This easy keto air-fried crispy chicken is a recipe you’ll love if you’re a fan of KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken). It’s crisp and delicious and a real family pleaser. I used chicken drumsticks in this recipe, but you can also make chicken nuggets with the same recipe. I promise you, if you have little kiddos, they’ll love this!
Now you’re probably wondering how these drumsticks can be crispy. Here’s the magic ingredient: pork rinds! They provide the perfect crunch without the gluten or the extra carbs. This recipe has 0 grams of carbs!
For the ingredients to make this easy keto air-fried crispy chicken
Drumsticks: I used drumsticks that still have the skin on. If you want to make chicken nuggets, you have to use chicken breasts. Just cut them into even squares and replace the drumsticks.
Seasoning: I seasoned the drumsticks before I covered them into the pork rind crumbs. I used extra virgin olive oil, salt, black pepper, paprika powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. You can choose to leave out the cayenne pepper if you don’t like any spiciness in your food.
Pork rinds: To create a crispy layer around the drumsticks, I used pork rinds which I turned into crumbs in a food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, you can put them in a ziplock bag and hit them with a rolling pin to turn them into crumbs. And if you want to skip this process altogether, you can use pre-made pork crumbs.
What to combine this Easy keto air-fried crispy chicken with
You can choose to have these on their own as a zero-carb meal, or you can combine them with some keto-friendly vegetables like salad, spinach, steamed broccoli, etc.
I like to eat this paired with sugar-free, healthy ketchup. Like the one from Hunter and Gather (if you live in Europe) or the one from Primal Kitchen, if you live in the US.
Equipment
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
- 4 drumsticks
- 2 eggs
- 4 cups pork rinds
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, paprika powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Mix everything together with a fork.
- Add the chicken drumsticks to the mixture and cover them in the seasoning.
- In a small bowl, whisk the two eggs and add them to the bowl with the seasoned chicken. Mix everything together and set it aside.
- Put the pork rinds in a food processor and turn them into crumbs. Transfer the crumbs into a medium-sized bowl.
- Cover each seasoned chicken drumstick in the crumbs and place in the air fryer basket.
- Air fry the drumsticks for 40 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius, or 355 degrees Fahrenheit.
Nutrition
More tips for making this recipe
I used a low air frying temperature to prevent the olive oil from burning. If you’d like to use a higher temperature, you can use melted coconut oil instead.
If you don’t have an air fryer, you can still make this recipe. Place the crusted drumsticks on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven for 40 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius or 355 degrees Fahrenheit.