Baked Chicken Legs

Introducing the ultimate weeknight dinner hero: deliciously crispy Baked Chicken Legs! With a fuss-free preparation that requires only seven simple ingredients (including salt and pepper!), these succulent drumsticks are your ticket to a stress-free meal.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 45

Total Time 50

Servings servings

Calories 342kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

Large rimmed baking sheet
Foil
Large zip-top bag

Ingredients

8 chicken drumsticks (about 2½ pounds/1.13kg)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1½ teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and grease with cooking spray.
Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels. Place the chicken in a gallon zip-top bag. Add the oil, seal the bag, and shake to coat.
Add paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper to the bag. Seal the bag again, and shake to coat the chicken. Arrange the chicken pieces on the prepared pan.
Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until the skin is crispy and the chicken registers 165°F when a meat thermometer is inserted into the thickest portion of each piece.

Notes

Have a pack of chicken leg quarters? Not to worry! You can easily butcher them into the leg and thigh using a sharp knife. Look for the natural line of fat that runs between the thigh and the drumstick. This is where you'll make your cut. Hold onto the leg quarter firmly and begin cutting along that line of fat. Apply a little pressure, and you'll find that the joint separates fairly easily.
Make sure to thoroughly dry the chicken with paper towels. Moisture is the enemy of crispness, and the crackle of crisp skin is part of what makes this recipe such a winner.
Use other cuts of chicken. You can certainly use this recipe for bone-in chicken thighs or a mixture of chicken drumsticks and thighs. While this is a great chicken drumsticks recipe, you can make baked bone-in chicken breast, keeping in mind the cooking time will be longer.
Marinate the chicken for extra flavor! If I have extra time or can meal prep on the weekend, I like to give the chicken a soak in flavored buttermilk for even juicier, flavorful baked chicken. In a resealable plastic bag, place the chicken pieces along with 2 cups buttermilk, 4 smashed garlic cloves, 3 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, zest of 1 lemon, and 3 thyme springs. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Drain and pat dry before continuing with the recipe as directed.
No zip-top bag? No problem! Simply swap in a large bowl to mix everything together by hand instead.

Nutrition

Thank You! https://financepost.live/baked-chicken-legs/%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cscript%3Ewindow.wprm_recipes = {"recipe-14760":{"type":"food","name":"Baked Chicken Legs","slug":"wprm-baked-chicken-legs","image_url":"https:\/\/preppykitchen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Baked-Chicken-Legs-Recipe-Card.jpg","rating":{"count":6,"total":30,"average":5,"type":{"comment":0,"no_comment":2,"user":4},"user":0},"ingredients":[{"uid":0,"amount":"8","unit":"","name":"chicken drumsticks","notes":"(about 2\u00bd pounds\/1.13kg)","id":3866,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"8","unit":"","unitParsed":""}}},{"uid":1,"amount":"3","unit":"tablespoons","name":"olive oil","notes":"","unit_id":12100,"id":133,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"3","unit":"tablespoons","unitParsed":"tablespoons"}}},{"uid":2,"amount":"2","unit":"teaspoons","name":"smoked paprika","notes":"","unit_id":12076,"id":3349,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"teaspoons","unitParsed":"teaspoons"}}},{"uid":3,"amount":"1\u00bd","unit":"teaspoons","name":"garlic powder","notes":"","unit_id":12076,"id":1339,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1\u00bd","unit":"teaspoons","unitParsed":"teaspoons"}}},{"uid":4,"amount":"1","unit":"teaspoon","name":"onion powder","notes":"","unit_id":12051,"id":3902,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}},{"uid":5,"amount":"1","unit":"teaspoon","name":"salt","notes":"","unit_id":12051,"id":42,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}},{"uid":6,"amount":"\u00bd","unit":"teaspoon","name":"ground black pepper","notes":"","unit_id":12051,"id":62,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u00bd","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}}],"originalServings":"4","originalServingsParsed":4,"currentServings":"4","currentServingsParsed":4,"currentServingsFormatted":"4","currentServingsMultiplier":1,"originalSystem":1,"currentSystem":1,"favorite":false,"unitSystems":[1],"originalAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"currentAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"collection":{"servingsUnit":"servings","servingsUnitRaw":"servings","originalServings":"4","originalServingsParsed":4,"type":"recipe","recipeId":14760,"name":"Baked Chicken Legs","image":"https:\/\/preppykitchen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Baked-Chicken-Legs-Recipe-Card-330x330.jpg","servings":4,"parent_id":"14754","parent_url":"https:\/\/preppykitchen.com\/baked-chicken-legs\/","cachedAt":1776445595,"modifiedAt":1695936042}}}