If you want an absolute no-fuss recipe that is high in protein, doesn’t take a truckload of effort and fits right into your healthy meal plan while coming out delicious every time, then these oven baked chicken drumsticks are the one for you!
Being a food blogger, I keep looking for stunning yet easily replicable recipes that I can make & share with all my readers who too can make & enjoy homemade food without being stressed!
On that rigor, I sometimes overlook the simplest of recipes that I keep making on repeat for our own meals and that’s exactly where these oven baked chicken drumsticks come from!
Honestly, I have made these baked chicken drumsticks for my dinner so many times that I don’t even count this as a recipe any more!
It is such a convenient meal to put together that my brain burns minimal mental energy to process and execute this and that’s why I kept ignoring this humble yet flavorful dish for so long!
Why should you try making these easy & simple Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks?
I am guessing you have already watched the video of this recipe (apologies for the video lighting which doesn’t justify the real gorgeousness of these oven baked chicken drumsticks!).
So you have already realized how easy this recipe is which makes it such a perfect choice for a busy weekday meal!
As you read below, you will see that you don’t need a fixed set of spices to make these baked drumsticks as attractive as they look in my pictures!
Once you have the aromatic powders ie onion & garlic and the seasoning ie salt & pepper, you already have the basic grammar of flavorful baked chicken in place.
To seal the deal, all you need is the spice mix of your choice e.g. Italian seasoning which is what I had used or any one of the other alternatives that I have mentioned below!
And you will end up with these gorgeous looking chicken drumsticks every time!
Plus this marinate works for both chicken drumsticks and chicken thighs! Another reason to love them even more!
Try these oven baked chicken once and I can bet you will keep coming back to these repeatedly for your joyful weekly meals!
Ingredients for Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks
Chicken drumsticks: I believe chicken drumsticks are undisputedly the most loved portion of the bird (although for me it comes second right after chicken thighs!).
So it became an easy choice to use drumsticks for my everyday oven baked chicken! You can use skin-on or skin-off drumsticks, whichever you prefer.
If you use skin-on drumsticks, you will get that crispy skin on top which tastes good but comes with some extra calories.
When I use skin-on chicken drumsticks for my oven baked chicken, I remove the skin from my portion before eating. My other half, of course, doesn’t count his calorie intake, so he enjoys the crispy chicken skins immensely!
Skin-off chicken drumsticks may tend to be a little dry as the skin is absent to protect the meat from direct dry heat; but you can dip them in a spicy yogurt dip to make it more palatable.
Extra virgin olive oil: This oil is mandatory in this oven baked chicken recipe as this flavorful oil enhances and complements the minimal spices & aromatics that I have used.
Olive oil extracts the flavors of dry herbs and aromatic powders beautifully which then impart tempting flavors to your chicken drumsticks.
Aromatics: Since this is the simplest most recipe of everyday oven baked chicken that you can make on a hectic weekday, I didn’t involve any effort of peeling or chopping the aromatics.
Just a dash of onion powder and garlic powder will do the trick!
Spice mix: For this everyday oven baked chicken, you can use any spice mix of your choice and make it your signature dish!
It doesn’t follow any strict guidelines and that’s the beauty of this recipe! I used the one which always remains handy in my pantry and that is none other than Italian seasoning!
You can use other seasonings e.g. Peri Peri, Jerk, Cajun or any other that you like! Here is an excellent blog post from a fellow blogger where he talks about 6 Seasoning Blends for Baked Chicken!
You can keep them premade which will make your weeknight dinners quick, easy and more importantly stress-free!
Seasoning: The best flavors of your oven baked chicken drumsticks and the spice mix that you used will come out when you season your chicken right with salt and pepper!
How to make Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks?
Step 1: Wash and pat dry the chicken drumsticks. Take them in a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: In another small mixing bowl, add all the other ingredients – onion & garlic powder, Italian seasoning, extra virgin olive oil and salt & pepper to taste. Give a good mix to make a uniform marinade.
Step 3: Pour the marinade over the chicken drumsticks. Then preferably using your hands, massage each drumstick with the marinating mixture to ensure each one is coated thoroughly on all sides.
Step 4: Once you are happy with the marination, leave the chicken for at least 30 minutes at room temperature allowing the flavors to penetrate deep into the meat.
Pro tip: You can refrigerate the marinated chicken drumstick for up to 2 days.
Step 5: When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 190 C / 375 F and place the oven rack at upper third level.
Step 6: Line a baking sheet with baking paper and spray it lightly with oil to avoid any sticking.
Step 7: Now arrange the marinated chicken drumsticks on the baking sheet in a single layer.
Pro tip: You can also place a baking rack over the baking sheet, brush it with oil and place the drumsticks over the baking rack. This will ensure even air circulation around the drumsticks making them crispier.
However, if you are pressed for time, you can simply place the drumsticks on the baking sheet and call it a day!
Step 8: Bake the drumsticks in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Then take them out and brush olive oil over each piece. Flip the drumsticks over and brush olive oil on the other side too.
Pro tip: While baking, do ensure that the heat is coming from both the sources i.e. from the top and bottom one.
The chicken will be closer to the top heating source which will help get a charring effect on your drumsticks.
Step 9: Return them back to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes or until the chicken is tender and juices run clear.
Pro tip: You can check the doneness of the chicken by poking the thickest part of the drumsticks with the edge of a sharp knife.
If it cuts the meat easily and you don’t see any trace of pink and the juices run clear, your oven baked chicken drumsticks are completely cooked through.
Step 10: Transfer the drumsticks to a platter and garnish them with fresh herbs.
Step 11: Serve the oven baked chicken drumsticks warm with a side of fresh salad and a spicy yogurt dip! Enjoy!
More easy high-protein recipes from Flavor Quotient
- Cheesy Broccoli Chicken Fritters
- Sweet Chilli Chicken Meatballs in Air Fryer
- High Protein Air Fryer Roast Chicken
- Chicken drumsticks - 8, skin-on or skin-off
- Onion powder - 1 & ½ tsp
- Garlic powder - 1 & ½ tsp
- Italian seasoning - 2 & ½ tsp
- Extra-virgin olive oil - 4 tbsp
- Salt - 1 tsp or to taste
- Pepper - ½ tsp
- Wash and pat dry the chicken drumsticks. Take them in a large mixing bowl.
- In another small mixing bowl, add all the other ingredients - onion & garlic powder, Italian seasoning, extra virgin olive oil and salt & pepper to taste. Give a good mix to make a uniform marinade.
- Pour the marinade over the chicken drumsticks. Then preferably using your hands, massage each drumstick with the marinating mixture to ensure each one is coated thoroughly on all sides.
- Once you are happy with the marination, leave the chicken for at least 30 minutes at room temperature allowing the flavors to penetrate deep into the meat.
- When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 190 C / 375 F and place the oven rack at upper third level.
- Line a baking sheet with baking paper and spray it lightly with oil to avoid any sticking.
- Now arrange the marinated chicken drumsticks on the baking sheet in a single layer.
- Bake the drumsticks in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Then take them out and brush olive oil over each piece. Flip the drumsticks over and brush olive oil on the other side too.
- Return them back to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes or until the chicken is tender and juices run clear.**
- Transfer the drumsticks to a platter and garnish with fresh herbs.
- Serve the oven baked chicken drumsticks warm with a side of fresh salad and a spicy yogurt dip! Enjoy!
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I do not even know how I ended up here but I thought this post was great I do not know who you are but certainly youre going to a famous blogger if you are not already! Cheers!