This easy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Drumsticks recipe is juicy on the inside, perfectly browned on the outside, and full of flavor. Whether baked or grilled, they're quick, easy, healthier than the fried version, and a super family-friendly dinner idea any night of the week.
Chicken drumstick recipes are great as an appetizer, served with your favorite dipping sauce, or else as a main dish along with your favorite rice, potato, or veggie side dish. For a main course, you can plan on 1 chicken drumstick per child and 2 per adult.
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Easy Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
This parmesan chicken drumstick recipe is one of those simple, adaptable dinner recipes you can feel good about feeding your family. It’s full of protein, amino acids, and healthy fats—but you don’t need to tell your little ones that! Drumsticks are always a major hit in my house.
Baked parmesan garlic chicken legs are nice to have on hand as an alternative for the winter months, or for evenings when you don’t feel like firing up the grill for just one thing. These are really as simple as preheating your oven (or grill), tossing in a bit of oil and seasoning, and baking. Once cooked, slather in garlic Parmesan butter sauce and voila!
Sides To Serve With Chicken Drumsticks
These sides would work well with grilled or baked chicken drumsticks for a BBQ, potluck or easy weeknight meal.
- Easy Spanish Rice
- Lemon Herb Rice
- Broccoli Salad with Bacon
- Wedge Salad Kabobs
- Fingerling Potatoes
- Oven Roasted Broccoli
- More Best Side Dishes
Ingredients You Will Need
- Chicken Drumsticks - you can also substitute chicken thighs, which have a similar cooking time, or chicken wings, which will cook slightly quicker.
- Oil - we like to use avocado oil, but you could substitute with canola, vegetable or olive oil.
- Salt and Black Pepper - add to taste.
- Garlic - here you can use either garlic powder or finely minced fresh garlic.
For the Sauce
- Butter - this should be melted.
- Garlic Powder - we like to use powdered garlic rather than minced since it has a nice sweetness to it, whereas the raw garlic can be a little more abrasive.
- Parmesan Cheese - you want to use finely grated Parmesan cheese. In fact, the cheese from the can will actually work just fine in this case!
- Red Pepper Flakes - you can add a little more or less, depending on your heat preference.
- Parsley - fresh chopped parsley adds such a nice freshness to round out all of the flavors in these drumsticks.
How to Make Baked Chicken Drumsticks
- Prep the chicken. Remove drumsticks from their package and gently pat them dry with a paper towel.
- Season. Drizzle avocado oil over the chicken in a large bowl, then add the garlic powder, salt and pepper. Toss until the drumsticks are completely coated.
- Bake. Place drumsticks on the baking rack on the baking sheet, making sure that they are not touching. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until a digital thermometer reads 165 degrees.
- Make the garlic parmesan sauce. While the drumsticks are in the oven, mix together the melted butter, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and parsley in a small bowl.
- Serve. Toss the hot drumsticks in the Garlic Parmesan sauce until they are completely coated. Serve immediately with your favorite blue cheese or ranch dressing. Enjoy!
Tips For Making the Best Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks
- Make sure to pat the drumsticks dry before you start. It helps them live up to their full crispy potential.
- Make only as many as you will want to eat. They don’t reheat well.
- If they just aren’t getting crispy enough in the oven, you can toss them in the broiler for 1-2 minutes to finish them off.
- Using a baking rack for baked drumsticks helps the fat drip down underneath so it isn’t cooking in it and getting soggy.
- We highly recommend using fresh herbs, but in a pinch you can substitute dried. If you are using dried herbs, try rubbing them together in your hands to release a little more of the oils and making them more flavorful.
- For a fresh and zesty finish, serve with lemon wedges so that each person can squeeze fresh lemon juice over their drumsticks.
Frequently Asked Questions
First off, you're chicken is done once the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees F. Be sure to check the temperature on the largest drumstick! With that in mind, you can reference this guide depending on the temperature of your oven:
-350 F for about 50-55 minutes
-375 F for about 50 minutes
-400 F about 45 minutes
-425 F for about 35-40 minutes
You can thaw frozen chicken drumsticks in the microwave but we have found it's best to thaw them in warm water. It keeps the drumsticks a more even temperature and your cooked drumsticks will have better results.
1. Place your frozen chicken in a ziplock bag.
2. Put warm water in a bowl.
3. Submerge the drumsticks in the water. (You may need to place something heavy on the drumsticks)
4. Add some warm water to the bowl every 30 minutes or so.
5. It will take an hour or two to thaw the drumsticks.
I bake chicken drumsticks at 400 degrees as this temperature gets the skin nice and crispy and bakes the chicken fast enough so that it never has a chance to dry out.
How to Grill Chicken Drumsticks
Grilling drumsticks is quick and easy, and a great way to make these chicken legs during the summer months when you don’t want to heat up the kitchen.
- Preheat the grill. Preheat to medium-high, or about 375- 400 degrees.
- Prep the chicken. Remove the drumsticks from their packaging and gently pat them dry with a paper towel.
- Season. In a large bowl, add the drumsticks and drizzle avocado oil over them. Then, add the garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Toss until the drumsticks are completely coated.
- Grill. Cook for 5-8 minutes on one side, until the chicken is golden brown. Flip the drumsticks and cook for another 7-8 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 165 degrees F.
- Mix the garlic parmesan butter. While the drumsticks are on the grill, mix together the melted butter, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and parsley in a small bowl.
- Serve. Toss the hot drumsticks in the Garlic Parmesan butter, making sure they are completely coated. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes, then serve hot.
Easy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
Ingredients
Drumstick Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs Drumsticks
- ⅛ cup Avocado Oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Garlic minced
Garlic Parmesan Sauce for Drumsticks
- ⅔ cup Butter melted
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese finely grated
- 1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 Tablespoon Parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and set a baking rack on top. Remove drumsticks from their package and gently pat them dry with a paper towel.
- In a large bowl, add the drumsticks. Drizzle avocado oil over them, then add the garlic powder, salt and pepper. Toss until the drumsticks are completely coated.
- Place drumsticks on the baking rack on the baking sheet, making sure that they are not touching.
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until a digital thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the chicken, and the drumsticks are golden brown.
- While the drumsticks are in the oven, mix together the melted butter, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes and parsley in a small bowl.
- When the drumsticks are done, remove from the oven and toss the hot drumsticks in the Garlic Parmesan sauce until they are completely coated. Serve immediately with your favorite blue cheese or ranch dressing. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More Easy Chicken Drumstick Recipes
- Simple Chicken Drumsticks
- Mediterranean Drumsticks
- Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks
- Buffalo Drumsticks
- BBQ Drumsticks
- Garlic and Herb Chicken Drumsticks
- More Chicken Recipes
- More Easy Weeknight Meal Ideas
Whether baked or grilled, this is the best chicken drumstick recipe. This chicken legs recipe is juicy on the inside, perfectly browned on the outside and full of flavor. They make a quick, easy and healthy dinner that you can feel good about feeding to your family any night of the week.
HIreland
Super Easy for a non-enthusiest! I cook because I need to eat, and it's cheaper than eating out. Thanks for the extra thorough explanations and tips. Drumsticks were tasty, crispy and enjoyed.
Stephanie
I was craving these style of wings from our favorite wing joint, but had drumsticks on hand so this recipe worked perfectly for my craving. I cut the recipe in half for the two of us. It created plenty of sauciness for our 5 drumsticks. The Mister really enjoyed these as well.
Sandi
The whole family loved this easy chicken recipe.
Gina
DELICIOUS!! Thank you for the recipe!