Crispy baked chicken legs (drumsticks) are fast and easy, with about 5 minutes of prep time. Use a simple seasoning and then bake for about 35 minutes with convection—perfectly crispy, moist, and tender every time.
🐓Ingredients
Chicken Legs (drumsticks)
Seasoning—salt, black pepper, and garlic powder mixture (All-Purpose Seasoning) OR
Optional seasoning of your choice
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Featured Comment from Gillian:
"I'm so happy I found your recipe! I've never found a simple chicken recipe I liked very much, but this looks like The One!"
Everybody needs great chicken recipes, and this healthy baked chicken legs recipe is one of the easiest and best for the home cook. Even the pickiest kids love baked chicken drumsticks.
It's easy and quick to prep in only 5 minutes with simple seasoning. Then, cook at a high oven temperature for crispy skin without frying for about 35 minutes. Perfect for a healthy low-fat or low-carb diet.
👨🍳How to Bake Chicken Legs—Step-by-Step
1. Preheat oven to 425° convection. Pat dry the chicken legs with paper towels.
2. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and add a rack sprayed with PAM cooking spray. The rack allows all sides of the chicken to cook evenly out of drainage. You can cook without the rack but should flip halfway through cooking.
3. Trim off any extra skin and any loose joint pieces.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper. You can use other seasonings if you wish. We use All Purpose Seasoning - 7:2:1 and 7:2:2, which includes garlic powder.
5. Place the legs on a prepared sheet pan with the thicker part of the chicken legs towards the outside of the tray.
6. Cook to 185° to 195° internal temp—about 35 minutes. DO NOT STOP SHORT of 185° and use an instant-read thermometer. Let the cooked drumsticks sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
⏰How long to bake chicken legs (drumsticks)
It takes about 35 minutes at 425° to cook chicken legs in the oven to 185° internal temperature. The variables are the chicken leg size and the oven temperature.
- Chicken legs at 350°F convection or 375°F conventional – about 45-50 minutes
- Chicken legs at 375°F convection or 400°F conventional – about 40-45 minutes
- Chicken legs at 400°F convection or 425°F conventional – about 35-40 minutes
- Chicken legs at 425°F convection – about 35 minutes (I don't suggest 450°F conventional—instead, do 425°F conventional and add a few minutes)
The best cooking temperature is 400° or 425° for the most crispy skin. Lower oven temperatures, like 350° or 375°, will produce a slightly less crisp skin.
Always use an instant-read thermometer. COOK TO A FINAL INTERNAL TEMPERATURE. PLEASE, NEVER BY TIME ALONE.
♨️Pro Tips—get it right every time
- DO NOT SKIP THE PAT DRY; you will remove excess moisture that prevents crispy skin. Please see Chicken: To Rinse or Not To Rinse?
- Oil is optional, and if used, brush on before seasoning. It will change the final texture of the skin from thin and crispy to a little thicker but moisturized.
- Cooking on a rack removes the meat from the baking sheet and the drainage. Then, with convection, all sides of the legs will be cooked evenly. But if you don't have a rack, flip about 20 minutes into cooking.
- Cook at high temp, and you must use an instant-read thermometer to be sure you get to 185°. Do not guess.
- Let the chicken legs set for 5 to 10 minutes after cooking. Fluid will form between the meat cells during cooking, and the rest will allow it to reabsorb for juicy and tenderer results.
Seasoning options
We always use All Purpose Seasoning - 7:2:1 and 7:2:2, which is salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. But use the seasoning you love—some good options are onion powder, smoked paprika, poultry season, or other seasoning blends. For a touch of heat, add some cayenne pepper.
For BBQ chicken legs, add a BBQ rub or skip any dry seasoning and brush on some BBQ sauce near the end of cooking.
Marinaded with Italian dressing, teriyaki sauce, or lemon butter marinade will add a lot of flavors.
What chicken to use?
Use bone-in skin-on chicken legs (drumsticks). The cut joint area may have loose parts that should be trimmed along with excess skin.
Chicken legs are also known as chicken drumsticks. A chicken leg quarter with a thigh still attached to the drumstick is less commonly called a chicken leg. If you are cooking chicken leg quarters, please follow the Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs, which is similar but covers some other issues.
If you use previously frozen chicken legs, the meat may have some pink staining that looks like blood. This is the breakdown of the bone marrow, and the chicken is still safe if cooked to 165° minumin.
🌡️The best final temperature internal temp for chicken legs is 185°+
The best final internal temperature for oven-baked chicken legs is 185° or higher when the connective tissue melts, and the meat becomes moist and tender.
The connective tissue will start to melt at 175°. By 185°, you will get moist and tender results. America Test Kitchen takes it further for both thighs and drumsticks, suggesting 190° to 195° as the target internal temperature range. See American Test Kitchen (subscription required).
Many want to cook chicken legs to 165°, the minimum safe internal temperature for chicken per the FDA, but they will be tough and stringy from connective tissue.
Other Chicken Recipes
Add some great char to your chicken legs or thighs on your backyard BBQ gas grill with Grilled Chicken Drumsticks and Grilled Chicken Thighs.
Try these other chicken recipes, like Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs, Oven-Baked Chicken Wings, or Baked Split Chicken Breasts. Or, if you are having a party, check out how to cook chicken for 50 to 100 people.
Serving
Serve with a green salad and your favorite hot side dishes of Convection Oven Baked French Fries, baked rice, broccoli, Microwave Corn on the Cob, or Roasted Red Potatoes.
How to store leftovers?
Seal in an airtight container and refrigerate for 4 days or freeze for 4 months. If frozen, thaw first, then reheat in an oven or an air fryer. A microwave may be used, but it may affect the texture.
❓FAQs
A lot of fat and fluid drains while cooking chicken drumsticks. You can cook drumsticks without a rack if you flip halfway through cooking, but you will be happier with a rack. The cooking will be more even, quicker, and easier to clean up.
You can if you wish. Without oil, the skin will be dry and crispy, but with a bit of olive oil or cooking spray before seasoning, it will be thicker and slightly less crispy.
No, it will interfere with the cooking and trap moisture, preventing crispier skin.
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.
📖 Recipe
Baked Chicken Legs - Quick and Easy
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 6 legs Chicken legs - about 1 ½ lbs-Scale to as many as you want
- salt and pepper to taste or other seasoning - or 7:2:1 or 7:2:2 seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° convection. Pat dry the chicken legs with paper towels.
- Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and add a rack sprayed with PAM cooking spray. The rack allows all sides of the chicken to cook evenly out of drainage. You can cook without the rack but should flip halfway through cooking.
- Trim off any extra skin and any loose joint pieces.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. You can use other seasonings if you wish. We use All Purpose Seasoning - 7:2:1 and 7:2:2, which includes garlic powder.
- Place the legs on a prepared sheet pan with the thicker part of the chicken legs towards the outside of the tray.
- Cook to 185° to 195° internal temp—about 35 minutes. DO NOT STOP SHORT of 185° and use an instant-read thermometer. Let the cooked drumsticks sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
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Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- DO NOT SKIP THE PAT DRY, or you will not have crispy skin.
- Cooking on a rack to get the meat off the pan to cook evenly and out of the drainage. If no rack, then flip at 20 minutes.
- Cook at high temp and you must use a thermometer to be sure you get to 185°+. Do not guess.
- Spice as you want.
- Scale to any amount you need
- For BBQ chicken legs, skip the seasoning or use a BBQ dry rub, then brush with your favorite BBQ sauce for the last 5 minutes.
- Good refrigerated for 3-4 days. Or will freeze well for 3-4 months.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's Note: This article was originally published on September 9, 2012. It has been updated with discussion and photos to improve the presentation and add more information. The recipe remains the same. Please enjoy the update.
Lisa says
Um.....first off, I want to say that I have NEVER cooked or baked chicken drumsticks. Frankly, because I was scared and I had no idea HOW to even do it. Well, I finally got tired of just always having meat-free meals at home, so I tried this recipe. I just polished off three drumsticks by myself. They were that good! Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I now have so much more confidence about my ability to cook meat :) I literally showed off my "finished" pictures of the drumsticks to all my friends. That's how excited and proud I was.
DrDan says
Thanks for the note and rating. Glad it worked so well for you.
Have a look around, maybe take a chicken breast recipe for a spin also
DrDan
Kathleen says
Gonna give this a try for the meal tonight. Cooking for grandkids. I'll let you know what they thought of the
way I found for their wings. They are so used to eating what comes from the bag. Nana only cooks fresh.
They do love the fresh stuff.
Thanks for the tips.
Kathleen
DrDan says
I hope it works well for you
Thanks for the note.
DrDan
Pipit says
this is THE BEST recipe I've ever got in the internet. Gonna do it all over again :) Thanks!
DrDan says
Thanks for the note.
DrDan
Brandy says
First time cooking chicken legs (or really any meat that isn't cooked in the crockpot) and it was very easy and very delicious! Has the crunch of fried chicken but is healthier and doesn't leave you feeling greasy. Thanks!
DrDan says
Thanks for the note and the rating.
Check around the site and I think you will find other beginner recipes... Try some of the oven skinless chicken breast recipes.
Thanks again
DrDan
DrDan says
Thanks for the note and rating. I use oil or butter on a turkey due to the length of the cooking but these quick cooks are better without (I my opinion)
DrDan
AmeliaBedelia says
At first I was skeptical, since I always use at least some oil to help crisp up the skin and it seemed too easy to really be any good. But everyone else raved, so I tried it. DELICIOUS! I'll never make drumsticks the same way ever again!
Michelle says
Welp....here goes nothin'! I'm not a fan of bone-in chicken, but there was a really good deal on drumsticks at the grocery, so I'm going for it! I searches the good ole Google, and found your yummy sounding recipe. I was glad to find it because I really wanna try to find a "drummies for dummies" website. LOL
I'll check back in with my success/failure story :-p
Thanks for sharing this!
DrDan says
Thanks for the note. You should give some of the bone in chicken breast recipes a try also. Hope this one works well for you.
DrDan
Pam says
uh oh.....I'm using a cooling rack in the oven! Hope I'm in for a surprise!
( I'm not a cook.... My first try)
DrDan says
Most cooking racks are oven safe I believe.
DrDan
Loryn says
Thank you for posting this recipe. I used this recipe tonight for my first time ever cooking Drumsticks, and it was delicious! It was so easy to prepare and it tasted amazing! It took all my strength not to eat all 5 of the drumsticks!
DrDan says
Hi Loryn,
Glad it worked for you. It is one of the standard at our house.
Thanks for the note and rating
DrDan
Eudoxia says
My chicken was crispy and juicy on the inside. It took 45 minutes, but it was worth the wait.
DrDan says
Thanks so much for the note and rating.
It is so important to cook to the endpoint not a time. I haven't heard back from Kristian (the comment above yours) about the issue she was having.
DrDan
kristen Brakeman says
I've been cooking these legs for 50 minutes and they're still at 150 degrees internally - My kids are famished.
Why is this taking so long?
I'm using 3 different meat thermometers.
35 minutes seemed too short when I read it.
DrDan says
Hummm.... 425 convection has never taken move then 40 minutes for me (and apparently others). So assuming three meat thermometers aren't all wrong then the only variable left is the oven or the meat. I assume the drumsticks are not frozen to start then I suspect your oven temp is significant off. You can check with a oven thermometer. Have you had issues with other recipes in this oven?
Dan
Kerri says
Thank you so much for this!!!! The drumsticks were perfect! I've never been good at baking them before and needed this step-by-step instructions!
DrDan says
Glad it worked for you.
Thanks for the note and rating
DrDan
Terry says
Very helpful, thanks so much! Came out delishhh
Ears14U says
Thank you Mike for the webpage and recipe. You did an exceptionally good job assembling this tutorial. It's laid out simple and to the point, just like most folks would wish everything was done. Thank you again!
Christina says
I came across this site a few months ago and I must must say my family loves all of your recipes. Whether in the oven or on the grill they turn out awesome!! Also the directions are spot on. Great site!!!!!
Colin says
Needed cooking time for drummers and found this. Old trick from bbq is to wash and dry the chicken like you say to, then pull the loose skin back, don't force anything, put a little bit of mustard or mayonaise (I like mustard, seems to marinate better) on the exposed meat and brush it around to coat the meat a bit (this makes a sticky base), then put your seasoning on the coating, gently cover your seasoning with the skin again, and season the exterior if you like for a dry rub. Cover in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 1/2 an hour. Then oven roast as directed. Oven based bbq. Works awesome.