I love the kind of dinner where you can just stick a pan in the oven and walk away, it’s so much easier than a stove top dinner that requires more attention (and stirring!). When I need to have dinner on the table without a whole lot of fuss, I often turn to salmon foil packets, bacon wrapped chicken and these baked chicken drumsticks.
Baked Chicken Drumsticks Ingredients
When you make these baked chicken drumsticks you will need chicken drumsticks, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning and fresh parsley. This recipe is perfect for when you want drumsticks. If you ever want some baked wings, try my lemon pepper wings, baked buffalo wings and classic baked chicken wings.
How do you make baked chicken drumsticks?
This baked chicken drumsticks recipe starts with a simple marinade. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning in a large bowl. Place your drumsticks in your marinade and refrigerate them in for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours. Next, place the marinated drumsticks on a prepared sheet pan and roast the chicken. When the skin turns golden brown and the meat gets tender and juicy remove the chicken from the oven. Sprinkle a little fresh parsley over the drumsticks and enjoy!
Tips For The Perfect Baked Drumsticks
Be sure to use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor, not the stuff in a bottle. You want to spray your baking sheet with cooking spray or brush it lightly with oil to help the drumsticks to not stick on the baking sheet. Feel free to place a layer of aluminum foil on your baking sheet for easy cleanup. If you use aluminum foil, spray it with cooking spray. You can use an instant-read thermometer or another meat thermometer to see if your thickest drumstick has reached 165 degrees F on the inside. The marinade helps infuse your baked chicken with flavor and helps your drumsticks get a nice crispy skin. If you want a crispier skin, feel free to use a convection oven. Periodically check on your chicken as it cooks. You want the skin to brown, but you don’t want the garlic and herbs on the outside to burn. If the garlic and herbs are getting overly dark, you can lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees. You can marinate your chicken in an airtight container or place a layer of plastic wrap over the top of your bowl of marinating drumsticks.
Flavor Variations
This baked chicken drumstick recipe uses an Italian style marinade, but you can switch up the flavors to make this recipe your own.
Greek: Use 2 teaspoons of a store bought Greek seasoning or make your own Greek seasoning. Mexican: Use lime juice instead of lemon juice and substitute 1 tablespoon of chili powder for the Italian seasoning or use 1 tablespoon of fajita seasoning. Asian: Combine the olive oil with 1/3 cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 teaspoon minced ginger and 1 teaspoon minced garlic. Seasonings: Feel free to add to your marinade your favorite seasonings like paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne pepper.
I make these baked chicken drumsticks almost every week because they’re a simple yet satisfying option with minimal prep work. You know it’s a good recipe when even the kids will happily eat it!
