Looking for a mostly hands-free baked chicken recipe that satisfies the family at the last minute? Simple Baked Chicken Leg Drumsticks are so easy to prep and toss in the oven. You can even pull double duty and make my Garlicky Oven Roasted Mushrooms side dish in the same oven.
Simple Baked Chicken Leg Drumsticks
My love for baked chicken legs date back to my childhood.
They were always my favorite piece of chicken…only problem was that there were only 2 pieces per chicken, so when they were gone…womp womp.
Even if I was the only one eating them, two were never enough.
Now that I’m a big kid, I can bake a whole sheet pan of chicken legs…as many as I want. And I do!
So, how do you bake chicken leg drumsticks in the oven?
1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. Lightly coat the chicken drumsticks with oil and seasonings [see recipe below].
3. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
4. Bake 30-40 minutes until the chicken reaches the proper temperature and is fully cooked.
And don’t just go with your gut…even if you’ve done it a million time before…use a meat thermometer to measure the temperature.
What IS the proper temperature for baked chicken legs?
Chicken leg drumsticks (all chicken pieces) must reach an internal temperature of 165° to be properly cooked.
To do this, I use a meat thermometer that gets inserted into the chicken, and sits along the bone for the most accurate temperature.
Even if the chicken is boneless…165° is THE FOOD SAFETY RULE!
Ok, here’s what I love about this Baked Chicken Leg recipe:
~ Simple 5 minute prep and the rest is hands-free baking. Really!
~ Kids go crazy for chicken legs…adults do too!
~ Super duper money saver. After all, it’s chicken drumsticks, dudes!
~ Use organic chicken! {Yeah, more expensive, but the benefits rock!}
~ Chicken legs are always naturally delicious with very little effort!
Want more easy chicken recipes for busy weeknights?
My Better Than Takeout Chicken Fried Brown Rice is a 30 minute, skillet meal that puts leftovers to good use.
Skinnyish Chicken Broccoli Rice is another one-skillet meal in 30 minutes.
For a delicious, slow-cooker soup, check out my Fall Apart Chicken Vegetable Crockpot Soup.
Here are the simple steps [with pictures!] I use for Simple Baked Chicken Leg Drumsticks (see full recipe below):
Preheat oven to 400°; combine olive oil, seasonings, and chicken legs in a ziploc bag; massage ingredients into chicken legs.
Please note, this plastic bag isn’t required, but I like to use it so my hands don’t get all…chicken-ey while massaging the chicken.
You can even let the chicken legs sit overnight…to deepen the YUM factor!
Place seasoned chicken legs on oil-sprayed baking sheet a few inches apart from each other.
Bake 30-40 minutes until internal temperature (next to the bone) reaches 165° with a meat thermometer.
How to make chicken legs crispy in the oven
If you like crispy chicken legs, at the end of the baking cycle, turn on your broiler and allow them to crisp.
This can take anywhere from two minutes to five minutes, depending on your crispy preference, so keep a close eye on the legs to prevent burning.
Ingredients for Simple Baked Chicken Leg Drumsticks (see full recipe below):
- extra virgin olive oil
- paprika
- garlic powder
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- chicken leg drumsticks
Kitchen tools I use for baked chicken recipes:
- paper towels (to pat chicken dry)
- Ziplock bag (gallon size) or large mixing bowl
- baking sheet
- cooking spray
- meat thermometer
Simple Baked Chicken Leg Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 6 Chicken Legs drumsticks
- 4 Lemon Wedges for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°; pat CHICKEN LEGS completely dry with a paper towel.
- In a Ziploc bag or mixing bowl, combine OLIVE OIL, PAPRIKA, GARLIC POWDER, SALT, and PEPPER; add CHICKEN LEG DRUMSTICKS; massage oil and seasonings into chicken surface until well-coated.
- Place chicken legs on an oil-sprayed baking sheet with space between each leg.
- Bake 30-40 minutes; carefully remove from oven and insert meat thermometer into center of one leg, alongside the bone to confirm temperature of 165°, continue baking in 5-10 minutes intervals, if needed.
- Serve warm, garnished with LEMON WEDGES.
- Please observe food safety standards indicating that poultry temperature must reach 165° before eating.
RECIPE NOTES
Nutrition
Traci Antonovich
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