You will love this super simple chicken drumsticks recipe! It is so easy to throw together.
Meat is one of my least favorite things to cook. I am paranoid about raw meat and bacteria. And once it is cooked, there is usually a gross dish of animal fat to discard after it cooks. Bleh.
But meat can sure taste good and make a meal more filling!
And I especially loved how these simple chicken drumsticks tasted! The skin got nice and crispy and the inside was tender, juicy, and flavorful. It only took a few simple ingredients. No turning them over or adding sauce in the middle of the cooking time. Just pop them in the oven and finish making the rest of the meal while they cook.
Simple Chicken Drumsticks (in the Oven) Recipe
Ingredients:
- 8 frozen chicken drumsticks (if they are thawed, the cooking time will probably be a little shorter)
- extra-virgin olive oil (about 1-2 Tbsp.)
- salt
- pepper
- garlic powder
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and pull out a glass 9×13 inch sized baking dish.
- Place the frozen drumsticks in the baking dish
, then one by one, run them under warm water and place back into the dish. Once they have all been rinsed, pat dry with a few paper towels. It’s important to dry your meat if you want the skin to get crispy.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the drumsticks, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. You’ll have to eye how much of the seasonings you think would taste good. I would try to err on the side of not enough salt instead of too much salt. You can always add more later if needed.
- You can do this step bare-handed or put on some disposable gloves. Rub the oil and seasonings all over the chicken drumsticks. Once they are all nice and shiny, then put them in the preheated oven.
- Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes (longer if you have huge drumsticks). They may even be done before that, but just be sure to check that they are cooked thoroughly before eating. No one wants to eat questionable chicken!
Now, I have to tell you, one of my favorite dinners is baked chicken drumsticks with steamed veggies and mashed potatoes. Tonight we did Israeli-style Couscous instead of mashed potatoes. It is easier and quicker to make and my kids love it! I don’t know why, but they always eat it when I make it.
Maybe it’s because of the variety of colors.
My husband once told me why M&M’s aren’t all just brown like chocolate. He said people often eat more of something if there is variety. So maybe that’s why the variety Israeli-style Couscous is a winner around here. And it went great with these simple chicken drumsticks and steamed broccoli and carrots. 🙂 You can also try making this chicken with BAKED YAMS. So yummy.
*Inspired by THIS recipe.
Based on 33 Review(s)
Made this last night for dinner. Turned out delicious. Super easy and quick prep. (I didn’t rinse or dry them. I just put them in the pan, washed my hands, and sprinkled them with all the salt and herbs I wanted and then let them bake. I thought they might end up all dried out because they weren’t covered, but they were actually moist and delicious with a crispy skin.
Thanks for the recipe!
Olivia, I’m so glad it was a success for you! I’m curious, did you use any olive oil, or just the salt and seasonings? Thanks for commenting!
Just found this googling; if you could bake frozen legs, I wasn’t sure. It sounds delish. I’m gonna try it tonight!
Jen, yes, you can bake frozen drumsticks, but it takes a bit longer than if you bake pre-thawed drumsticks. Hope they turned out well for you!
I always rub a little oil on mine and add seasonings then cook for about an hour with no turning over and they always come out crispy and delish!!
Found this easy to make even for a grandpa of 6 love it thanks
Great! Thanks for letting us know! Did your grandchildren get to try the drumsticks?
my drumsticks were huge and subsequently took way longer to cook….
Sorry they took longer to cook, but thanks for trying out the recipe! I went ahead and added in the recipe instructions that they may take longer than 1 hour and 15 minutes if they are extra big drumsticks.
Drumsticks are great with sliced onions then smothered in your favourite bbq sauce then use the sauce after to smother over mashed potatoes
Tom, sliced onions and bbq sauce sound like great additions to this recipe – I’ve actually been looking for a really good go-to bbq sauce, do you have any recommendations?
Thank you! I’m not typically the cook in our household, my husband is. But with this simple easy recipe, I cooked a delicious dinner for my family! Happy Housewife 🙂
LuciLuch,
I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed this chicken recipe! Sometimes simple is best, right? 🙂
I want you to know that even though I’m a dedicated carnivore, I feel exactly the same about cooking meat as you do. I even have a difficult time browning ground beef because even when it’s fresh, it still smells sour to me. The only meats I’m really comfortable cooking are hamburgers and steaks on the grill.
I came upon this recipe because I have some chicken legs baking that were still a bit frozen. They’ve been in the fridge defrosting for at least three days, and there are still ice crystals in the package. But your recipe looks good, and I want to try it.
One thing though. All the modern websites like the US Department of Agriculture say Julia Child was wrong. You shouldn’t wash chicken (or other meats-but especially chicken)as it spreads bacteria around the sink and kitchen counters.
Thanks for the comment, Novice Male Cook! You bring up a really good point about rinsing chicken and other meats before cooking. I’ll have to experiment with not rinsing the chicken in this recipe prior to baking. I’d imagine it would still taste great 🙂 I try to scrub out the sink with antibacterial soap or bleach after rinsing chicken over the sink to hopefully eliminate any bacteria. Also, if you run it under just a little bit of water to reduce splattering on the counter, that may be helpful.
Cooking on the grill sounds awesome! That is one area of cooking I haven’t really ventured into, but am hoping to do some of that this Summer 😀
This is new….My family loves drumstick. My mother loves to cook anything different recipe. Thank you for sharing….. I will share this recipe to her. Yes its simple but i’m sure this is delicious…..
Thank you for this. I didn’t defrost my drumstick amd was wondering what to do for last minute dinner prep. This turned out perfect.
It’s great not having to think too far ahead for meals sometimes 🙂 Glad the drumsticks turned out well!