Baked Chicken Drumsticks
Baked chicken drumsticks are easy to make, juicy, tender and the perfect weeknight meal. Ready in just 30 minutes, this budget friendly recipe has just 4 ingredients you likely already have on hand.
Why you will love making chicken drumsticks in the oven
- Easy to make – all you have to do is coat the chicken in oil and spices and the oven does the rest.
- Crispy skin and juicy meat every time! This simple recipe will make chicken legs that everyone in the family is going to enjoy.
- Budget friendly – drumsticks are so budget friendly (drumsticks are typically $3-4 less per pound than chicken breast), making them perfect for budget meals.
- Healthy recipe – this simple baked chicken drumstick recipe is gluten free, dairy free, paleo, Whole30 and low carb.
Ingredients
- Organic chicken drumsticks
- Avocado oil
- Salt
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
How to make Healthy Baked Chicken Drumsticks
Preheat the oven to 450F. Coat the chicken in oil and spices in a large bowl. I prefer to use tongs for this but you could also use your hands.
- I like to only do 5 drumsticks at a time in the bowl so that I can easily toss the chicken drumsticks without getting the seasoning everywhere. I just adjust the seasoning accordingly. So for 5 drumsticks I use about ½ tablespoon avocado oil, ½ teaspoon each of salt, paprika and garlic powder.
- Line your baking sheet with foil for an easy clean up. I don’t recommend parchment paper because it can start to burn under the broiler.
Next, place a baking rack on the baking sheet, so the chicken is elevated off the pan (for easy clean up, line the pan with foil or parchment paper).
Place the chicken in the preheated 450F oven for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, turn on the broiler and broil the chicken 5-10 minutes so the skin gets crispy. Don’t skip this step.
Note: When the skin looks crispy, check the internal temperature to make sure the chicken is fully cooked. Chicken legs need to reach at least 165F but the sweet spot with chicken drumsticks is about 185F to 190F internal temperature. This is where the skin gets all crispy and the meat is still juicy!
Tips for creating crispy chicken drumsticks in the oven
- First, don’t wash the chicken. This is a food safety concern more than anything. When you wash chicken, the bacteria can go all over the sink. Pat down the chicken if you find it necessary. However, I never pat down the chicken and it turns out perfectly every time.
- Put down a sheet of foil on the baking sheet and then add a baking rack over the foil. This makes it much easier to clean up. The baking rack allows air to get all around the chicken drumstick as they are cooking so there isn’t a soggy side to the chicken.
- Cook at high heat! 450F for 25 minutes then finish under the broiler to really get that crispy skin.
- Carefully flip the chicken after 25 minutes before broiling to get the crispiest skin.
- Don’t add spices that will burn during high heat cooking. Avoid leafy herbs.
- If you want to add a sauce (barbeque sauce, buffalo sauce), brush it over the chicken drumsticks during the last 3 minutes under the broiler. When the chicken legs are done baking, brush a second coating over them right out of the oven
- Let the chicken drumsticks rest at least 5 minutes after baking.
Common questions
How to check the internal temperature of a chicken leg
Use an instant read thermometer and go through the thickest part of the meat, being careful not to hit the bone. Be sure the chicken leg has reached at least 165F.
What seasoning is good on baked chicken drumsticks
I love the simplicity of garlic powder, paprika and salt. If you want to change up the flavors, you could try:
- BBQ seasoning – mix together paprika, chili powder, ground mustard, garlic powder and salt to rub on the chicken.
- Taco seasoning
- Cajun seasoning
Are baked chicken legs healthy?
Baking chicken legs is a much healthier application than frying them, which is how you typically see them being used. If you are worried about the higher fat content, you can remove the skin after baking or use skinless chicken legs.
However, if you decide to use skinless chicken legs, they will not get that crispy skin and won’t need to be broiled.
What to serve with healthy baked chicken drumsticks?
- Garlic Mashed cauliflower (Whole30)
- Sweet potato patties (Whole30)
- 5 Minute creamy kale (Whole30)
- Dairy free mashed potatoes
- Dairy free cauliflower potato salad (Whole30)
Storing leftovers
- Fridge: Store leftover baked chicken legs in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in the oven at 400F for 10-15 minutes or in the air fryer at 400F for 4-5 minutes.
- Freezer: If you want to store in the freezer, I recommend you remove the skin, break up the meat and store in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Use this chicken in soups, stews, casseroles or coat with your favorite sauce for a quick meal once defrosted and reheated.
If you love this healthy baked chicken recipe, you should try
Baked Chicken Drumsticks
$6.57 Recipe/$1.64 ServingGuided Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken drumsticks (about 10 drumsticks) - $5.97
- 1 tbsp avocado oil - $0.35
- 1 tsp sea salt - $0.05
- 1 tsp paprika - $0.10
- 1 tsp garlic powder - $0.10
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450F
- Place a sheet of foil on a rimmed baking sheet. Place a baking rack over the foil so the chicken drumsticks will be elevated off the pan.
- In a large bowl, combine the drumsticks, garlic avocado oil, salt and paprika. Mix well until evenly coated. I like to do this in batches so I can use tongs (see post for tips)
- Place the chicken legs on the baking rack, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Usually about 10 per baking sheet.
- Bake in a 450F oven for 25 minutes
- Turn on the broiler. Take the chicken legs out of the oven and flip them.
- Cook under the broiler at least 5 minutes. If I have time in the night I go up to 10 minutes to get extra crispy skin.
- Check the internal temperature of the chicken drumsticks making sure you have reached at least 165F. Ideally around 185F-190F
- Let rest 5 minutes
Notes
- Don’t wash the chicken.
- Put down a sheet of foil on the baking sheet and then add a baking rack over the foil. The baking rack allows air to get all around the chicken drumstick as they are cooking so there isn’t a soggy side to the chicken.
- Cook at high heat! 450F for 25 minutes then finish under the broiler to really get that crispy skin.
- Carefully flip the chicken after 25 minutes before broiling to get the crispiest skin.
- Don’t add spices that will burn during high heat cooking. Avoid leafy herbs.
- If you want to add a sauce (barbeque sauce, buffalo sauce), brush it over the chicken drumsticks during the last 3 minutes under the broiler. When the chicken legs are done baking, brush a second coating over them right out of the oven
- Let the chicken drumsticks rest at least 5 minutes after baking.
Delicious!
So glad you enjoyed these drumsticks Sarah! I really appreciate you coming back to leave a review! Happy cooking.
This recipe worked great for a cooking newb like me. I made 5 drumsticks in my toaster oven, so I halved the recipe. I also omitted the paprika since I’m doing the AIP diet. I was worried they might burn from the really high temperature, but they turned out great!
Any tips for getting the crispy skin when reheating?
Thank you so much for coming and leaving a review/comment. As far as reheating goes, use a rack over a baking sheet and reheat in a 400F preheated oven for 10 or 12 minutes. This should help to re-crisp the skin without drying out the meat. Hope this helps, happy cooking!!
@Samantha Rowland,
Thank you, I will try that!
Simple yet absolutely delicious!!! My words exactly were “I don’t think I’m ever ordering KFC again, never. Not after that.” The chicken wasn’t dry or tough!! SO JUICY!! It took me about 15 mins to prepare, 20 mins to bake, 7 mins to broil.
– I used vegetable oil in the seasoning mixture (instead of avocado/olive).
– I don’t have a sauce brush, so I just mixed the oil/seasoning mixture inside the tablespoon and dripped it all on one side of all the drumsticks, then rubbed the drumsticks on each other with tongs and tossed them, all in a medium mixing bowl.
– I sprayed the foil with vegetable oil before putting the drumsticks down.
I don’t think I could be more satisfied with how this turned out. Simple, cheap, timely, and mouthwatering: really all a college student could ask for in a recipe. AND IT’S CHICKEN!
This recipe is amazing. Actually had to double recipe for 8 medium drumsticks using a basting brush, but no problem. Going to add this to a whole chicken next, YUMMY!
Came out just like the recipe called for. Very easy and the whole family loved it!
Ridiculously simple. Absolutely delicious! I only had 6 drumsticks and used the whole recipe for the oil and spices. I RARELY make the same thing more than twice a year – always try something new – but THIS is going to be at least a monthly for me. My husband doesn’t like dark meat, and he loved it! Thanks for the recipe!
How many carbs are on here?
You can check out all the nutritional information in the post.
It tasted so good and was really easy!! Great for a family dinner kids love it!!Definitely Going in my cook book!!!!
Can olive oil be used in place of avocado oil??
You sure can. I recommend avocado oil because it has a higher smoke point than olive oil.
Yes I used olive oil and also tried the avocado oil and I prefer the olive oil