These easy Baked Drumsticks are a quick and budget friendly chicken recipe that the whole family will love.
Baking chicken drumsticks couldn’t be easier. Throw them into a pan, toss in some oil and bake in an oven preheated to 220C/430F for 35 minutes.
At their very simplest I would recommend sprinkling with a little salt.
Or you can follow my simple steps below to make an easy marinade from storecupboard staples that will take your drumsticks from good… to GREAT!
How to make an easy chicken marinade
In a small bowl pour in a little oil. I’m using avocado oil, but you can use which ever oil you prefer to cook with.
To the same bowl, add your flavourings. Your world is literally your oyster at this point. So feel free to swap out the herbs or spices you don’t have/like for ones you do.
I chose to use: salt, pepper, mixed herbs, garlic powder and smoked paprika.
You could also use a premade spice blend such as fajita spice, harissa or a BBQ dry rub.
Just roughly follow the oil to spice ratio in the recipe box below and I’m sure it’ll taste just great!
Mix the ingredients together, then pour all over your chicken drumsticks.
At this point I like to get my hands in and massage the flavour into the chicken.
However I appreciate that not everyone like to get their hands as dirty as I do, so if this freaks you out, just toss the drumsticks around in the oil as best you can.
Oven baking chicken drumsticks
At this point you can leave the chicken to marinade for up to 12 hours in the fridge, or you can cook them straight away.
When you are ready to cook, lay the drumsticks out on baking sheet.
Aim for them not to touch, as wherever the chicken touches, the skin will steam rather than go nice and crispy.
When you’ve finished transferring the chicken to the baking tray, you’ll likely have a little puddle of marinade left in the bottom of the mixing bowl.
Don’t let that go to waste!
Use a spoon or a basting brush to top each chicken leg with the remaining spiced oil.
How long to bake chicken drumsticks?
I like to preheat my oven to 220C (430F) when I bake chicken drumsticks so the skin gets nice and crispy. At this temp they take 35-40 minutes to cook.
However if your oven only goes up to 200C (400F), then cook them for 40-45 minutes.
How do I know if my drumsticks are cooked and safe to eat?
If you have a food thermometer, you can insert the tip into the thickest part of the drumstick and take the internal temperature.
Chicken is cooked and safe to eat when it is at or above 74C (165F).
I hope you love this easy chicken recipe as much as we do! Feel free to tag me in any pics you share online. You can find me pretty much everywhere as @hedgecomber.
- 3 Tbsp Oil
- 1 Tsp Mixed herbs
- 1 Tsp Garlic powder
- 1 Tsp Smoked paprika
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Black pepper
- 8 Chicken drumsticks – skin on, bone in
Preheat the oven to 220C/430F.
In a small bowl, mix together the oil, herbs and all the spices.
Place the chicken drumsticks into a large mixing bowl and pour over the oil mixture.
Use your hands to massage the oil into the meat, ensuring each piece is well coated.
Tip the drumsticks into a large ovenproof baking tray.
Spread them out so they don’t touch.
Scrape any remaining spiced oil from the mixing bowl and pour or brush it over the chicken pieces.
Place the baking tray into the oven and set the timer for 35 minutes.
If you have a meat thermometer, check that the internal temperature at the thickest part of the chicken has reached 74C/165F.
If not, or if the skin is not quite as crispy as you’d like, return to the oven for 5 more minutes.
It won’t dry the meat out, even if its at the correct temperature, due to the skin on each drumstick.
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