These chicken legs are golden on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside and unbelievably savory with every bite. With just a few simple ingredients, we turn ordinary chicken drumsticks into extraordinary.
This is one of those recipes that I get excited about. It’s so easy to make and the results are always awesome. It’s easily adjustable too – you can double or triple the recipe for a crowd, or even add a bit of kick of heat and serve on game day. I think you’re really gonna love this recipe!
Ingredients
Chicken drumsticks are the star of his show, and I love that they’re still very affordable. You can usually find packages of drumsticks that are much lower in price than any other part of the chicken. That’s fine with me! Even if it’s a large package i’ll use what I need now and freeze the rest for later.
We’ll use a simple seasoning blend of dry herbs and spices: paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, rosemary, parsley, ground mustard, salt and pepper. Then we’ll use a tablespoon of olive oil to hold all the seasonings to the chicken and help get that golden crisp skin we love to much.
Preparation
This recipe is SO easy. We simply mix herbs and spices in a small dish. Add the chicken legs to a large, gallon-sized ziptop bag and add the olive oil. Seal the bag and roll those legs around for a minute to distribute the oil evenly on all the chicken. Then, open the bag, pour in the seasonings, close the bag and do the shake thing. Take a minute or so to do this and massage the chicken to really get that seasoning well distributed.
Set aside for a minute and preheat your oven to 425°(F) and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Give the foil a good spray with non-stick cooking spray. This is important as the chicken will stick without it.
Now take the chicken out of the bag and place on the foil lined sheet. Then into the oven it goes for 40 minutes.
After 40 minutes the chicken will be a beautiful golden color and the inside will be at least 165°(F) when checked with an instant read thermometer. In fact, it will probably be closer to 185-195°(F) which is exactly what we want!
Pro Tip: Chicken Legs are Better at 185-195°(F)!
The rule of cooking chicken to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F has been well-established for quite some time. However, when it comes to darker meat portions such as chicken legs, thighs, or the entire leg quarter, exceeding this temperature is often encouraged for optimal results! When heated to around 185°F, the collagens within the meat begin to break down, contributing to the juiciness and “fall-off-the-bone” tenderness that we cherish so much in dark poultry meat.
Check out this great article by America’s Test Kitchen regarding “overcooking” chicken drumsticks and thighs.
Let Rest and Serve
Carefully remove the chicken to a plate or platter and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Can this recipe be doubled?
It sure can. You can even triple or quadruple this recipe! Simply adjust the ingredients accordingly. The cook time will still be 40 minutes, just be sure to not crowd the chicken too much on the pan. Keep the legs from touching and always keep in a single layer.
Give it a kick
Want to give the chicken legs a little heat? Add a ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper and even a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes. You can also deepen the flavor by using smoked paprika instead of regular paprika.
Recipe
Best Damn Oven Baked Chicken Legs
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 servings
Description
Expertly seasoned and oven roasted to perfection, these chicken drumsticks are so delicious, so juicy, so tender, you will not believe you made them with this simple recipe.
Ingredients
- 6 chicken legs
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1.5 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp rosemary, dried
- 1 tsp parsley flakes
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp ground mustard
- 1 tbs olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°(F)
- Pat chicken legs dry with a paper towel and trim any excess skin
- Place chicken legs in a large ziptop bag and add olive oil. Close bag and shake to coat chicken well with the oil.
- Add seasoning mix to bag, close and shake to get chicken well coated with seasoning.
- Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place chicken legs on baking sheet and place on middle rack of oven for 40 minutes, turning halfway.
- Chicken must have internal temperature of at least 165°(F), but 185-195°(F) is ideal for best results.
- Let rest for several minutes before serving.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 40 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Kerri says
Hi, Loved this recipe. I didn’t have ground mustard so substituted with tumeric. Set chicken aside and baked potato and sweet potato in the juices. So simple and delicious.
RecipeTeacher says
I’m a huge fan of turmeric and it’s awesome on chicken!
Thanks for the feedback, Kerri!
Rob Farquharson says
We didn’t want to use the oil as we felt the chicken had enough oils, so we used some yoghurt in which we mixed together all the spices, then mixed into the chicken. It sticks very well to the chicken and gives a delicious flavour!
KNS says
I had a pack of drums at home and was so happy to find this recipe to make such a delicious dish. It tasted almost like chicken from the grill. Will absolutely repeat.
Sara Bye says
I made this recipe and my kiddos and I devoured it! Such a great mix of spices! I didn’t have rosemary so I subbed 1/2 thyme and 1/2 oregano.
Melissa says
Googled a baked chicken recipe and this came up. Like the title says these are the beat damn baked chicken. I didn’t have rosemary but they were still good!!
Wisher says
This recipe is amazing. I had split a package of drumsticks in two intending to make two recipes. I tasted this recipe and immediately made a second batch. This is now my go-to recipe.
Uchenna Lewis says
This was a great recipe – easy to make and delicious. We added barbeque sauce at the table for dipping.
Cheryl Rochette says
I don’t normally like chicken legs but these were fantastic!