This Buttermilk Cornflake Chicken Drumsticks (Oven or Air Fryer) dish is made with chicken drumsticks, corn flakes, butter, and garlic powder.

We were a part of a food challenge to see who can make a dish incorporating a cereal and well, this Cornflake crusted chicken did not disappoint! It is one of Nan and Linda’s secret recipes - the trick is at the end, to dump the remaining corn flakes into butter and sprinkle all over the chicken for that extra crunch!

We once made this same recipe with Rice Krispies instead, but I think corn flakes have the perfect texture we are craving. You can break the cereal to whatever size you prefer, but I usually like them medium sized. Although the smaller they are, the better the corn flakes will stick. You could honestly offer different dipping sauces for this dish like honey mustard or ranch! (I put ranch on my pizza so I am biased).

If you love this recipe, feel free to try my Dona Maria Chicken Mole and my Lemon Garlic Drumsticks.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Top tip
Buttermilk Cornflake Chicken Drumsticks (Oven or Air Fryer)
Food safety

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

Chicken drumsticks
Butter
Buttermilk
Corn flakes
Garlic powder

See recipe card for Buttermilk Cornflake Chicken Drumsticks (Oven or Air Fryer) quantities.

Instructions

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and whatever seasoning you want.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. In a large plate or tray, add all of the corn flakes and crush them with your hands until you get small pieces that will stick to the chicken. Add the garlic powder into the corn flakes and keep crushing and mixing with your hands.

In a large plate or tray, add all of the corn flakes and crush them with your hands until you get small pieces that will stick to the chicken. Add the garlic powder into the corn flakes and keep crushing and mixing with your hands.

In a large bowl, melt the butter in a microwave. Pour butter in a large bowl along with the buttermilk. Prepare a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Dip a drumstick into the buttermilk and then into the corn flakes and finally into the baking pan. Continue with the rest of the drumsticks.

Oven: Preheat the oven to 375 F. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, flipping once halfway, until chicken reaches 165°F internal temperature.
Air Fryer: Preheat air fryer to 400°F. Air-fry for 10 minutes and carefully turn them over. Lower the temperature to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C). Cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 165 degrees F.

Substitutions

Corn Flakes: You can use your favorite cereal for this like crushed Cheerios, Kashi cereal, or granola as long as you pulse it first.

Butter: I used salted butter but you can use unsalted and salt the butter yourself.

Drumsticks: I used chicken drumsticks for this but chicken thighs or wings would work well, as long as they have the bone in.

Garlic powder: Use any seasoning you prefer like onion powder or even a little bit of paprika for a nice spice.

Variations

Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.

Spicy - add hot sauce on top at the end.
Kid friendly - use crushed potato chips instead for the breading.

Check out these Pork Birria Tacos.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.

I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality. Get yourself a discount by clicking here!

Storage

This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

These Buttermilk Cornflake Chicken can be frozen for up to three months.

Top tip

Feel free to use any cereal you want, but this works so well with corn flakes.