These crispy, Southern-style baked chicken legs are full of zesty flavor and ready for the oven with just 15 minutes of prep. An affordable, family-friendly meal!
Table of Contents
If you’re looking for more baked chicken recipes, be sure to try these crispy baked chicken wings, these oven bbq chicken thighs, and this dump-and-bake honey soy chicken, too!
A Chicken Drumstick Recipe that the Whole Family Will Love
There’s just something really fun about picking up chicken legs and digging in. Kids in particular love them! Fortunately, chicken legs are also a very budget-friendly cut of meat that’s easy to prepare and hard to mess up. Add a flavorful dry rub that you can tailor to suit your family’s preferences, and you’ve got a delicious, Southern-style meal with minimal effort!
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- This recipe calls for the part of the chicken legs known as “drumsticks.” They should have the skin on and the bone intact. The skin and bone keep the meat juicy and add great flavor.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels to absorb excess moisture before adding the oil and seasoning. This will help the skin get nice and crispy in the oven.
- Feel free to double or triple the recipe to feed a larger family. Baked chicken legs are also a fun party appetizer (similar to wings), since they can be enjoyed with your hands — no extra utensils necessary!
- For a saucy addition to the meal, baste the chicken legs with barbecue sauce during the final few minutes or serve the drumsticks with bbq sauce or Ranch dressing for dipping on the side.
How to Bake Chicken Legs in the Oven
Crispy, seasoned, baked chicken legs are one of the easiest, most affordable ways to feed your family. Just toss them with spices and the oven does the work! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Toss the chicken legs with olive oil.
- Stir together the dry rub.
- Season the chicken with the rub.
- Bake the chicken legs on a foil-lined sheet pan in a 425°F oven for 40-45 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 175-180°F on an instant-read thermometer. While 165°F is the safe minimum internal temperature for chicken according to the USDA, chicken drumsticks (and thighs) actually taste better when cooked to 175-180°F. This is because the dark meat chicken legs contain more connective tissue than white meat chicken breasts. The connective tissue breaks down more when it reaches the higher temperature, yielding tender and juicier meat. The extra cooking time also allows the collagen to turn into gelatin, creating that fall-off-the-bone texture rather than chewy or rubbery chicken.
- Let the drumsticks rest for about 5 minutes (or longer), and then garnish with chopped fresh herbs. The resting time is key to allow the juices to redistribute, and to let the chicken cool off a bit so that you don’t burn your mouth!
Serving Suggestions
These spicy, Southern baked chicken drumsticks are delicious alongside a refreshing green salad dressed in Dijon vinaigrette, cut-up veggies like celery sticks and carrot sticks with Ranch or blue cheese dressing, or a creamy cucumber dill salad. Round out the meal with side dishes like fried apples, easy coleslaw dressing, Charleston red rice, stick of butter rice, this easy potato salad recipe, grilled potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, creamy pasta salad, a skillet of this Southern cornbread recipe, 7up biscuits, or Aunt Bee’s 3-ingredient biscuit recipe. Don’t forget a side of sweet tea, too! Then, finish your meal with one bowl brownies.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: if you want to prep your drumsticks in advance for a quick and easy meal, start by patting them dry, tossing with olive oil, and seasoning with the dry rub as instructed. Refrigerate the seasoned drumsticks in an airtight container or zip-top bag for up to 24 hours before baking. For extra crispy skin, let the drumsticks sit uncovered in the fridge for the last 1-2 hours before baking. This dries the skin for better crisping.
- How to Store: baked chicken legs will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- How to Reheat: warm the drumsticks in a 375°F oven for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through and crispy again.
- How to Freeze: you can freeze the seasoned drumsticks before or after baking. Thaw raw drumsticks in the fridge overnight before baking. To freeze the baked leftovers, let the chicken cool to room temperature. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Reheat the frozen, cooked drumsticks directly from the freezer in a 375°F oven for 20-25 minutes.
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Baked Chicken Legs
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in skin-on chicken drumsticks (about 2 lbs.)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, for heat; omit or decrease if you don’t like them spicy)
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley, chives, or thyme
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place in a large bowl or Ziploc bag. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, thyme, oregano, and cayenne.
- Sprinkle the seasoning blend over the chicken and toss to coat.
- Arrange the chicken on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, turning once halfway through, until the skin is crispy and the internal temperature reaches 175-180°F on an instant-read meat thermometer. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs.
Notes
- Use this same seasoning rub and cooking method to bake bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, too.
- Omit the cayenne if your family doesn’t care for spicy chicken drumsticks.
- You can also swap out this seasoning blend for a different option. For instance, try this bbq rub, a rotisserie chicken seasoning blend, or our favorite all-purpose seasoning recipe.
Nutrition
Recipe Variations
- Use this same seasoning rub and cooking method to prepare bone-in, skin-on baked chicken thighs, too.
- Omit the cayenne if your family doesn’t care for spicy chicken drumsticks.
- You can also swap out this seasoning blend for a different option. For instance, try this bbq rub, a rotisserie chicken seasoning blend, or our favorite all-purpose seasoning recipe.
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Hi, can forgo the brown sugar please? Thank you so much.
Hi!
You can, but the flavor will be altered and the chicken won’t become as nice and brown. If preferred, coconut sugar or maple syrup would also work!