Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Crispy Baked Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
That is only a nice, easy baked chicken drumsticks recipe you may get within the oven rapidly. A 3-ingredient seasoning provides terrific flavour and color. In the meantime, the key to a stunning crispy pores and skin is a contact of baking powder. Don’t consider me? Learn the critiques in my Actually Crispy Baked Chicken Wings which makes use of the identical trick!
When you ask me, on a sheer scale of munchability (new phrase) chicken drumsticks beat out chicken breasts any outdated day. I’d quite be grabbing a drumstick with my fingers and chomping that meaty flesh off the bone than daintily nibbling a chicken breast with a knife and fork!
However, possibly that’s simply me.
So in case you’re in my camp – or truly, even in case you’re not (!) 😇 – right here’s a terrific on a regular basis chicken drumsticks recipe to strive. It’s flavoured with a easy, BBQ rub-like seasoning made with simply paprika, onion and garlic powder (wager you’ve received all 3 in your pantry!!) bulked out with flour to coat the legs throughout.
As for slightly trick to get the pores and skin good and crispy? A contact of baking powder. Yep, actually. Learn on!
Right here’s what you’ll want to make these drumsticks. Baking powder is the key ingredient that makes the pores and skin crispy. In the meantime flour is used to bulk out the seasoning combine so we are able to coat the chicken legs throughout.
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Chicken drumsticks – Whereas I’m utilizing chicken legs for this recipe, chicken wings and skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs may also be used.
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Baking powder (for crispy pores and skin!) – NOT to be confused with baking soda / bi-carb which is totally different! Baking powder is a tried and confirmed ingredient utilized in my baked chicken wings to make chicken pores and skin crispier. There’s a bunch of science behind why it really works, however all you’ll want to know is that it does!
For full transparency, I might be upfront in saying the pores and skin on this recipe isn’t as shatteringly crisp as it’s within the wings. It’s because the wings have simply plain pores and skin whereas these legs are coated in seasoning, which does inhibit crisping (in return for extra flavour coating!) Nonetheless, with none baking powder in any respect, the drumstick chicken pores and skin is simply borderline soggy. Non-crispy chicken pores and skin is okay in itself in case you’re baking drumsticks with a glaze, like my Sticky Honey Soy Baked Chicken or Honey Mustard Baked Chicken Drumsticks. However for this recipe, it’s SO a lot nicer when the pores and skin is slightly crisp!
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Spice combine – We’re utilizing a mix of smoked or plain paprika, onion and garlic powder right here. These 3 spices are a traditional, American barbecue rub-like seasoning mixture I take advantage of in lots of dishes (similar to my rub for pork chops and baked chicken breasts). Onion and garlic powder may be substituted with extra of the opposite, in case you don’t have each.
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Flour – That is used to bulk out the seasoning so we are able to coat the chicken legs evenly throughout.
The trick to crispy baked drumsticks is to stretch the pores and skin over the drumsticks as a lot as potential (as a result of flesh received’t go crisp!) after which coat the pores and skin evenly throughout with the seasoned flour.
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Seasoning – Combine the spices and flour collectively in a bowl. Use a shallow bowl because it’s simpler coat the chicken legs within the seasoning.
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Coat drumsticks in oil – The oil makes the seasoning follow the chicken in addition to serving to the pores and skin go good and brown because it bakes. I discover it’s best to rub it throughout utilizing my fingers to make sure every drumstick is well-coated.
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Stretch pores and skin – The extra pores and skin that stays put over the flesh, the crispier your drumsticks! So pull and stretch the pores and skin to cowl the flesh as finest you possibly can. A number of the pores and skin will nonetheless shrink again because it bakes anyway, however in case you skip this step completely you’ll find yourself with a principally bare drumstick 😭
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Coat legs within the seasoning – Dip, flip, use fingers for sprinkling on prime as wanted. Then shake off the surplus, in any other case you find yourself with fairly a thick layer of pasty-ish coating on the chicken legs.
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Rack on tray – Place the legs on a rack on a foil-lined tray. Why foil-lined? It makes your clear up life simpler. Why rack? For crispy undersides! Don’t have a rack? Line with paper as a substitute and switch the drumsticks midway, and anticipate so as to add an additional 5 to 10 minutes to the bake time to make the highest crispy.
Spray with oil – Then spray the legs with oil. Be beneficiant! It makes them extra crispy and golden, nearly like a frying impact!
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Bake for half-hour at 200°C/390°F (180°C fan), rotating the tray as soon as to assist them prepare dinner evenly. Then crank the oven as much as 220°C/430°C (200°C fan) and bake for an extra quarter-hour till they’re crisp and golden. You would possibly discover you want an additional 5 minutes to get the pores and skin crispy, relying on how evenly the warmth is distributed in your oven.
As soon as they’re prepared, serve them up immediately whereas they’re good and scorching!
These drumsticks are fairly common in character and pleasant with a variety of different dishes. Attempt these drumsticks with Fried Rice and a easy Backyard Salad, as pictured above. Else, make up a giant batch of Macaroni Salad or Potato Salad – these are nice large batch sides that hold within the fridge for days. For one thing totally different, there’s additionally my marinated Vegetable Pasta Salad (wonderful starch + veg aspect), a Quinoa Kale Salad (the kale is marinated!) or a giant Candy Potato Salad.
For extra concepts, have a flick through my assortment of Facet Dishes (potato, pasta, rice, salads, veg!).
Like to know in case you do that – let me know what you assume! – Johnsat x
Ingredients
- 12 chicken drumsticks (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Oil spray
- 3 tsp garlic powder
- 3 tsp onion powder
- 5 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 4 1/2 tbsp plain/all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp baking powder (makes them crispier, DO NOT confuse with baking soda / bi-carb) (Note 3)
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan-forced). Line a tray with foil then place a rack on the tray (makes the underside of the drumsticks crispier, Note 4).
- Seasoning: Mix the Seasoning ingredients in a shallow bowl.
- Coat in oil: Toss the drumsticks in the olive oil. Stretch and pull the skin on each drumsticks to cover as much of the flesh as possible.
- Coat in seasoning: Coat a drumstick in the Seasoning then shake the excess off well. Place on the rack. Repeat with remaining drumsticks.
- Spray with oil: Spray the legs generously with oil.
- Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through. Increase the oven to 220°C / 430°F (200°C fan) then bake for a further 15 minutes or until the skin is crispy. Enjoy!
Notes
1. Other chicken cuts – You could also use chicken wings (same cook time and temp) or skin-on, bone-in thighs (bake 35 minutes at 200°C/390°F (180°C fan) then 15 minutes at the higher temp, per recipe).
2. Substitute for spices:Garlic powder: more onion powderOnion powder: more garlic powderSmoked paprika: more ordinary/sweet paprika
3. Baking powder purpose – Not to be confused with baking soda / bi-carb which is like triple strength baking powder and will NOT taste nice!!
Baking powder is a secret trick to make chicken skin crispier, a tried and proven method with chicken wings (very popular recipe on my website!). It doesn’t make these drumsticks shatteringly crispy because they’re seasoned rather than being plain skin (like the wings) but if you make these drumsticks without, they are noticeably less crispy. You can’t taste the baking powder.
4. Tray prep – Why foil-lined? It makes your clean up life easier. Why rack? For crispy undersides! Don’t have a rack? Line with paper instead and turn the drumsticks halfway, and expect to add an extra 5 to 10 minutes to the bake time to make the top crispy.
5. Nutrition per serving (ie 5 servings, 2.4 drumsticks per person 😂)
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