Baked Chicken Legs Drumsticks

Easy Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks

I set out to make the perfect baked chicken legs and after many batches settled upon what I found to be the best suited marinade and baking method. While the others were good, things like a simple seasoning left us craving more bright flavor, and a sweet and sticky asian marinade baked in a baking dish left us wanting more browned flavor and crispy skin. Chicken, lemon, garlic and fresh herbs are always a combination you can’t go wrong with and this recipe is proof. Simple fresh flavors are usually the best flavor enhancers. And of course you’ll appreciate how easy this is! Just blitz together a quick sauce in the food processor, marinate the chicken legs in it, then bake in the oven on a baking sheet until cooked through. So easy right? With this recipe you have the option to serve them right from the oven with crispy skin, or at the end baste with the final 1/4 cup reserved sauce. It’s a hard choice for me personally, that’s why I’ll leave it up to you. Who can resist that crispy chicken skin, but you may also love the extra flavor of that herb sauce (it’s just that the oils and liquids in it will quickly soften that crispy skin). So you may just opt to serve the remaining chimichurri sauce tossed with a vegetable side dish instead (potatoes or corn are a great option). Either way you are going to LOVE this chicken!

WATCH HOW TO MAKE THEM

Baked Chicken Legs Recipe Ingredients

1 cup (slightly packed) fresh parsley leaves (about 1 fairly large bunch) 4 green onions, root ends trimmed, cut into thirds 2 tsp dried oregano 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed 1/2 cup olive oil 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (adjust to desired heat level) 1 1/2 tsp salt (plus a few pinches), or season as desired 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 10 large (3.5 lb to 4 lb) chicken drumsticks

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How to Make Baked Chicken Drumsticks Marinade

How Long to Bake Chicken Legs

In a 400 degree oven baked chicken drumsticks take about 35 to 45 minutes to cook through depending on their size. Here’s the how to for this recipe:

Possible Variations

Use 8 to 10 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs in place of chicken drumsticks. Try other herbs in the marinade. Stick with the parsley but in place of the green onion you can use 1/2 cup basil or cilantro leaves. Adjust heat to taste. You can do this is by adding more or less red pepper flakes, or add a fresh red chili to the herb mixture. Omit the vinegar and make the marinade with all lemon juice and no vinegar if you don’t have red wine vinegar on hand. Or just sub another vinegar like white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar for the red wine vinegar. Use red onion (1/3 cup) or 1 small shallot in place of the green onions for bolder flavor.

Helpful Tips for the Best Baked Chicken Legs

Be sure to adequately season with salt in the marinade, we are using several pounds so they’ll need a fair amount. The reserved sauce won’t need very much. Use a dark baking sheet if you have one to encourage browning. Also roast one level up from the center. Still every oven is a little different so if you find they haven’t browned to your liking at the end then simply broil during the last few minutes, just keep a close eye on them. I recommend using larger chicken drumsticks here so you get more meat. It will also allow more baking and browning time to use larger ones. If you want crispy skin, hold the remaining marinade, if you want even more flavor use the extra reserved marinade (not the marinade from the bag this would make you sick!). Test center of the legs to 165 near bone of thickest portion to ensure they’ve cooked through. Soak the pan in water for easy clean up.