Keto Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks w Zucchini Pancakes
This meal is made entirely in your air fryer! First, chicken drumsticks with the skin on are rubbed all over with a handmade spice rub and olive oil. The air fryer forces hot air to blow at a high speed, which “fries” your food without using any unhealthy frying oils. Your chicken drumsticks come out hot, crispy on the outside, and juicy on the inside. All the spices and a special honey mustard spread fry to golden brown in the air fryer, making each bite audibly crunchy. Served on the side are simple and nutritious zucchini pancakes. A fresh zucchini mixed with some other Keto ingredients make the perfect vegetable side dish, which also cooks to a crisp in the air fryer. Use this low carb air fryer recipe for your next meal prepping routine or when you need a low-maintenance hot meal.
How to Make It
Step 1
Start by combining salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne, oregano, parsley, onion powder, cumin, and garlic powder in a small dish to make your drumstick seasoning. At your discretion, you can alter, add, or omit ingredients to or from the listed spices to your liking. If you use any seasonings that include salt, reduce how much initial salt you use. Set your spice rub aside and arrange drumsticks that weigh approximately 6 ounces each on a large, clean plate.
Step 2
Use your hands to rub olive oil into the skin and flesh of all the chicken drumsticks. Then, rinse your hands and sprinkle your spice rub over the chicken. Again, use your hands to rub the spices into all the skin and flesh from top to bottom. Continue sprinkling the seasoning and rubbing it into the drumsticks until it’s all used up. Make sure to pull the skin on your drumsticks up over the flesh so it cooks to extra crispy later on.
Step 3
If you have time available, it’s recommended you cover and marinate your drumsticks in your refrigerator for at least 4 hours or as long as overnight. However, you can continue to cook the drumsticks immediately if you wish. Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees, and cook the drumsticks for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, microwave the butter in a small dish until melted, and then mix mustard into it until the ingredients emulsify. Brush the buttery mustard over the chicken drumsticks in a thin layer, and return them to your air fryer to cook for 15 minutes or until done.
Step 4
While the drumsticks are in the air fryer, you can prepare the zucchini pancakes. Shred a zucchini squash using a cheese grater. Use your hands to squeeze the excess water out of the zucchini shreds (as much as you can) before adding the shreds to a mixing bowl. Fill the bowl until it equals the weight of zucchini listed in the ingredients. Mix the dehydrated zucchini shreds with all the remaining ingredients until you have your zucchini pancake mixture. Set this aside until your air fryer is available to use after the drumsticks finish cooking.
Step 5
Leave the finished drumsticks aside to rest while the zucchini pancakes cook. If necessary, line your air fryer trays with parchment paper so any liquid from the mixture doesn’t leak. Scoop the zucchini mixture into 2-tablespoon portions, flattening them into “pancakes” on the air fryer trays. If you have one, you can use a #40 scoop to do this step. Heat your air fryer to 350 degrees this time, and cook the zucchini pancakes for approximately 22 minutes. The edges will be extra crispy and dark, and the cooled pancakes should remove from the parchment paper or tray easily.
Ingredients
- Salt
1 tsp
- Black pepper
0.5 tsp
- Paprika
1 tsp
- Cayenne
0.25 tsp
- Oregano, dried
0.5 tsp
- Parsley, dried
1 tsp
- Onion powder
0.25 tsp
- Cumin, ground
0.25 tsp
- Garlic powder
0.5 tsp
- Chicken Dark Meat Drumstick Only Enhanced Raw
1.5 lb
- Olive Or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp
- Butter, unsalted
1 tbsp
- Honey mustard sauce
1 tsp
- Zucchini
6 oz
- Parmesan cheese, fresh (hard)
2 tbsp, grated
- Cheddar cheese, natural
2 tbsp, shredded
- Raw egg, white
1 large
- Salt
1 tsp
- Black pepper
0.5 tsp
- Scallions
1 tbsp, chopped