These crispy baked chicken drumsticks are the ultimate way to enjoy golden, crunchy chicken without the mess of deep-frying. The drumsticks have a perfectly seasoned coating with tender meat that delivers all the flavor and texture of classic fried chicken—right from your oven.
This easy recipe uses a flavorful buttermilk marinade and a simple oven technique to create the best crispy baked chicken drumsticks. Perfect for busy weeknights, family dinners, or game day spreads, these crispy baked drumsticks are always a hit!
For specifics on the recipe, use the table of contents to click on sections of the recipe.
Jump to:
- How do you get Crispy Baked Chicken Drumsticks?
- Why you'll love Crispy Baked Chicken Drumsticks
- Ingredients for Crispy Baked Oven- Fried Drumsticks
- Kitchen tools for Oven Baked Fried Chicken
- How to make Crispy Baked Chicken Drumsticks in the Oven
- Make-ahead, storage, and freezer tips
- Eileen's Tips for the Best Crispy Baked Chicken Drumsticks
- Vary Ingredients for Oven Baked Crispy Chicken Drumsticks
- FAQs for the best Oven Baked Crispy Chicken Drumsticks
- What to serve with Crispy Baked Chicken Drumsticks
- More easy chicken dinner ideas
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- 💬 Comments
How do you get Crispy Baked Chicken Drumsticks?
I have mastered the secrets to crispy baked chicken drumsticks. Follow these simple steps for the best baked chicken legs.
- Marinating the chicken in buttermilk will tenderize the drumsticks and help the seasoned flour adhere to the drumsticks.
- Seasoning the flour will enhance the flavors on the crispy coating.
- The melted butter on the baking sheet helps coat the chicken and ensure a crispy crust.
- The quick bake at a high temperature is the key to crispy, crunchy, and tender oven-baked fried drumsticks.
Why you'll love Crispy Baked Chicken Drumsticks
- Better for You: Oven-baking the drumsticks is better for you than frying.
- Affordable: Chicken drumsticks are budget-friendly, so you will enjoy great food at a low price for dinner.
- Crowd Pleaser: This is an easy recipe to make for a crowd.
- Make Ahead: A great make-ahead recipe and freeze for another day.
Love oven-baked chicken? Then you must give our Marinated Baked Chicken Drumsticks a try, delicious! Our Copycat Chick-fil-A Baked Chicken Nuggets, Crispy Baked Chicken Wings, or Baked Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders are all great choices to make soon.
Ingredients for Crispy Baked Oven- Fried Drumsticks
Buttermilk Marinade for Crispy Chicken Drumsticks
- buttermilk
- hot sauce
- smoked paprika
- black pepper
- Kosher salt
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- 10 pieces of chicken drumsticks
Seasoned Flour Coating for Crispy Chicken Drumsticks
- all-purpose flour
- smoked paprika
- ground thyme
- Kosher salt
- black pepper
- cayenne pepper
- unsalted butter
Kitchen tools for Oven Baked Fried Chicken
- Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Spoons and Cups
- Whisk
- Baking Sheets
- Instant Read Meat Thermometer
How to make Crispy Baked Chicken Drumsticks in the Oven
This is an overview of the recipe. The full instructions are below in the recipe card.
How to make oven-fried drumstick buttermilk marinade
- Combine the ingredients for the chicken drumsticks buttermilk marinade in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the drumsticks and marinate for at least 30 minutes. Overnight in the refrigerator is preferred.
How to Dredge Oven-Baked Fried Chicken Drumsticks in Seasoned Flour
- Whisk the ingredients for the seasoned flour in a large mixing bowl.
- Dredge the buttermilk- marinated chicken drumsticks in the seasoned flour.
How to make Oven-Baked fried chicken
- Melt unsalted butter on the baking sheet.
- Place drumsticks on the prepared baking sheet
- Bake for about 45 minutes until cooked through.
- Use an instant-read meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the drumsticks. Should be 165°f/74°C. Serve with your favorite side dishes.
Make-ahead, storage, and freezer tips
Storage - Leftover chicken drumsticks can be kept well-covered or wrapped in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Freezer-Friendly: Oven-Baked Chicken Drumsticks are freezer-friendly. Once the chicken is cooked and cooled, the drumsticks can be flash frozen by placing them on baking trays in the freezer for about an hour. Then move them to portion sizes to freeze for another day.
Date the freezer bags and ensure most of the air is removed from the bag. The baked chicken can be stored in the freezer for about 3 months.
This process will allow the drumsticks to freeze. They won't stick together in a freezer-safe bag or container.
Eileen's Tips for the Best Crispy Baked Chicken Drumsticks
- Marinating the chicken in seasoned buttermilk adds tenderness and flavor to the chicken drumsticks.
- If you prefer to remove the chicken leg skin, the crispy coating adheres well to the drumsticks.
- Don’t overcrowd the baking sheet so the chicken legs get nice and crispy.
- Flip the chicken legs halfway through baking so they are evenly crisp.
Vary Ingredients for Oven Baked Crispy Chicken Drumsticks
Do you want to change up this recipe? Here are some ways to change the flavor of this dish.
- Protein: This will work on chicken breasts, but cooking time will vary.
- Gluten-Free: Use a one-to-one gluten-free all-purpose flour.
- Seasonings: Change up the seasonings by using any of these combinations:
FAQs for the best Oven Baked Crispy Chicken Drumsticks
Marinate the chicken legs for at least 30 minutes. For the juiciest, tender, oven-fried crispy chicken drumsticks, marinate overnight.
I do not recommend skipping marinating the chicken in buttermilk. The acid in the buttermilk helps to break down the protein and locks in the moisture in the chicken drumsticks.
Buttermilk tenderizes the drumsticks and helps to make them juicy once baked.
What to serve with Crispy Baked Chicken Drumsticks
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Eileen xo
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card, you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
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Crispy Baked Chicken Drumsticks
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Equipment Needed:
Ingredients
Buttermilk Marinade
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 4 dashes hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 10 pieces chicken drumsticks
Flour Mixture
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ - 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper option, if you like it spicy Note 1
- 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
Instructions
Buttermilk Marinade
- In a large mixing bowl, add 2 cups buttermilk, 4 dashes hot sauce , 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon salt , ½ teaspoon onion powder, and ½ teaspoon garlic powder. Mix to combine the ingredients.
- Add the 10 pieces chicken drumsticks to the bowl. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes; overnight is preferred.
To Make the Flour Mixture for Oven-Fried Chicken Drumsticks
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Once heated, add 2 teaspoons unsalted butter on a large baking sheet and place on the center rack of the oven for about 2 minutes to melt the butter. Once the butter is melted, remove the rack from the oven and set it aside.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon ground thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and ½ - 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper. (Note 1)
- Remove the buttermilk-marinated chicken from the refrigerator. Shake excess marinade off each marinated chicken drumstick before placing them in the seasoned flour.Repeat the process of dredging the chicken in the flour mixture, shake off excess flour, and place the seasoned drumsticks on the prepared baking sheet.
- Once all chicken drumsticks are floured and placed on the prepared baking sheet, bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165°F/74°C. Use an internal meat thermometer to get the internal temperature of the drumsticks.
- Remove drumsticks from the oven and serve with your favorite side dishes.
NOTES
- I prefer using low-fat buttermilk. Full-fat buttermilk (which is still not very fattening) can be used.
- I love the flavor of smoked paprika in this crispy baked chicken. Regular paprika works if you do not have smoked paprika.
- Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation, and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and portion sizes.
