These Quick Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks are crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside, and can be made in under 30 minutes. Plus, they only require a few ingredients so they are perfect to make on a busy weeknight.
These are baked at 400 degrees F with a little bit of butter on top of each drumstick meaning they will cook quickly and taste absolutely delicious. Season with a little salt, pepper, paprika, onion, garlic and enjoy!
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Quick Chicken Drumsticks Recipes
Drumsticks are amazing because they are not only delicious but ridiculously inexpensive, too! They can be used as a substitute in any chicken thigh or chicken leg recipe, and you can get away with spending just a few bucks on an entire meal for a large family. Note: a good rule of thumb is to serve 1 drumstick per kid, or 2 per adult.
The secret to getting that crispy oven-fried flavor is buttering up the skin, so be sure to keep the skin on for this delicious recipe. We season these with onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika but you can use this as a base and get creative.
Check out our video that will guide you through making this Simple Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks recipe step-by-step. Trust us - they are so good, and so easy!
Oven-Baked Chicken Drumsticks Video Tutorial
What To Serve With Drumsticks
Chicken drumsticks are the kind of dish that will go great with just about anything, especially since these are so simply seasoned. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Potato Sides: Hasselback Potato, Bacon Scalloped Potatoes, Sweet Potato Fries
- Rice Sides: Green Chili Casserole, Garlic Parmesan Rice, Lime Rice
- Veggie Sides: Cinnamon Squash, Broccoli with Garlic and Lemon,
- Salads: German Potato Salad, Broccoli Salad, Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredients in Oven Baked Chicken Drumstick
- Chicken Drumsticks - if you want, you can substitute chicken thighs or chicken legs. Just keep in mind that the cooking time will vary.
- Salt & Pepper
- Flour - all-purpose flour works great.
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Paprika
- Butter - the butter is key to this recipe, and we recommend about ½ tablespoon of butter per drumstick. You can substitute olive oil if you want to reduce the saturated fat slightly, but we recommend brushing it on.
How to Bake Chicken Drumsticks in the Oven
- Prepare the chicken. Pat the drumsticks dry, then season with salt and pepper on all sides.
- Coat with flour mixture. In a small bowl, combine the flour, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika and mix to combine. Toss half of the drumsticks and half of the flour mixture together until the chicken is coated. Repeat with the rest of the drumsticks and flour mixture.
- Bake. Place the floured chicken onto a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and add a ½ tablespoon slice of butter onto the top of each drumstick. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and brush the melted butter on over the drumsticks. Return to the oven and bake for about 10 more minutes, or until the drumsticks are golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- Serve. Remove the drumsticks from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving. Finish with a little squeeze of lemon juice if you’d like. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
You want the oven temperature to be nice and hot, but not too hot! We’ve settled at 400 degrees - this temperature gets the skin nice and crispy and bakes the chicken fast enough so that it never has a chance to dry out in the oven.
If you try to bake them much lower, you risk dry chicken with no crispy skin. Or, if you try much higher and you may torch the outside before the chicken cooks through completely.
At 400 degrees, drumsticks should only take around 20-25 minutes to bake all the way through to 165 degrees F.
The cooking time may vary, depending on how crowded your oven is, how often you open the oven door and simply the oven itself, so always be sure to use an instant-read thermometer to check the doneness.
A chicken leg includes both the drumstick and the thigh. A drumstick is, well, just the drumstick! You can absolutely substitute either chicken legs or chicken thighs in this recipe, you will just need to adjust the baking time depending on the size of each piece of chicken.
More Easy Chicken Leg Recipes
- Buffalo Drumsticks
- Garlic Parmesan Drumsticks
- Honey Soy Drumsticks
- Garlic Butter Drumsticks
- More Chicken Recipes
Quick Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs Chicken Drumsticks skin on
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- ½ cup Flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Paprika
- ⅓ cup Butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place drumsticks onto a paper towel and pat them dry, then season with salt and pepper on all sides.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika and mix to combine.
- In a ziplock bag or large bowl, toss half of the drumsticks and half of the flour mixture together until the chicken is coated. Repeat with the rest of the drumsticks and flour mixture.
- Place the floured chicken onto a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and add a ½ tablespoon slice of butter onto the top of each drumstick.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and brush the melted butter on over the drumsticks. Return to the oven and bake for about 10 more minutes, or until the drumsticks are golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- Remove the drumsticks from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More Chicken Recipes
- Chicken Spaghetti- This is a really esy weekday meal the entire family will love.
- Honey Soy Chicken- Another great baked chicken recipe and the sauce on this one is so yummy!
- Crockpot Tuscan Chicken- This is an easy recipe you can make the chicken breasts or cut it up and then serve it over pasta too.
- Baked Chicken- This one is just for Chicken Breasts but is one of the most popular recipes on my site. I hope you love it too!
- Southwest Chicken- This one is a grilled version and has some fun Southwest flavors, another healthy chicken recipe.
These Simple Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks are crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside and can be made in under 30 minutes. Plus, they only require a few ingredients so they are perfect to make on a busy weeknight.
Victoria
Made this tonight, and it was a hit! My husband loved it! Took a lot longer to brown up, and I kept turning it over every 10 minutes. It kinda fries in the butter on the bottom of pan , so by flipping it every so often, it browned evenly and didn’t burn. Took more like 40 minutes to cook perfectly juicy and crispy, but it was delicious and a really good alternative to deep fry. I’m thinking next time I will melt the butter, rub it on the chicken and then coat with flour.
Traci
I usually don't leave comments but ?onight I was tired and looking for a quick, easy but tasty drumstick dinner and this recipe didn't disappoint. Drumsticks were large and my oven is strange lol, so slight changes, cooked for 40 minutes, added melted butter each time I turned the chicken and then broiled the last 3 minutes. Wonderful taste and perfect. Served with wild and brown rice and seasoned green beans. Husband loved?Thank you!
Thalia
Going to make this tonight for my partner and I. Can't wait!
Marianne
Thank you very much!!!
I will try it on Sunday.
Have a nice week!
Marianne