These baked chicken legs are just begging to be eaten! This delicious recipe makes the most flavorful chicken drumsticks with an extra crispy skin that’ll make your mouth water.
Juicy Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
You can’t go wrong with easy baked chicken legs! They’re simple to make, cook quickly, and are loaded with juicy flavor.
In this recipe, we used our homemade seasoning blend that is just heavenly. However, there are so many ways to flavor this family favorite — so feel free to get creative with it!
Pair your baked chicken legs with our crispy air fryer potatoes, sautéed green beans, and Caprese quinoa salad to make it a delicious AND nutritious meal.
Why Bake Chicken Legs?
If you’ve had our crispy baked chicken thighs, baked spatchcock chicken, and baked everything bagel chicken wings, then you know exactly why you should make these baked chicken legs!
Here’s the deal: chicken legs have dark meat, which means they’ll come out more flavorful and tender as they have a higher fat content compared to the white meat of a chicken breast.
But don’t let this fattier meat scare you away! They are rich in nutrients like niacin, selenium, and vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B6, iron, zinc, pantothenic acid, and phosphorus.
What kind of chicken legs should I buy?
We always recommend going organic/all-natural and free-range when possible. Yes, they cost a little bit more, but I promise you the flavor and texture will make up for it! Plus, in general, chicken legs are one of the more inexpensive parts of the chicken (in comparison to the breast), so going organic isn’t actually that bad cost-wise.
Some of our favorite humane chicken brands include:
- Just BARE Chicken
- Gold’n Plump Chicken
- 365 (Whole Foods brand)
This grilled chicken leg recipe calls for 1 lb. of chicken legs, and you will likely get around 6 medium/large chicken legs per pound. As always, you can easily double or even triple this recipe by multiplying it by 2 or 3.
Simple Ingredients Needed
- Homemade chicken seasoning: in this baked chicken legs recipe, we’re using our all-purpose chicken seasoning. You can also marinate your chicken legs instead.
- Chicken legs: chicken legs are the star of the show. You’ll need around 1.25 lbs. for this recipe.
- Olive oil: olive oil is used to help the dry rub stick to the chicken legs.
The BEST All-Purpose Chicken Seasoning
Every chicken leg deserves a yummy in my tummy seasoning to make it extra crunchy and crispy on the outside and oh-so flavorful. This chicken seasoning is made with pretty common dried herbs and spices that you likely have on hand already. Here is everything you need:
- Garlic powder
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Dried thyme
- Ground mustard
- Dried basil
- Ground pepper
- Red pepper flakes
- Sea salt
- Paprika
- Brown sugar
Other Methods of Cooking
Want delicious chicken legs, but don’t want to use the oven? Try either of these chicken legs recipes:
How to Make Oven-Baked Chicken Drumsticks
PREHEAT OVEN
Preheat the oven to 425ºF and set a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Spray the wire rack with non-stick cooking spray.
Pro Tip: Sometimes, some of the chicken seasonings fall onto the baking sheet and burn. To avoid burning, pour ¼ cup of water onto the baking sheet.
SEASON CHICKEN
Next, pour the all-purpose chicken seasoning onto a plate and roll each chicken leg in the seasoning mixture until it is completely coated in spices.
DRIZZLE + BAKE
Transfer the chicken legs to the wire rack and drizzle the chicken legs with olive oil. Bake the chicken legs for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking time.
SERVE + ENJOY
Remove the chicken from the oven when the internal temperature is 165ºF and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy your tasty baked chicken legs!
Flavor Variations
SEASONINGS
While we think our all-purpose chicken seasoning is epic, you can use various homemade seasonings, too. Use around 2-3 tablespoons per pound. Here are some other ideas:
MARINADES
Want to use a chicken marinade instead? Check out some of our favorite easy chicken marinades below.
Top Tips for Oven Baked Chicken Legs
- Line your baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray for less mess and easy clean-up.
- We like to bake our chicken legs at 425°F to get the crispiest skins. Make sure you turn your chicken halfway so that every side is nice and crispy!
- The best way to tell if your chicken is done cooking is by using an instant meat thermometer. Cooked chicken should read at 165°F. But with legs, you can cook them a bit longer if you’d rather not have red spots by the bone. Either way, your chicken legs will still be juicy and tender!
Storage
Let the chicken legs cool completely. Then, store crispy chicken legs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
Freezer Instructions
After Cooked: Let crispy chicken legs cool completely. Then, transfer them to a freezer-safe gallon-size bag and remove as much air as possible. Seal and freeze for up to 3 months.
Before Cooked: Place all raw ingredients into a freezer-safe gallon-size bag. Remove as much air as possible and seal. Freeze for up to 3 months.
When you are ready for cooking, allow the frozen chicken thighs to thaw fully before baking.
