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.
Cooking something other than legs today?
I want to make sure your dinner turns out perfect. If you have a different cut of chicken or want to try a different cooking method, these “Best Damn” recipes are a great place to start:
- Want to use the Air Fryer? Get that same crispy skin in even less time with my Best Damn Air Fryer Chicken Legs.
- Cooking Thighs instead? My Best Damn Oven-Roasted Chicken Thighs are a huge reader favorite for a juicy weeknight meal.
- Roasting the whole bird? For a classic Sunday dinner, follow my guide for the Best Damn Oven-Roasted Whole Chicken.
- Looking for a flavor twist? My Oven-Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs use a simple, pantry-friendly sauce that everyone loves.
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
Sydney says
I loved the flavour of these chicken drumsticks, my only issue was that they were kind of salty, I only did 1 1/2 teapsoon of kosher salt, and I used 8 chicken drumsticks instead of 6. Both my daughters loved it, both of them saying mmmm and yummy. I will make this again, but only do 1 teaspoon of salt next time. Thank you so much for the recipe! 10/10 would recommend
Carol Merrill says
I went exactly by your directions and it turned out perfectly! We’ll be using this one a lot!
RecipeTeacher says
Love it! Thanks Carol!
Mel says
Best chicken drumsticks ever! I left them in the bag to marinate for about a half hour, set them on a rack over the pan, and baked until they were 185°. They were big legs so it took an extra 10 or so minutes. Worth the wait!
Marje says
I’m not one to comment on recipes, but this was so good I had to give it a 5-star rating. I made this exactly as written, and after I coated the legs, I bagged them and refrigerated overnight to let the seasonings meld. It was so good I want to try using it on a whole cut-up chicken! What a great alternative to fried.
YvonneB says
This seasoning is absolutely excellent! I made it as directed and then added a teaspoon of dried lemon/orange zest. (I zest citrus before I use it and dry for future use.) I can’t wait to use this again on a whole chicken!
RecipeTeacher says
I’m a big fan of adding lemon or orange zest to recipes like this. I’m glad you liked it!!
Cindy Solomonson says
Very juicy and flavorful! Loved it thank you!!
Jeri says
I was looking for a different way to do ch icken I did as the recipe said I will say the legs were very juicy, but lacked in flavor. I will try them again. I just can’t figure out what is missing in the flavor
Kay says
Delicious and easy! Next time I need to watch more closely as I have an oven that must run hot. No matter! Will make this again.
John C says
Absolutely Tasty Chicken Legs Chef ! I Used the Smoked Paprika and It gave a just off the bbq flavor ,189 F Degrees was also on Target .
I will try the Chicken Thighs next ! Thank You for Sharing Your Recipe & Experience!
Jackie says
Yum! I was looking for something to do with a bunch of chicken legs I couldn’t pass up on sale and this looked easy. They were better than fried and will be using this recipe regularly. Thanks!