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Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks – just 5 minutes of prep work and around 40 minutes in the oven, these are easy to make, crispy, flavorful and delicious. Perfect for lunch or dinner. Pair with potatoes, salads, rice or vegetables. Great for meal planning. Low carb and Keto friendly. Gluten and sugar free.
Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
Looking for a quick and effortless budget friendly dinner? Why not make some chicken drumsticks? Just coat in a simple seasoning and bake in the oven to perfection. Minimal effort for a tasty, protein packed meal.
These cook relatively fast and are more difficult to overcook compared to boneless chicken breast of boneless chicken thighs.
Choose medium sized bone in skin on chicken drumsticks, that are similar in size, so they cook evenly together.
How long to bake chicken drumsticks for at 400 F ?
The answer is that it depends on the size of the chicken drumsticks and type of oven and baking dish.
For chicken drumsticks that are 3-4 oz each (85-113 grams), bake at 400 F (200 C) for 30-40 minutes, until the internal temperature of the chicken meat is 170 F (76 C).
How to bake chicken drumsticks?
These crispy, non breaded, skin on chicken drumsticks are first cleaned and par dried with paper towels.
Then you mix the seasoning to form a thin paste in a bowl.
Season the chicken drumsticks, make sure they are evenly coated with the paste.
Place on a baking sheet and cook for 30-40 minutes at 400 F until the meat is fully cooked (170 F).
You can bake them directly on a flat baking dish, or use a rimmed one, to ensure all sides of the drumstick are crispy.
Seasoning variations:
For this recipe, you can use various seasonings, you can dry rub or marinate the chicken drumsticks. The problem is that I don’t always have the time necessary for marinating chicken (thighs, wings or breast).
It requires at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours of marinating in order to achieve good results. While I like brined chicken, this is usually not an option for when I cook on a weekday.
For this Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks Recipe I’ve chosen a simple combination of spices (pantry staples), mixed with some olive oil (to make the chicken drumstick skin crispy and help the seasoning bond to the meat), lemon juice (optional), soy sauce (optional), Hot Sauce (optional) and some Dijon mustard (optional).
If you decide to skip the optional ingredients and just go with the dry spices and olive oil, the final result will be also great. I just find that the mustard, hot sauce, lemon juice and soy sauce add an amazing balanced flavor to this chicken meal.
Seasoning:
Spices I used in this recipe are:
- salt
- black pepper
- smoked paprika
- garlic powder
- onion powder
Sauces to serve with:
These chicken drumsticks baked in the oven taste delicious on their own, but you can serve them with some sauces on the side.
- They go well with Keto bbq sauce
- Tzatziki or Bulgarian cucumber yogurt salad
- Keto ketchup (may sound weird, but I like the taste)
- Teriyaki sauce
Can skinless chicken drumsticks be used?
Yes, you can use skinless drumsticks, but the final result will not be as crispy. Bake for about 5 minutes less, or until the meat is fully cooked.
What to serve with?
- Turmeric Roasted Potatoes
- Black Rice Salad Recipe
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Easy Cabbage Salad
- Crispy Air Fryer Small Potatoes
More Chicken Recipes:
- Baked Split Chicken Breast
- These Chicken Leg Quarters from Food Doodles are very easy to make and require just 5 ingredients and 5 minutes to put together.
- One Pot Chicken And Rice
- Baked Chicken Drumsticks
- Whole Roasted Chicken With Potatoes
Easy Baked Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 chicken drumsticks, medium size, about 3-4 oz each, skin on
- 1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1-2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp lemon juice, optional
- 1/4 tsp hot sauce, optional, I used Sriracha
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika, or smoked paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C).
- Line a baking sheet with foil (optional). Arrange the drumsticks on the baking sheet.
- Alternatively - use a rimmed baking sheet.
- In a bowl combine the olive oil, Dijon Mustard, soy sauce, lemon juice, hot sauce salt, pepper garlic powder, onion powder and paprika. Stir to combine.
- Coat the chicken drumsticks with the seasoning mixture.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes (more or less), until the internal temperature of the chicken meat is 165-170 F.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Comfort food to me. Looks very yummy for lunch or diner