)
- 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
- Add it 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. So good!!
- 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
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Air Fryer Chicken Quarters
Ingredients
- 2 chicken leg quarters
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter - melted (or use olive 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
Special equipment
- Foil (optional, to line the air fryer for easier cleanup)
Instructions
- Combine the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, dried herbs, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and mix well.1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon dried oregano or basil, ½ - 1 teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Brush the chicken with melted butter or olive oil. Season on all sides with the seasoning mixture. Place the chicken in the air fryer tray or basket without overlapping.2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 chicken leg quarters
- Optional: place foil at the bottom of the air fryer for easier cleanup from the chicken drippings.
- 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.
- Use tongs to carefully remove the chicken onto a plate and let rest for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.