Marinated baked chicken drumstick recipe, our go-to easy recipe for an easy dinner! A flavorful marinade on chicken legs that are baked in the oven. The result is the most crispy and juicy chicken!
In a pinch for a great dinner without a lot of fuss, this chicken leg recipe is it!
Easy and delicious marinated chicken legs!
The marinade for the chicken takes just a few minutes to put together. Even better, the ingredients are everyday spices so an extra shopping trip is rarely needed!
My Crispy Baked Chicken Drumsticks have been such a hit! I have gotten a lot of requests for some other chicken leg recipes!
So, today I thought I’d share another easy recipe that my family has often! My family’s famous marinated chicken drumsticks!
Marinated Chicken Drumsticks
This recipe is a regular in my families meal rotation! It’s also one of those recipes that everyone loves. I love it because it’s so ridiculously easy!
These chicken legs are perfect to bring to family gatherings, tailgating, any celebration with a crowd because they’re so easy to make and re-heat really well!
Baked chicken legs that have been marinated in an flavorful marinade!
Who doesn’t love making an easy dinner? These chicken drumsticks are marinated in olive oil and spices and baked to perfection! Make extra because these drumsticks go fast!
 Marinated Chicken Drumsticks Ingredients:Â
- Â olive oil
- lemon juice
- Dijon mustard
- honey
- paprika
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- dried thyme
- salt and pepper
Baked marinated chicken legs are juicy and flavorful!
Marinated Chicken Drumsticks FAQs:
Why do you marinate the chicken?
Marinating adds flavor and makes the meat more juicy!
Can baked drumsticks be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze raw drumsticks in the marinade. The marinade will infuse flavor into the chicken as it defrosts.
Can I bake the chicken ahead of time?
Yes. Make the chicken up to 2 days ahead and reheat at 300 degrees.
What is the best oven temperature to bake the chicken legs?
After a lot of testing, bake the chicken at 425 degrees. This helps give a great crispy crunch to the exterior of the chicken and keeps the interior juicy.
What is the correct temperature for baked chicken?
The chicken should have an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Before I marinate the drumsticks, can I remove the chicken skin?
Absolutely, feel free to remove chicken skin. You won’t miss the extra calories and the chicken tastes great.
You should check out these tasty chicken recipes that we love:
Low Carb Chicken Piccata – one of my most popular recipes and it is gluten-free and keto.
Dry Rub Chicken Wings – perfect for an appetizer, tailgating, family fun food.
Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore – a one-pot meal that delivers flavor.
What sides go well with marinated chicken?
- Homemade Mashed Potatoes – not much better than my Granny’s creamy, fluffy, buttery mashed potatoes.
- Crispy Roasted Potatoes – love to bake these in the oven for the crispiest taters.
- Roasted Corn on the Cob – sweet buttery corn pairs perfectly with chicken.
- Roasted Asparagus – Add a great veggie with your drumsticks!
- Summer Vegetable Medley – Â A great array of veggies for a tasty side dish!
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Pro tips to make baked chicken drumsticks:
- Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes to overnight.
- Pat chicken dry before baking.
- Bake at 425 degrees to ensure a nice crispy brown coating on the chicken.
- Turn the chicken over after about 20 minutes in the oven which will ensure great color to the chicken.
How to make marinated chicken drumsticks:
- In a bowl, whisk olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, parsley, thyme, pepper, and salt.
- Add the drumsticks in a large plastic sealable bag with the marinade and seal it closed.
- Place chicken in the fridge for 30 minutes to overnight.
How to bake chicken drumsticks in the oven:
- Remove chicken from marinade, pat chicken dry.
- Bake in preheated oven on a baking sheet for 20 minutes.
- Turn chicken, bake for 20-25 minutes to finish cooking.
- Internal temperature of the chicken legs should reach 165 degrees.
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Easy Marinated Baked Chicken Drumsticks
Equipment Needed:
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 medium lemon, juiced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- salt, to taste
Chicken Drumsticks
- 10 medium chicken drumsticks, skin removed Note 1
- cooking spray
Instructions
How to make Chicken Drumstick Marinade
- In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, Worcestershire Sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, thyme, oregano, and black pepper. Add salt to your preference.Â
- Pour the marinade into a large storage bag along with the drumsticks. Place in fridge for at least 30 minutes up to overnight.Â
How to bake chicken drumsticks
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Remove chicken from the marinade, pat dry. Place chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in center rack of oven for 20 minutes. Turn chicken and bake another 20-25 minutes. Internal temperature of chicken should be 165 degrees.
Notes
Nutrition
Very nice. My children loved them too. Good make ahead dinner for a weeknight! Thank you
Wonderful, Jazmin. I’m so glad you and your family enjoy the drumsticks.
Thanks so much! Your recipe was the first time ever that I made drumsticks – awesome!
Awesome, Dana.glad you enjoy the drumsticks
Delicious!
Awesome Tremaine, glad you enjoy the chicken.
Made this last night substituted Dijon with Emirl’s smooth honey mustard and along with garlic powder added fresh pressed garlic.
My kids are picky so finished off on grill with Guy Fieri KC bbq sauce hoping they wouldn’t dry out .
They stayed juicy and my kids said they were amazing ! Enough said .
Thanks
Awesome Ricky. So glad you and your family enjoyed the chicken.
Making these tonight but wont be eating all at once – what is the best way to reheat from frozen?
Hey Lilian, I hope you enjoy the chicken. I defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat at a 350°F oven for about 10-15 minutes. If you have a lot of drumsticks to freeze, place them on a tray in the freezer to harden, about an hour and then place in a freezer-safe bag so they don’t stick together. You can defrost a few at a time. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Love this marinade… So easy and the chicken was so delicious… I baked them elevated on a rack so that it would cook in the grease. Our new favourite!!
Hey Reg, thank you very much for taking the time to let me know how the chicken marinade worked for you. I am thrilled you enjoyed it.
For a finicky child that eats skinless chicken breast only, would the substitution work just fine?
Hi Mo, absolutely use boneless chicken breasts. I would bake them 10 minutes and flip them another 5-10 minutes until the tenders are at 165 degrees. I’d love to hear how your little one liked the flavor.
Super juicy and really flavorful I did mustard not dijon but man oh man very good
Fantastic Joeseph, I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe. I have got to tell you, last week I did the same and used mustard, loved it too. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed the recipe. I really appreciate it.
Can you use maple syrup instead of honey. Just wondering.
Hi Ro,
Absolutely, you can use maple syrup. Enjoy!
Have you tried Air Frying the chicken?
Hi Normaa, I haven’t made this particular recipe in the air fryer. I will have to try it. They would be great in the air fryer. Let me know if you make them. I will update the recipe after I make these in it too.
How much onion powder and garlic powder? At the top of the page it mentions both of these but in the printable recipe neither are listed. Thanks!
Hi Miranda, I apologize for lack of info in the directions. I recently had an update in my recipe software and one of our assistants are going through allour recipes to ensure everything updated correctly. I have corrected the recipe ingredients to include the garlic and onion powder. Both should be 1 teaspoon each. I hope you enjoy the marinated drumsticks. They are a personal favorite of mine!
We love chicken drumsticks. I always make them with different marinade and I should try yours this time. These drumsticks look yummy.
Thank you! I hope you enjoy these drumsticks as much as my family!
Everyone loves drumsticks at my house, so it’s great to find one more marinade to use for them. Thanks!
The marinade is a favorite of my families!I am glad you enjoy the recipe!
These drumsticks look and sound delicious. I love the marinade. We much prefer dark chicken meat to breast so thighs and drumsticks are what we eat most. Can’t wait to try this!
Jacqueline, I am glad you enjoy the drumsticks! This is one of my favorite marinades!
I just made the marinade. I’m looking forward to introducing this to my family tonight. I have a question. Why do we pat them dry? Doesn’t that remove some of the marindae?
Thank you,
Bill
Hi Bill, enjoy the chicken drumsticks. The reason I pat the chicken dry is to ensure the chicken gets crispy when they bake. The chicken won’t lose flavor because it is marinated and the flavors are in the chicken. If you have any other questions, please let me know. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
These are amazing! My husband really prefers dark meat, so thighs and drumsticks are always a safe bet in my house, but the marinade is really next level. Perfect dinner!
Awesome Monica! So happy your husband enjoys the marinade!
This was an amazing recipe. I marinated it overnight, the chicken was so juicy. I did increase the garlic powder, onion powder and tweaked it to my families taste. Will definitely make it again. Thank you for sharing it with us, Eileen!
I am so glad you and your family enjoyed the chicken marinade Michael!
What a delicious recipe! I’ll be making this again and again!
Awesome Christina! So glad you enjoy the recipe!
These are always a favourite on our BBQ in the summer.
So happy to hear you enjoy the marinated chicken legs!
My family would love these chicken drumsticks. They look so crispy on the outside and full of tasty flavours.
Thank you Maria! I hope your family enjoys the drummies!
These look so incredibly flavorful and so easy to make!
They are so easy to make Tisha! I hope you enjoy them often!
These look finger licking good! Marinating is the key to a flavorful, mouthwatering dish like this one!
Thank you so much Jillian! I agree, marinating is the key!
What great tips to make these drumsticks even more perfect! These look like they have so much flavor and so crisp on the outside!
Thank you Kristina! I am happy you like the recipe! Glad you like the tips!
These look delicious! My family will love them.
Thank you so much! I hope your family enjoys the drumsticks!