You guys know how I love easy dinner staples, right? Baked chicken drumsticks are exactly that—an easy, no-brainer main dish recipe that you make with barely any planning or effort. Just coat the chicken with your favorite seasoning, toss them in the oven, and then focus on your side dishes or whatever else you have going on in your life while the drumsticks cook themselves. They’re easy, tasty, and the perfect “emergency” meal for when you just don’t want to have to think about, “what’s for dinner?”
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Use Bone-In, Skin-On Drumsticks (or Thighs)
Dark meat chicken, like drumsticks and thighs, is very forgiving, especially when cooked with the bone-in and skin on. The skin helps hold in the moisture and the higher fat content of the meat helps it stay tender and juicy. You can swap in bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs using the same method in the recipe below.
Chicken breast needs a slightly different technique because it is a leaner cut of meat. For a bone-in, skin-on chicken breast I suggest using the method in my Herb Roasted Chicken Breast recipe. Boneless skinless chicken breast should be cooked using the method in my Garlic Herb Baked Chicken Breast recipe.
Other Seasoning Ideas for Chicken Drumsticks
I used a very classic mix of smoked paprika, garlic, onion, and oregano for this chicken drumsticks recipe, but you can literally use any seasoning blend you like for this. There is so much flexibility! Here are a few ideas for seasoning your oven-baked chicken drumsticks:
- Ranch seasoning
- Lemon pepper
- Garlic Herb seasoning
- BBQ (use the dry seasonings in the recipe below and then brush with BBQ Sauce in the last 15 minutes of baking).
- Teriyaki
- Jerk seasoning
- Taco seasoning
Want some sauce for dipping? Try these delicious sauces with your chicken drumsticks:
- Ranch dressing
- Honey mustard sauce
- Comeback sauce
- BBQ sauce
What to Serve with Chicken Drumsticks
I made some Easy Cheesy Broccoli Rice to serve on the side of my chicken drumsticks, but it would also go great with classics like: mashed potatoes, Mushroom Rice, Three Bean Salad, Oven Roasted Broccoli, Parmesan Roasted Potatoes, Simple Sautéed Vegetables, Roasted Potatoes, Loaded Smashed Potatoes, Herby Potato Salad, or Classic Coleslaw.
Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks
Servings 6 piecesIngredients
- 1 tsp smoked paprika ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp onion powder ($0.03)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano ($0.03)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1.75 lbs. chicken drumsticks (6 pieces) ($3.42)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil* ($0.32)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Combine the smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
- Place the chicken drumsticks in a bowl and drizzle the cooking oil over top. Sprinkle the prepared seasoning over the drumsticks, then toss until they're evenly coated in oil and spices.
- Place the seasoned drumsticks on a baking sheet with enough space around each so they're not touching. You can line the baking sheet with foil or parchment for easier cleanup, if desired.
- Transfer the chicken to the oven and bake for 40 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 175ºF, flipping the drumsticks once half-way through. Serve hot.
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Equipment
- Enamelware Sheet Pan
- Tongs
- Meat Thermometer
Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Chicken Drumsticks – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Decide what herbs and spices you want to use to season your drumsticks (see the text above the recipe for some ideas). I used a simple mix of 1 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp onion powder, ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper, ¼ tsp oregano, ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper, and ½ tsp salt.
Place about 1.75 lbs. chicken drumsticks in a large bowl and drizzle 2 Tbsp of your preferred cooking oil over top.
Toss the drumsticks in the oil and spices until everything is evenly coated.
Arrange the chicken drumsticks on a baking sheet spaced out enough so they are not touching. You can line the baking sheet in parchment for easier cleanup if desired.
Bake the chicken drumsticks for about 40 minutes, turning once halfway through, or until the internal temperature reaches 175ºF.
Serve hot and enjoy! (garnished with parsley for color, not needed for flavor)
From the opinion of a total pleb of the cooking world… sometimes seasonings just taste like the individual parts, but in this case they really seemed synergistic. My sister-in-law asked what I had seasoned with.
My wife accidentally used an equivalent amount of garlic and onion powder relative to the paprika (didn’t have smoked paprika so endeavored to use a pinch of chili powder to sub), and it came out great!
I used a Combustion Inc. Leave-in Bluetooth thermometer and cooked to 165F in a little over 20 minutes. Perfecto.
We’ll absolute be making chicken drums more frequently. Quick, easy, and delicious! Thank you!
165 degrees internal chicken temp, not 175. Check the USDA website.
Many people take it out a few degrees before 165 degrees, to compensate for “carryover” temperature rise.
for cooking, i follow recipes pretty loosely. i mainly used this for the temp and time to cook. i had something like 14-16 drumsticks but 425 for 40-45 mins was ideal. i didnt flip them because i used a large roasting pan so they were sitting in the juice. i also use mayo to coat my meats before i season them. it helps prevent the spices from burning compared to using just oil. im not a condiment person At All but i highly recommend trying it. i also a recommended a digital meat thermometer for quick reads. a couple sticks were under 175 so i did do the extra five mins, probably couldve done two or three but they turned out perf. keep an eye on them since every oven is different but i would recommend this recipe. for even better flavor, try letting the sticks marinate for a day or two!
These are incredible, my family of 6 devoured these. New addition to the weekly meal plan! Thank you for these simple meals.
Brilliant. Best drumsticks I’ve ever had! Thank you.
Just made these but it only took 22 min at that temp. The drumsticks are 180°+.
It prob depends on your oven so use caution!
Yes, a great recipe indeed. Flavoursome but nothing too severe, nice for young kids, who don’t like it too spicy, you can always increase the spice amounts if you want more of a kick.
This recipe was amazing! Super easy and chicken came out perfectly cooked. I increased the salt for more flavor.
I made this tonight — WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!! 🎖️🏆 Thank you so much, Beth, for sharing this recipe. Honestly, I was really dreading making the last 5 drumsticks (from a 5lb bag) in the air fryer so I started searching for oven baked recipes and here I am. Big points for being easy and quick!!! This saved me tonight. And my bf LOVED it!! It was delicious!!! I have bookmarked this page, and signed up for the weekly emails. I will definitely be making this again. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! 💯🔥🙌💘